Accelerate Institute

Our Story

Since our founding, Accelerate Institute has evolved alongside the changing realities of public education.

For over 35 years, Accelerate Institute leaders have improved instruction and outcomes in schools across the country.

Our early years were defined by listening—working closely with school leaders to understand the challenges they faced and designing support rooted in real-world needs.

As we matured, our work expanded across regions and systems, deepening partnerships with districts, charter networks, and community-based organizations nationwide.

Today, we are a trusted partner to schools and systems navigating complexity and change. Our journey reflects an ongoing commitment to responsiveness, learning, and adaptation—supporting diverse contexts with tailored approaches, while holding fast to a singular goal: improving educational outcomes for all students.

Accelerate Institute Timeline

Founded in 1991

1991–Mid-2000s
Building the Foundation
Accelerate Institute was founded in 1991 with a deep belief that every student can achieve if given the right opportunity. Our early years were rooted in listening, learning, and building alongside educators and communities. During this period, we laid the groundwork for a student-centered approach to school improvement and developed early models for supporting educators navigating complex school environments.
Year by Year
1991Accelerate Institute is founded as Inner-City Teaching Corps (ICTC)
1992The first teachers in ICTC’s Volunteer Teaching Corps (VTC) begin teaching in Catholic Schools on the South and West Sides of Chicago
1998 ICTC launches UNITE (Career Changers) and alternative certification university partnership with Northwestern University; ICTC corps members begin teaching in Chicago Public Schools
1999Alain Locke Charter School opens in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago to act as a teaching hospital for ICTC corps members
2009ICTC launches Recent College Graduates track
2008–2018
Expanding Impact and Innovation
While partnering closely with teachers, a consistent insight emerged: we had never seen a great school without a great leader. Even the strongest teachers struggled to thrive without stable, effective school leadership.

In response, we began piloting school leadership development in 2008, expanding our work to support principals and assistant principals as instructional and organizational leaders. Over the next decade, we adapted and scaled our models across diverse regions and school systems nationwide, learning how to grow thoughtfully while maintaining impact.
Year by Year
2008Launched Excellence in School Leadership (ExSL) program in partnership with Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management Entrepreneurial Center; designed for sitting principals in the first three years of principalship, with participants from Chicago, Milwaukee, and San Francisco
2010Launched The Ryan Fellowship to support the recruitment and development of incoming school principals, with initial cohorts in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City
2012-2018Expanded The Ryan Fellowship to Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; Baton Rouge, LA; Las Vegas, NV; Nashville, TN; and the Bay Area (CA)
2013Created the Accelerate Framework® and Transformational Leadership Building Blocks®
2014Began recognizing excellent school principals nationwide through The Ryan Award
2015Piloted the Growth Accelerator program in Chicago and Memphis to develop and support sitting school principals and their leadership teams
2018Launched the Leadership Academy program for school leaders at all levels, with initial participants from Chicago and the Bay Area
2018Started building a virtual platform to house core content and professional development
2020–2022
Supporting Schools Through the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented disruption for schools, educators, students, and families. During this period, Accelerate Institute served as a critical resource for school leaders navigating crises, managing ongoing uncertainty, and sustaining teaching and learning in virtual and hybrid environments.

As schools adapted, so did we. In response to urgent needs, Accelerate Institute rapidly shifted our leadership development into virtual spaces, learning how to support leaders in real time, at scale, and across distance. The lessons learned during this period directly informed our post-COVID strategy, strengthening our ability to expand partnerships, integrate technology, and support school systems navigating recovery and long-term improvement.
2022-Present
Deepening Systems Work and Leadership Pipelines
After spending time learning with our partners about the myriad challenges in a new K12 education landscape, we reimagined our programs and services and remain committed to responding to changing needs while staying grounded in a singular purpose: to improve education for all students by strengthening the leaders and systems that serve them.
Year by Year
2023Launched Accelerate Online 1.0
2024Piloted a new program, Ascend, to grow leadership teams to accelerate school improvement, and BOOST options to provide targeted support that school teams need to accelerate school improvement and leadership impact
2025Launched Accelerate Online 2.0, our unique platform with intuitive dashboards that guide continuous improvement and ensure all students meet their academic goals.