Meet our Principal

Dr. Kyla Mathews is a native of the South Side of Chicago and an active mom of a sprouting 4th-grader. After earning her bachelor's degree, she chose to root her talents back home; on a mission to significantly impact her students' connectedness to their school and their own futures. Her life's core value is "education is liberation," which grounds her dedication to ensuring all students thrive by having access to relevant and rigorous instruction in a safe and welcoming school. Her capstone defense details how she lifts up the 'heart work' that equity-focused educators must commit to in order to dismantle instructional and organizational oppression that exists in our schools. She finds that the essential pillars to well-deserved change in our schools are: teachers & staff looking to interrupt inequities, setting ambitious goals for all students, and collective effort in achieving those goals. 

In her most recent role as a high school assistant principal, Mathews has created conditions for teachers and staff to empathetically drive radical results for their school community. Her authenticity empowers teachers and staff to effectively problem solve in order to positively impact student outcomes while aligning their own practices to current professional research. She continues to influence educators, students & families, and the profession at large. Mathews is known for prioritizing bridges of trust between stakeholders and leading with purpose and intellect.

Mathews's leadership has continued the successful progress of schools within the city's most promising communities: Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, Englewood, and south suburban Hazel Crest and Markham, IL. Some of her former students are teachers, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, thriving parents, and community change agents.

Dr. Kyla Mathews is a doctoral graduate of the Urban Education Leadership program at the University of Illinois-Chicago ('21). She holds a master's degree in school administration and licensure from Concordia University-Chicago ('06) and a bachelor's degree with an endorsement in secondary mathematics from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL ('02).