The District 64 Board of Education on Thursday hired a former Skokie first-grade teacher as the new assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School. She will step into the role being vacated by new Franklin Principal Kristin Williams, who served as assistant principal last year.
Margaret Burke, who stood out as a strong candidate for her active role in educational initiatives in her last two positions, will begin at Franklin on July 27.
“We think she’s a great fit for Franklin,” said District 64 Superintendent Eric Olson. “Her leadership and experience in social emotional learning, data analysis on student scores and curriculum planning really prepares her well for this position.”
Burke, a 2021 Illinois Golden Apple finalist, worked at Middleton Elementary School at District 73.5 in Skokie since 2015 and served as the first-grade team lead for four years. Prior to 2015, she taught both kindergarten and third grade at East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School in Indiana.
During her time in Skokie, she was a member of the School Data Team for five years and assisted in the creation of long-term curriculum maps and corresponding unit plans as a member of the District’s English Language Arts Committee. At East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School, Burke planned and facilitated professional development for staff on bullying prevention and social emotional learning program RULER.
She was chosen from a pool of 87 applicants. Of those, 10 were interviewed by a committee of Franklin staff members, Principal Williams and district administrators.
Burke earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Children’s Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, MO in May 2009. She earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Teaching from Dominican University in Chicago in May 2011 and attended the Educational Leadership-Principal Preparation Program at National Louis University in Chicago in 2021.