Strategic Plan

Forging Civic Leadership

The Spark

Parker develops leaders with a deep sense of social responsibility who are prepared to be courageous, compassionate, and eff ective global citizens. We empower and engage students by inviting them to become their full selves in this community and to take risks while learning. Citizenship and practical problem solving grow through participation in dialogue, leadership, teamwork, service, and shared responsibility. Students develop civic judgment and a sense of agency by contributing to real decisions, navigating diff erences with care, and engaging meaningfully with the City of Chicago. At every turn, they practice empathy and grapple with real-world inequities. This work calls for structures that expand student voice, strengthen discourse, and connect learning to public life.

The Catalysts

List of 4 items.

  • Expand Student Voice and Impact

    • Cultivate leadership, responsibility, and democratic participation by inviting students into authentic decision-making and providing meaningful opportunities to shape the life and future of the school. When students are empowered to act, engagement deepens, and impact follows.
    • Incorporate democratic leadership skills—listening, speaking, reflecting, collaborating, and organizing—directly into the curriculum for all grades.

  • Center Civics

    • Establish the Parker Institute for Civic Life as a hub for learning, dialogue and action that invites every student to develop the leadership skills to find and fulfill the needs of society.
    • The Institute will support students in facilitating productive debates of ideas, finding opportunities for impact, and launching projects that matter, while leveraging the expertise of our parent/guardian and alumni community and strengthening partnerships across Chicago.

  • Engage Chicago

    • Launch Parker in the Neighborhoods, a collaborative program linking Chicago community members with our students to enhance exploratory opportunities and raise Parker’s profile as a civic contributor and Progressive education leader.
    • Build sustained partnerships with civic, cultural, and professional organizations that allow students to learn from and contribute to the city.

  • Elevate Discourse

    • Create opportunities for students and adults to practice thoughtful dialogue, wrestle with complex issues, recognize and interrupt bias, and learn from differing perspectives as they develop a personal commitment to a just and thriving society.
    • Build shared norms for rigorous, civil discourse that grows with students across developmental stages.

Why Light This Fire Now?

At its heart, Parker is a private school with a public purpose. This is a differentiator and distinctive strength. It is central to who we are and why we exist. At this moment, when democratic norms are fragile and civic trust is strained, we should unapologetically position ourselves as a national model for civic learning—one that prepares students to understand the world and to improve it.

More Sparks

330 West Webster Avenue | Chicago, Illinois 60614 | 773.353.3000
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.