According to inquires made by a new collaborative task force called Generation All, only 8 out of 300 school principals answered in the affirmative as to whether they had a corporate partner. Furthermore, there are 400 corporate headquarters located in the Chicago area, and a total of 250,000 businesses, and only 3 percent of the city’s more than 500 public schools are getting direct support from a corporate partner.

Yes, the Chicago business community does help the district-run public schools via taxes, but the truth is, they can do more.

School principals are facing steep budget cuts. The students often come from poor families, teachers are not happy, and administrators are feeling bombarded by growing debt that can possible lead to insolvency of the system.

Chicago Public Schools, simply put, needs help, and the corporate community can offer it, and make a huge difference to the future of the city. According to the principals, investing in schools pays off in a very real way for business. Better test scores, higher rates of graduation, more internship possibilities, and better qualified future employees, are all benefits of a well-endowed CPS.