Perspectives Charter Schools

Specialties

Perspectives Charter Schools manages five open enrollment, tuition-​free public schools serving 2,200 students in grades 6 – 12 in the communities of Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville and the South Loop. We are committed to providing top quality education in urban public schools. Our goal is to ensure that our students graduate from Perspectives prepared to succeed in college and in life.

At all of our schools, we pair a rigorous college-​prep curriculum with a culture based on our 26 ethical principles of A Disciplined Life. These principles, divided into categories of self-​perception, relationships, and productivity, provide the backbone for everything we do at Perspectives. From the classroom to the playground, from the front office to staff meetings – A Disciplined Life is our common language and practice. The result is students who can speak eloquently about how they work to solve conflicts peacefully at home and in school, or how learning to use your time wisely helped them complete their college scholarships on time.

In addition to our A Disciplined Life classes, Perspectives students attend academically rigorous classes with double-​period math and literacy, participate in a 5-​week business internship program as juniors, and attend college tours and field studies throughout the city and beyond. Every student applies to at least 5 colleges and 10 scholarships.

History

Established in 1993.

Perspectives was launched by two Chicago Public School teachers who believed that character development and academic achievement are interrelated. They created a curriculum called A Disciplined Life and started a «school within a school» at Dyett Middle School on Chicago’s South Side. In 1997, Perspectives Charter Schools became one of the first charter schools in Illinois. By 2004, Perspectives had attracted enough attention and supporters to move into an award-​winning new building designed by Perkins + Will, now known as Perspectives Rodney D. Joslin Campus.

In 2005, after 8 years of steady expansion of enrollment and with Joslin students reaching ever higher rates of academic growth each year, Perspectives was persuaded by Mayor Richard J. Daley, then-​CEO of Chicago Public Schools Arne Duncan and the Greater Auburn-​Gresham Development Corporation to assume management of a 350,000 square foot former high school campus at 81^st and May serving the Auburn Gresham community.