James R. Doolittle Academy

CPS neighborhood elementary school serving grades pre-k through 8th. Located in historic Bronzeville on Chicago's southside. Home of the rockets!

About

At JRD, we feel the world is our stage. We approach all that we do with the excellence, energy, and confidence that can only come from preparation and hard work. Each student reaches their potential by following four guiding principles:Think, Dream, Believe, and Achieve.It is in this mindset that students approach the stage of life with vigor and moxy, eagerly waiting for ACTION!

Students

We want every student to feel, “My teacher sees me.” To foster those connections, we train our staff in active listening and equip them to both meet and anticipate student needs. By laying out clear structures and systems—defining when and how adults should step in—we ensure our students experience the same care and respect we’d demand if they were our own children in school.At Doolittle, teacher-led professional development is driven by one central question: What does our student data tell us? We believe that our students’ needs—not personal preferences—should shape how we grow as educators. When data shows that students are struggling in a particular area, such as math, our team responds by developing and facilitating PD sessions that target those gaps.We also use observational data to identify teacher strengths and elevate in-house expertise. When a teacher consistently demonstrates a particular skill—whether it’s building strong classroom culture, integrating SEL, or designing rigorous, standards-aligned lessons—we invite them to lead PD for their peers. This not only supports professional growth but creates a culture where teacher leadership is rooted in real classroom impact.Our commitment to anti-racist education means we do not separate data from identity. We ask hard questions: Who is succeeding in our school? Who isn’t? Why? We examine how race, trauma, language, and access shape student outcomes and challenge ourselves to disrupt inequitable systems within our classrooms and the school as a whole.Children learn through planned and engaging activities that provide school-wide, hands-on learning experiences. These experiences, led by both ancillary and classroom teachers, make learning interactive and celebrated throughout the school in the form of games, contests, and other engaging activities. By adjusting the curriculum based on school-wide data, we ensure that learning is relevant, challenging, and fun.

Family

At James R. Doolittle Academy, we cultivate parents as true decision‑makers by inviting them into conversations well beyond the mandated PAC meetings. In addition to our quarterly PAC gatherings, families take part in departmental planning sessions and report‑card pickup conferences—this year, each benchmark grade level hosted a meeting co‑facilitated by the administrative team and our school counselor. These gatherings function as collaborative workshops, where parents don’t just listen but actively co‑design school priorities, sharing concerns and aspirations for their children’s learning environment.We believe that parents learn best by doing, so when they step into our classrooms, they become partners rather than spectators. Pre‑K families have joined their children in hands‑on cooking experiences, co‑creating recipes and strengthening bonds with teachers. We also encourage parents to immerse themselves in our arts programming, attending school plays, music concerts, and the annual Doolittle Art Fair as honored guests and co‑creators of school culture.Beyond the classroom walls, our Parent Family Engagement Volunteers and Parent Support Team lead beloved community events throughout the year. Families collaborate on our Thanksgiving Feast, coordinate the Christmas Holiday Celebration and Toy Giveaway in partnership with World Vision, and organize a winter coat drive in collaboration with Wells Fargo. We’ve also teamed up with Beyond the Brick to distribute groceries and rely on parent volunteers to plan and staff our spring school carnival. In each of these initiatives, parents step into leadership roles—running logistics, shaping activities, and mentoring one another.We also recognize that some families need more individualized support. For students with high emotional‑support needs, our principal meets one‑on‑one with parents to co‑draft personalized action plans, ensuring that every family feels heard and equipped.

Contact

Iysha Jones
idjones@cpsSarah Koviack
skoviack1@cpsJasmyne Chambers
jnchambers1@cpsAmerson Fontana
ajfontana@cpsMonica Vaughn
mtvaughn@cpsJoan Crisler
jcrisler2@cpsLacy Little
lclittle@cpsDeriqua Gipson
dgipson9@cpsCortney Schoen-Rubini
cmschoenrubini@cpsRobert Cron
recron@cpsMiranda Wanker
mwanker@cpsSade Brown-Simms
sebrownsimms@cpsEulisa Jerez
emjerez@cpsKanisha Hudson
kthudson7@cpsKim Thomas
kthomas42@cpsShaka Ford
sford13@cpsJerry Walker
jlwalker3@cpsGeorgina Tisdale
gtisdale@cpsTauteanna Barlow
tbarlow4@cpsShaheed Richardson
srichardson23@cpsCelia Melendez
cmmelendez2@cpsReginald Williams
rwilliams194@cpsAngela Chambers-Jones
amchambers-j@cpsReily Lynch
rlynch4@cpsJaleah Robinson
jrobinson104@cpsDavid Blake
dlblake3@cpsNicholas Henderson
nhenderson18@cpsJennifer Franklin
jfranklin82@cpsTomet Evans
tevans47@cpsAlbert Kerwin III
akerwiniii@cpsRobert Ludlow
rwludlow@cpsCorey Lee
clee66@cpsKelly Crisler
klmccune@cpsDeborah Guardiario
dlguardiario@cpsAoko Omwony-Hope
aohope@cpsShavaughn Banks
sjbanks4@cpsEmmanuel McDonald
emcdonald3@cpsToni Straight
tlstraight@cpsTierre Brunson
tbrunson@cpsValerie Lane
vllane@cpsShannon Watkins
sswatkins5@cpsVanessa Moultry
vmoultry@cpsKristal Coleman
krcoleman@cpsTamika Gipson
ttgipson2@cpsDestine Young
destine@help-llcChristopher Riggs
criggs@cpsTiffany Jackson
tjackson3@cpsAlison Lechowicz
amlechowicz@cpsMathew Rodriguez
mrodriguez512@cpsRyan Starks
restarks@cpsMia Madison
mlmadison2@cps535 E. 35th St,
Chicago, IL 60616773-535-1040