The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced today that Dr. Janice Jackson has been appointed Senior Fellow. Having been instrumental to the marked improvement in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) over the last decade, Jackson will inform the Foundation’s strategic efforts to improve high school and college attainment nationwide. After an illustrious career in Chicago, Jackson announced today her decision to resign as CEO of Chicago Public Schools effective June 30.

“Dr. Jackson is an extraordinary leader,” says Carnegie President Timothy Knowles. “Under her guidance as teacher, principal, and CEO of Chicago Public Schools, young people have demonstrated unparalleled improvement. Janice is also a remarkable human being—visionary, incisive, just, humble, and deeply collaborative.”

Jackson’s tenure at CPS—the nation’s 3rd largest school district of more than 355,000 students, 38,000 employees, and an annual budget of $7 billion —is most notable for the results the district attained in advancing equitable outcomes for all students. Jackson’s efforts, along with those of Chicago’s dedicated teachers and principals, have propelled CPS students to record-breaking improvements in academic achievement, high school graduation, and post-secondary completion. Education experts across the country regard Chicago as a national leader in improving results for young people at scale.

“It is a great privilege to serve as Senior Fellow of the Carnegie Foundation, given the impact the Foundation has had on K–12 and post-secondary schooling for over a century,” says Jackson. “I look forward to working closely with the President and the entire Carnegie team to leverage the lessons from Chicago in the pursuit of educational, economic, and racial justice for young people across the nation.”

She began her career within CPS in 1999 as a social studies teacher and debate team coach at South Shore High School. Subsequently, she served as a high school principal, District Network Chief, and Chief Education Officer. Appointed CEO in 2017, she was the first CPS alumna to serve in the position. Jackson holds a B.A. and M.A. from Chicago State University, and an M.A. and Ed.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Jackson’s expert voice at the Carnegie table,” says Knowles. “Her wisdom and insight will inform our efforts to ensure that African American, Latinx, and Indigenous students receive exemplary education and equity remains at the heart of our work. We are enormously fortunate that she will join us on the next step of her professional journey.”