A Sample of Jack Baldermann's Accomplishments
"I recognize that any success is due to a team effort, and I have proven that I can successfully lead many teams to acquire student achievement gains that exceeded all expectations."
During over twenty years of service as an educational leader (18 years a principal and eight years as a superintendent) I have worked with teams in four different districts and implemented ideas and programs that have resulted in powerful and positive differences for our students.
The PSAE scores at Riverside Brookfield High School improved significantly during my tenure as leader. I led a group of teachers and students during the 2008-2009 school year. Our efforts resulted in the most improved scores In Illinois for our subgroups. The scores for Latino/Hispanic students, our largest sub-group, ranked in the top 1% in Illinois (20% of our student body, Reading PSAE meet/exceed pass rate of 75%, Math 69%).
I have designed and assisted in the implementation of programs that have led to significant test result gains for districts in Illinois and the nation. I am currently writing a book on increasing test scores, graduation rates and student achievement based on twenty years of research and presentations I have made in 31 states on this topic.
At Riverside Brookfield, we had a ten year average graduation rate of 90.5% from 1991-2001. During the last five years, we have had an average graduation rate of 98% including a graduation rate average of 98% for African-American and Hispanic/Latino students.
No school in Illinois and very few schools in America have improved their students’ performance and participation in the Advanced Placement program the way Riverside Brookfield High School has during the past seven years. During this time Riverside Brookfield has been named as one of the Best 150 High Schools in America by Newsweek (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009). In 2002, Riverside Brookfield High School was not ranked in the top 1,000 schools in America or in the top 30 schools in Illinois. For the last four years, we have been ranked in the top 3 high schools in Illinois and in the top 150 schools in the nation.
Riverside Brookfield High School is one of only 6 schools in Illinois that ranks in the top 5% for performance and improvement (since 2002) on the P.S.A.E. (the Illinois NCLB test).
As the leader at Riverside Brookfield High School, I worked with a team that realized a significant increase in PSAE scores including a 16% jump in Math Scores and a 10 % increase in students meeting standards in Science.
At both Riverside Brookfield and Sandburg High School I worked with teams to implement programs to virtually eliminate students dropping out of school.
As the school leader at Carl Sandburg High School, Waterloo East High School, and Notre Dame High School I worked to build a cohesive team, supported by the community, that implemented innovative and successful programs that improved student achievement.
I have worked most effectively with teachers’ unions at 4 different school districts
I have worked successfully with students and communities from very diverse backgrounds in every educational leadership position.
At Waterloo East High School, Iowa, I successfully served as the first Caucasian principal in over twenty five years. I worked with faculty, staff, parents, students, the board of education and community members to build a cohesive partnership for our school community.
Rick DuFour, who is one of the most influential writers and consultants in American education today, has written “As the superintendent of Riverside Brookfield High School Jack Baldermann led the school to become perhaps the greatest success story in Illinois.”
In the book Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work: New Insights for Improving Schools – the authors write “We have also benefitted from our association with some of the leading school practitioners in North America including… Jack Baldermann… They are what Fullan has called “system thinkers in action” - people who have developed a deep understanding of what it takes to improve schools by rolling up their sleeves and doing the work. They represent the power of learning by doing (page 2).
I have served as the leader and worked with teams that passed two major referendums in two separate high schools districts. The first was a $120 million referendum in District 230, and the second was a $ 63 million referendum in District 208
With over 80 presentations at national conferences and as a keynote speaker, I know how to genuinely inspire educators and offer practical information that teachers can use to benefit their students.
When it comes to grant writing and fundraising, I have secured almost $2 million in funding for the schools I have served.
I am most enthusiastic about providing compassionate, thoughtful, high energy leadership that will support administrators and teachers and improve student achievement and the overall strength of the Chicago Public Schools.