Places to Visit in Dubrovnik

Some of Suzana Ustabecir’s accomplishments include
starting focus teams that permitted students in grades 3-8 to achieve
 a 70 percent attainment on the NWEA test in both math and
 reading. Suzana Ustabecir, avid traveler

A graduate of National Louis University in Chicago with a master of education in educational leadership, Suzana Ustabecir serves as an instructional effectiveness specialist with Chicago Public Schools. In her free time, Suzana Ustabecir enjoys traveling and has visited Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is located on the Dalmatian Coast. Here are a few things to see and do in this coastal city:

- Stradun. This 300-meter pedestrian walkway in the center of the city offers a number of restaurants and cafes. The white limestone pavement was laid in 1468, but many of the buildings along the walkway were constructed in the 17th century after the earthquake of 1667. 

- Fort Lovrijenac. Nicknamed Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar, this fortress dates back to the 11th century and features a gateway and two drawbridges to protect against invaders. 

- The cable car to Mount Srd. Scaling the incline over Old Town, this orange cable car gives riders a great view of the Adriatic Sea. At the top of the mountain, visitors can eat at the Panorama restaurant while they enjoy the view.

Key Skills for Principals and Other School Leaders

As principal of the Harriet E. Sayre Language Academy
in Chicago, Illinois, Suzana Ustabecir achieved
significant student academic, behavioral, and social-emotional
growth while optimizing operational efficiency.Add caption

Suzana Ustabecir has been a part of the education field for nearly two decades, serving Chicago Public Schools in numerous roles. While she currently serves as an instructional effectiveness specialist, Suzana Ustabecir has also been a middle school teacher, resident principal, and principal.

School administrators, especially principals, require a diverse skill set to succeed in the field. Social skills, such as the ability to interact with people effectively and direct them toward a common goal, are essential to working in the school administration field. Principals must be able to remain authoritative without sacrificing approachability. They must also communicate effectively, providing clear direction to school staff and creating a clear sense of expectations.

In addition to these core skills, principals must also be stellar problem solvers. Working in such a position requires a comprehensive understanding of many factors, such as budgetary issues, resource management, and competing needs. Principals must be able to balance these concerns against one another and find a way to improve every element of a school's operations without leaving anything neglected.

New Leaders Transforming Teams Program

Suzana Ustabecir comes to her school
leadership role with a master of education in
 administration and supervision, as well as a
bachelor of arts in elementary education.

Suzana Ustabecir is an experienced schoolteacher and educational administrator who has served multiple principal and assistant/resident principal positions with Chicago Public Schools. Since 2016, she has provided the district with targeted educational services as an instructional effectiveness specialist. To augment and inform her professional activities, Suzana Ustabecir holds active membership in New Leaders.

Originally established as New Leaders for New Schools, the group has helped train and prepare approximately 3,200 educational leaders in 30 cities across the United States. In addition to offering programs for teachers, principals, principal supervisors, and district administrators, the organization helps to build successful instructional teams through its Transforming Teams initiative.

Providing an organized framework for effective collaboration, Transforming Teams balances in-class content, such as research-based online tutorials and case studies, with real-world practice, such as collective instructional planning to meet specific pedagogical priorities. These include helping participants master the best practices of high-functioning teams and use data to support strategic planning with a concentration on standards-aligned instruction..

Chicago Leadership Collaborative (CLC)-Chicago Mayor’s Merit Pay Plan

An experienced resident principal and administrator,
Suzana Ustabecir draws on six years as a cluster
lead teacher at the elementary level.

Suzana Ustabecir maintains a career with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) as an Instructional Effectiveness Specialist. Previously, Suzana Ustabecir served Chicago schools as a K-8 principal from 2009 to 2016. In 2011, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel announced a merit pay plan for Chicago public school Principals known as the Chicago Leadership Collaborative (CLC). 

Developed to increase principals’ accountability and retain highly qualified professionals, the CLC—through state recognition and performance pay — rewards principals for creating environments that promote student success. A total of $5 million was earmarked to fund the performance bonuses, which ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 per principal, for five years. In addition, the CLC established a professional development program aimed at preparing principals to lead schools toward success.

In 2012, when the first round of performance bonuses was awarded, Suzana Ustabecir was one of the 82 Chicago Public Schools principals out of 444 to receive a performance based merit bonus.

Feeling that the school would not have improved without the efforts of everyone, especially the teachers, Suzana Ustabecir decided that the bonus award should go to them. She then donated the entire bonus award to the school to be used for teacher initiatives as decided by teachers.

The Colorful Island of Burano in Venice, Italy

Suzana Ustabecir created a comprehensive strategic
plan and implemented a number of instructional development
 methods, including training programs
and pedagogical focus teams. 

Beginning her teaching career as a magnet cluster lead teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, Suzana Ustabecir went on to serve as a principal, administrator, and, most recently, an instructional effectiveness specialist with the same school system. Suzana Ustabecir enjoys traveling abroad during her free time, citing Burano near Venice, Italy, as one of her favorite destinations. 

An island in the northern part of the Venetian Lagoon approximately 40 minutes from Venice by boat, Burano is known for its colorfully painted homes. With a population of around 3,000, the densely built island is crisscrossed by canals laden with fishing boats that are just as colorful as the buildings. It is also well known for its narrow streets, numerous footbridges, and the famous leaning bell tower at the Church of San Martino. 

Burano is also known for its fine Burano lace. Exported around the world, Burano lace is a source of livelihood for the island’s residents that dates back to the 16th century. For a more comprehensive history of the lace, the Museo del Merletto (Museum of Lacemaking), found in the historic Podesta of Torcello, is open to tourists.

The Astonishing City of Dubrovnik

One of Suzana Ustabecir's favorite travel
destinations | Suzana Ustabecir is an avid
world traveler in her free time.

A professional educator in Chicago, Suzana Ustabecir has an admirable track record of elevating a public school’s performance under her leadership as principal. In her time away from school, Suzana Ustabecir enjoys traveling. One of the most memorable places she has visited is the Old City of Dubrovnik in Croatia. 

Located on the Dalmatian coast, the walled city of Dubrovnik was a naval powerhouse beginning in the 13th century. At the height of its glory in the 16th century, it had one of the world’s largest merchant naval fleets. The inhabitants of Dubrovnik became very wealthy and led worldly lives. 

They built magnificent buildings, palaces, monasteries, fountains, and splendid Baroque churches protected by strong fortifications. Today, one can wander into the pedestrian-only Old City and see these astonishing structures, experience the marbled streets, and walk along the massive walls that protected the city. 

Museums filled with artifacts reveal the city’s storied past. To top it off, visitors can head for the beaches and take a dip in the inviting waters of the Adriatic.

Educator and Administrator Suzana Ustabecir

Educator and Administrator Suzana Ustabecir from Suzana Ustabecir on Vimeo.

Chicago-based Suzana Ustabecir is an experienced public school educator and administrator. Starting out as a middle grades teacher at Chopin Elementary School, in the short course of over 15 years, Suzana Ustabecir has worked with various educational institutions in Chicago and successively served in the capacity of resident principal, administrator, acting assistant principal, and finally as an elementary school principal. Currently, she holds the position of instructional effectiveness specialist in the Chicago public school system.