Cohort 2
Chicago
Chief of Schools, Ravenswood-Ridge Elementary Network, Chicago Public Schools
Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy
Tenure: August 2004-2010
Before assuming the role of Area Instructional Officer, Craig served as principal at Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy from 2004 to 2010. As principal at Talcott, he initiated and led the development of the Fine Arts and Museum Academy program at the school. Through partnerships created with Chicago museums, the school offered unique learning opportunities for Talcott’s students and made it the first museum academy in the region.
Craig also cultivated the growth of after-school programming at Talcott, which lead to an increase in student access from 10 percent to 70 percent. He set a culture of professional development that resulted in 75 percent of his staff achieving or working toward National Board Certifications or content-area endorsements.
As a result of Craig’s instructional leadership, scores on the ISAT rose from 43% to 83% in six years, with the “exceeds” level increasing from 4% to 22%. Talcott was also one of only two elementary schools in Chicago Public Schools to display six consecutive years of ISAT composite growth with an 80% ISAT performance level, 80% of students at poverty level and 30% English language learners.
