Chicago Public Schools Announces Partnership with Honest Game

Honest Game technology to improve student learning outcomes and increase access to and persistence in college for all students. 

CHICAGO –  Chicago Public Schools (CPS) today announces a new partnership with Honest Game, a technology company that helps high school student-athletes track and navigate the college academic eligibility and recruiting process. Honest Game is working with CPS to create a data-driven pathway to college eligibility and admissions for all students, further enhancing CPS’ efforts to support its students’ post-secondary education planning.

“Our District is excited to partner with Honest Game in an effort to support post-secondary pathways for our student-athletes,” said David Rosengard, executive director, Office of Sports Administration at CPS. “CPS is proud to have many champions in sports and in the classroom and Honest Game will allow our student-athletes to unlock the life-changing opportunity of continuing their athletic and academic career at the college level. We look forward to working with Honest Game to provide essential resources and programming to students who can now turn their college athletic aspirations into reality.”

Nearly one million student-athletes are deemed academically ineligible each year as a result of avoidable or recoverable errors, such as enrolling in classes that do not meet National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requirements. This statistic increases to one in two student-athletes from underserved communities. Honest Game, a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) founded in Chicago in 2019 by Joyce Anderson and Kim Michelson, both experienced educators and life-long student athlete advocates, offers the tools and resources to advise, strategize and assess the student-athlete recovery process to meet NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) requirements and access available college athletic scholarships. 

“Our goal is to improve learning outcomes and level the playing field so that every student has a fair and equitable opportunity to attend college,” said Michelson. “We reach students at the start of high school – and sometimes middle school – to get them on an early path to success. It has been incredible to see the almost immediate change in these deserving students after using Honest Game and realizing their potential, but what’s more exciting is that we know this is only the beginning.”

Through an Honest Game research study, in the state of Illinois, 42.5 percent of all high schools are at risk of their students being academically ineligible to accept collegiate athletic scholarships. In the city of Chicago alone, this equates to nearly $890 million in lost scholarships for students every year. Luckily, Honest Game has already been active and making an impact in several CPS schools, as well as select Illinois school districts across the state. 

Aaron Warren, a senior at Morgan Park High School and quarterback of the school’s football team, is just one example of academic ineligibility wreaking havoc on a student’s potential post-secondary career. Warren has always dreamed of playing at the next level – but he and school staff assumed his Grade Point Average (GPA) was not quite good enough to qualify for an athletic scholarship. After using Honest Game to review his transcripts, it became clear Warren did in fact have a chance to attend college on an athletic scholarship. The news motivated Warren to pursue his academic goals. 

“It was a huge deal for him. Seeing his potential path to play in college not only motivated him and gave him confidence, but he ended up spreading that sense of pride and motivation to the rest of his teammates while encouraging them to prioritize their academic careers,” said Chris James, Morgan Park head football coach. “Thanks to Honest Game, Aaron Warren and other students like him can see clearly what’s required of them in the classroom to compete at the next level, and ultimately open the door to bigger opportunities post-high school.”

The Honest Game contract with CPS is District-wide, covering all 87 high schools.

The Chicago Public Schools sports programs provide all students—regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity—opportunities to develop physically, mentally, and emotionally in controlled, safe activities outside of the traditional classroom. Learn more at www.cps.edu/academics/sports/.