Sarah Hanly
Ms. Hanly has been with Chicago Public Schools since 1997. She began her career teaching English in the IB program at Hubbard High School on the city’s southwest side. While teaching at Hubbard, Sarah worked on her master’s degree in Education Administration at Northeastern Illinois University. After three years, Sarah transferred to Lane Tech High School where she taught a variety of English and drama classes, directed the school plays and was sponsor of the National Honor Society.
In 2003, Sarah took a sabbatical to participate in a semester-long fellowship with the district’s LAUNCH program for aspiring principals. LAUNCH fellows spent the summer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School studying and collaborating on a wide range of school issues to prepare for future principalships. Sarah then spent three months as a LAUNCH principal at Hope High School in Englewood and one month at Ray Elementary School in Hyde Park. Both experiences provided deep insight into the responsibilities and challenges facing principals every day.
Sarah returned to Lane Tech in 2004 where she served as a teacher, English department chair, supervising 30 teachers, and Director of Records, overseeing school transcripts, the SIPAA (now CIWP), and graduation requirements for all students.
In 2012, Sarah joined the Lane administration team as an assistant principal. Over the last nine years as an assistant principal, Sarah has overseen student activities (over 145 clubs), the school’s famous International Days/Nights, communication, the Academic Center, culture and climate, and she currently serves as the Title IX Coordinator. In addition, she has supervised the history, art, music, and drama departments.
Key highlights of her work include her focus on improving equity at Lane Tech, including monthly professional development with the staff, reviewing curriculum and course access, and incorporating student voice in school programming. Sarah’s work on culture and climate resulted in an exemplary supportive school certification from the district. She is currently finishing her dissertation for her doctorate in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in Equity and Diversity at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research is examining school racial climate at a selective enrollment high school.
Sarah hails from Arlington, Virginia and attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She lives on the northwest side of the city with her husband and two children (11 and 13) who attend Wildwood World Magnet School. When not working, Sarah and her husband enjoy attending various sporting events for their children, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
