Pulaski Today
Pulaski Fine Arts Academy is dedicated to its three guiding values:
- Progressive and intentional instruction to serve every learner
- Fine arts as a catalyst for learning and engagement
- Serving the whole child by scaffolding services and programs
Progressive and Intentional Instruction
Pulaski faculty use data to guide their instruction and mold their practices. Throughout the year, teachers monitor the progress of individual students and are adept at tailoring lessons to serve each learner, not matter where he or she is academically. By creating student-centered classrooms and encouraging cooperative learning, teachers have more opportunities to work with their students one-on-one to ensure that they are mastering each concept and that their needs are being met. Our faculty and staff members are dedicated and passionate educators who love the children they work with and who are constantly striving to deepen and enrich their practice through meaningful professional development or continuing their own studies as an educator. In the last year, two of our teachers have gone through National Board Certification and one was a finalist for the Golden Apple Teaching Award.
By the time our students graduate, they have developed a deep love of reading and a passion for applying what they’ve learned. Our graduates go on to attend Lane Tech, Lincoln Park High School, Noble Street Charter School, and many other selective enrollment high schools in the city. Each year, several of our 8th graders win the Daniel Murphy Scholarship, which gains them a full scholarship to private high schools such as Exeter, the Thatcher School, and Choate.
Fine Arts
At Pulaski, we all believe that young people learn better and are more engaged when the arts are woven into the school day. During school, partners such as Columbia College, Hubbard Street Dance, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Lyric Opera, and Art Encounters provide high quality arts experiences in the classrooms. Professional artists work with teachers to create and deliver arts integrated units on everything from geometry to World War II to The Odyssey. In addition to arts integration, students also participate in our renowned music, band, and visual arts programs each week. After school, Columbia College Chicago delivers award-winning arts programs, bringing college professors and professional artists to our students. Playhouse offers free (!) after-school programming for 1st-8th graders, including Caribbean dance and drum, environmental science, sports, puppetry, documentary filmmaking, mural painting, rock and roll, and so much more. We believe that the arts engage young learners, spark curiosity and critical thinking, and allow students to express what they’ve learned in meaningful ways.
Whole Child
A school can’t do it alone. A school needs families and communities and organizations that believe fundamentally that in order for a student to learn, he must first have his basic needs met. Because we rely on parents as our students’ first teachers, we believe that it is our duty as a school to support them as they support their children. Pulaski partners with families to deliver programming aimed at helping parents navigate learning how to read, the tremors of adolescence, math homework, the ISAT, applying to high schools, eating right, developing a healthy self-image, and everything else that comes along the way. Pulaski also partners with organizations around the city to offer basic services such as free eye exams and glasses, immunization, asthma care, nutrition education, and much more to fulfill the varied needs of the families we serve. By creating a network of support that extends well beyond the school walls, we hope to continue serving our students after 3:00, after June 12, and after 8th grade graduation.
