Showing Up for Back of the Yards: Alumni Leading With Community at the Center
Barton Dassinger (Rio Grande Valley ‘98)
In Back of the Yards, showing up means more than being present. It means building trust, honoring relationships, and creating spaces where students and families feel supported every day. Across this community, Teach For America alumni are modeling what it looks like to lead with heart while delivering meaningful, measurable impact.
Two of those leaders, Barton Dassinger (Rio Grande Valley ‘98) and Natasha Ortega (Chicago ‘09), remind us that when schools are deeply connected to the communities they serve, students thrive academically and socially.
Improving Attendance by Showing Up for Families
TFA alum Barton Dassinger, Principal of Cesar E. Chávez Elementary School, recently shared his story in a Chicago Tribune op-ed focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing many schools today: chronic absenteeism.
Under Barton’s leadership, Chávez Elementary, located in the heart of Back of the Yards, achieved a 96% attendance rate, becoming one of the top-performing schools in Illinois. This success was not a result of punitive policies or surface-level fixes. It came from showing up consistently for students and families.
In his op-ed, Barton outlines actionable, replicable strategies that schools across Illinois can learn from. These include building strong attendance habits early, strengthening authentic relationships with families, and intentionally creating a school environment where students feel safe, supported, and excited to learn. When students feel known and cared for, attendance becomes a shared commitment rather than an expectation.
At Chávez Elementary, attendance is not just a metric. It reflects trust, connection, and a school culture built on care and high expectations. Barton’s leadership demonstrates how community-centered practices can drive meaningful improvement and long-term success for students and families.
Barton’s leadership reflects an understanding that schools are woven into the fabric of the neighborhoods they serve. By centering families, listening to community needs, and leading with empathy, Barton is helping expand what is possible for students in one of Chicago’s most resilient communities.
His work is a strong example of how TFA alumni continue to shape the future of education by meeting today’s challenges with care, consistency, and a commitment to excellence.
Giving Back to Strengthen Community Trust
That same spirit of care is reflected in the work of Natasha Ortega, TFA alum and Principal of John H. Hamline Elementary School, also in Back of the Yards.
Natasha was recently featured on Fox32 Chicago for helping lead a successful coat and canned food drive during the holiday season. These efforts were not just about meeting immediate needs. They were about creating meaningful opportunities for students, families, and school communities to give and receive support together.
Natasha shared how collective giving strengthens school culture, builds community trust, and supports students and families facing hardship. By addressing basic needs with dignity and compassion, she and her school community are helping remove barriers that can stand in the way of learning and attendance.
Natasha Ortega (Chicago ‘09)
Moving Toward Our 2030 Goal
Teach For America Greater Chicago–Northwest Indiana, in partnership with schools, communities, and alumni, is working to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. Since 2000, we have trained and supported more than 3,500 leaders in our region who began their careers as teachers and have gone on to drive impact across classrooms, school systems, government, and the nonprofit and private sectors. Leaders like Barton and Natasha show what this long-term investment looks like in practice. Their work in Back of the Yards demonstrates how strong school leadership, rooted in community and amplified through partnerships, can address complex challenges while elevating solutions that resonate beyond a single school or neighborhood.
Through our teacher corps, the Ignite Fellowship, and alumni leadership programs, TFA helps unlock student potential by connecting young people with mission-driven leaders who build trust, strengthen communities, and deliver results. By 2030, our goal is to double the number of students reaching key educational milestones in the communities we serve. The progress we see at schools like Chávez & Hamline Elementary shows how this goal comes to life locally through improved attendance, stronger family engagement, and a culture of care and excellence. Barton and Natasha remind us that when educators stay rooted in community and lead with purpose, their impact can scale to drive lasting opportunity for students across Back of the Yards and beyond.