• $400,000Active Strategy

  2012 (Duration 2 years)

  CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — The Chicago International Charter School (CICS) is the largest charter school network in Illinois. ChicagoQuest, a new MacArthur-supported middle school based on the Quest to Learn pedagogical approach, is part of the CICS network. ChicagoQuest will use this grant to continue to create a curriculum based on the original Quest to Learn approach for the new Chicago school and two additional ChicagoQuest locations under development, by adapting the original curriculum for the three campuses; developing a set of professional development modules for Chicago; and building a toolkit of practices and processes so other CICS schools can implement elements of the Quest framework.

• $500,000Active Strategy

  2011 (Inactive Grant)

  CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Chicago International Charter School (CICS) is an independent, non-profit organization that operates a multi-campus network of charter schools in Chicago, including the new ChicagoQuest school: a public middle school created with Foundation support that employs an innovative, hands-on approach to learning that uses principles of game design to achieve greater student engagement. With this grant, CICS will ensure that ChicagoQuest has sufficient enrollment and appropriate staff and technology in place when it opens in Fall 2011; and help six of the 16 schools in its network in adopting new approaches to learning that integrate digital media.

• $3,000,000Active Strategy

  2011 (Inactive Grant)

  CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Chicago International Charter School (CICS) is an independent, non-profit organization that operates a multi-campus network of charter schools in Chicago. Chicago Public Schools has given CICS a school building in which it will open the first of three ChicagoQuest campuses: the first effort to expand Quest to Learn, a New York City public middle-school created with Foundation support that uses an innovative, hands-on game-design-based approach to learning to increase student engagement. The building needs renovations, and extensive work to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act; this grant will fund CICS' required contribution.

• $700,000Active Strategy

  2010 (Inactive Grant)

  CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — To support the creation of a school management organization to replicate Quest to Learn Schools in Chicago.

The MacArthur Foundation awarded Chicago International Charter School $4,600,000 between 2009 and 2012.