A former classroom teacher and school administrator, Suzana Ustabecir now serves as an instructional effectiveness specialist with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In this position, Suzana Ustabecir draws on more than 15 years of experience with CPS.

1. Suzana Ustabecir

2.  A former classroom teacher and school administrator, Suzana Ustabecir now serves as an
instructional effectiveness specialist with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In this position,
Suzana Ustabecir draws on more than 15 years of experience with CPS.
In April of 2017, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel proposed a plan that would set new
graduation requirements for CPS students. The plan, known as “Learn. Plan. Succeed”
(LPS), would require that high school seniors, beginning in 2020, must show proof of
acceptance to a higher education institution, trade/job/gap-year program, or the armed
services in order to receive their diplomas. Students must also show evidence of current or
future employment, although the plan would allow waivers for certain students for whom the
requirement is an impediment to graduation.
According to Mayor Emmanuel, the aim of LPS is to ensure students treat graduation from
high school not as an ultimate goal, but instead as a jumping-off point to postsecondary
education, which he acknowledges is necessary to succeed in today’s job market. LPS has
received the approval of CPS Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson, who partnered with
the mayor in announcing the new graduation requirement. If the city’s Board of Education
passes LPS, Chicago would stand as the first city in the United States to implement such a
requirement.