How a City Learned to Improve Its Schools

Anthony S. Bryk served as the ninth president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching from 2008 to 2020, where he led work on bringing the discipline of improvement science and organizing in improvement networks into education. In Chicago, Bryk cofounded the Center for School Improvement at the University of Chicago (subsequently expanded and operating as the Urban Education Institute) and the Consortium on Chicago School Research (now the UChicago Consortium on School Research). Sharon Greenberg is formerly a CPS high school English teacher and presently a quality improvement advisor and a literacy and education consultant. She is a cofounder of the Center for School Improvement, where she was director of research and director of literacy. She also was a cabinet member and literacy consultant to Barbara Eason Watkins when she was the CPS Chief Education Officer. Albert Bertani is currently a senior fellow with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Across his career, he has served in multiple teaching and leadership roles in K-12 education and higher education. He also has served as a board member for Learning Forward, UChicago Impact, and Leading Educators. Penny Sebring is a senior research associate at the University of Chicago and a cofounder of the UChicago Consortium. She has been engaged in and published on school reform efforts in Chicago for over 30 years and serves on the board of directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund and Kids First Chicago. Steven E. Tozer is professor emeritus and past University Scholar at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), where he was the founding director of the Center for Urban Education Leadership. He is also cofounder of a UIC Ed.D. program in Urban Education Leadership. Timothy Knowles currently serves as president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Over his career, Knowles has worked in K-12, higher education, and philanthropic institutions. He has founded and led multiple social sector and commercial organizations, served on a wide range of boards, and writes and speaks widely on public policy, education, and entrepreneurship.