ThinkCERCA Thought Leadership Blog (Old blog, Backup)

Barton Dassinger has been a principal for over 16 years at two different Chicago Public Schools. Currently, he serves as the principal of Cesar E Chávez, a PK – 8th grade open-enrollment neighborhood school in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. His school has been in the top district ranking for the last 12 consecutive years, with a population of 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced priced meals and over 50% qualifying for bilingual education. In addition to having partnerships with many community organizations and philanthropic groups, Chavez has won both NGLC and 21st CCLC grants. As a designated “Independent School Principal” in CPS, Barton formally mentors interning principals, advises the district on its performance policy, supervises principals who work as mentors to first-year principals, and annually leads a PLC of other district principals to improve grading practices. Additionally, he has developed a website to help students throughout Chicago choose a high school and a website used by administrators and Networks through CPS to help them monitor grading practices .