Chicago Public Schools Celebrates Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day

Chicago Public Schools Celebrates Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day

CPS Highlights the Continued Progress of Women in Education, Business, Industry, and Beyond

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is celebrating Women’s History Month, occurring annually in March for more than 35 years, and International Women’s Day, occurring annually in early spring for more than a century. CPS recognizes the historical struggle and continued progress of women’s rights throughout its history, as the District has seen its women graduates fight for and achieve improved representation in every industry and field of study.

“I am proud to join the CPS community in celebrating International Women’s Day, and I hope that each and every woman teacher, student, and administrator in the District knows how much we value their role and impact every day,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Women leaders face unique challenges to this day, and we are working to ensure that every woman and girl in our community feels welcomed, supported, and empowered.”

CEO Martinez and others celebrate the District’s proud history of female leaders and groundbreakers in this video. Kate Starr Kellogg, for whom Kellogg Elementary School is named, was a CPS teacher and educational pioneer. Kellogg’s innovations, such as parent teacher conferences and the integration of arts curriculum, persist to this day. Other women leaders in the District’s history include Ida B. Wells, a civil rights leader and founder of the first kindergarten in Chicago, and Ella Flag Young, who made history as the first woman superintendent of a major urban school district. In addition to a storied history of women leaders, the District has always maintained a significant level of women staff, which aligns with the national education industry. Today, women make up approximately 76 percent of the District’s nearly 44,000 employees.

While CPS is proud of its history of female innovators and leaders, the District also recognizes the pervasiveness of gender-based opportunity gaps. As such, gender equity has been an essential part of the CPS Equity Framework since its inception in 2018. CPS’ Office of Equity is committed to developing, supporting, implementing, and reporting on District efforts to eliminate opportunity gaps in education quality, policies, and support for students and adults.

“Ensuring equitable access to all educational and career opportunities for our young women and girls is foundational to fulfilling our vision,” said CPS Chief Equity, Engagement, and Strategy Officer Fatima Cooke. “Young women and girls have historically faced unique challenges in pursuing their educational goals, and our office is working every day to break down those barriers. Our female-identifying students are worthy and capable of achieving everything they set their mind to and we’re honored to help build their confidence and skills.”

As part of ongoing celebrations during the month of March, Carver Military Academy hosted its Fourth Annual Young Women’s Conference on Friday, March 8, which was International Women’s Day. This school-wide conference, featuring educational sessions and interactive activities, was aimed at exploring issues particularly prevalent among the District’s female-identifying students, such as mental health, self-worth, navigating potentially unsafe relationships, realizing postsecondary and career opportunities, and more.

Also on March 8th, the CPS Office of Early College and Career Education (ECCE), in collaboration with Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, hosted the 2nd Annual Mobilizing STEM Leadership Event for students from CPS’ Early College STE(A)M Schools. This discussion featured an all-female panel of industry and educational leaders, who shared their insight and experience in using a law degree framework within STEM industries. In the coming weeks, ECCE will host virtual “Women in STEM” career panels in partnership with the Bolhous Foundation.

On March 19th, the CPS Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising hosted the Fourth Annual Young Women of Color (YMOC) Summit at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). This annual workshop and resource fair connected high school students with college and career pathway exploration opportunities. Working to connect female students of color with postsecondary opportunities and career pathways is a central component of the District’s Learn.Plan.Succeed. initiative.


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