Tag Archives: IASA

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A little bit more about Illinois Vision 20/20

“The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better.”
– Barbara Pletcher

I have written and shared about the Illinois Vision 20/20 initiative in the past, and with this post, I’m sharing a presentation they have posted in an effort to further inform and share about this collaborative partnership.

Today I visited one of our award winning elementary schools, Kipling school, appropriate also as this is National Poetry Month! As I walked the halls and as I visited with students and teachers I proudly proclaim that we have excellent teachers and we maximize our resources and we stand for the tenets of all that public education stands for and has stood for over time! From reading, writing, thinking, speaking, listening, individual work, group work, student led conversations and teacher led conversations, I enjoyed the energy, quality learning environment and overall palpable feel of purpose and meaning. Our commitment to 21st Century Learning is apparent, evident and profound! Our teachers are transforming learning in support of student futures. Our teachers are leveraging technological tools in support of student learning at all grade levels and subject areas.

I often seek reflection and guidance from quotes … here is an old yet quite relevant quote that relates to the purposes of the Vision 20/20 initiative as well as the purposes for public education:

“Knowledge — that is, education in its truest sense — is our best protection against unreasoning prejudice, and panic-making fear, whether engendered by special interest, illiberal minorities or panic-stricken leaders.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt

As you view the short slide show from Illinois Vision 20/20 be sure to visit their website if you are interested in more information. Please click the right arrow to advance the slides manually.

 

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Leading in a culture of connection, connecting and connectivity

“To reach a port, we must set sail. Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.”

– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

As a connected educator and as a public school superintendent my mission is to engage, inspire, and empower leaders, staff, students, parents, and the community in support of student learning. In order to recharge my batteries and to sharpen my saw I engage in professional learning activities and professional coaching opportunities. My work is both inside the organization and inside professional organizations. Through connected learning and connected leading I am able to accomplish a great deal. Thanks to amazing leaders, colleagues, staff, students, Board members, and community, I’m able to enjoy a great deal of change and growth.

In our district we strive to balance change with the systems’ capacity for change and we also work to identify the focus areas that support effective culture and leadership throughout the organization. Our main focus areas are in the training (professional learning), technologies, relationship building, culture building and leadership.

Through Twitter professional learning and chats, through leadership at the state and national levels, through reading, on the job experience and through reflection, my aim is to be a superintendent who leads in a culture of connectivity. Briefly this can describe a superintendent who:

· Organizes the entire community around specific and focused goal areas
· Builds relationships constantly
· Seeks feedback, shares feedback and incorporates feedback into actions
· Communicates by listening first, processing, and responding
· Stays focused on the big picture, medium picture, and details
· Respects the Board of Education and connects with the Board professionally
· Learns about the formal structures and the informal structures and moves all forward
· Reaches beyond the “walls” of the school District and community to learn, grow, & share
· Responds to all inquiries in a timely and respectful manner
· Is connected to the modern day technology as an accelerator for teaching, learning, and leading
· Measures culture and reports on culture and deliberately works to improve organizational culture
· Keeps students, staff, and community at the forefront of all decision making
· Communicates over and over and over again – clear messages, brands, modes of communication

In support of my journey to lead in a culture of connectivity I have been fortunate for guidance, coaching, mentorship and professional learning opportunities. From January 2012-March 2014 I have embarked on an educational and personal and professional journey with other leaders around the state through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) School for Advanced Leadership. The mission of ISAL II was “To provide IASA members the experiences that build exemplary leadership, knowledge and skill sets essential for ensuring successful student learning at the local level.”
ISAL II was a challenging two-year cohort training journey that focused on a superintendent’s role through five leadership lenses: • Facilitator of shared moral purpose; • Change agent; • Relationship/culture promoter; • Capacity builder; and • Coherence maker

From the inspiration and engagement of becoming an ISAL Fellow, I sought out and was accepted into a national leadership program from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and since July 2014 I have been learning and honing leadership skills from the able guidance, inspiration, and stewardship of the National Superintendent Certification Program. I’m excited to continue the leadership journey with support and guidance from expert coaches and leaders around the state, region, and nation. All of this work, scholarship, practice, reflection and growth ties to our District mission of Engage, Inspire, Empower! It’s all done in support of service, education, growth, excellence.

As I’ve shared before on the blog, I co-moderate a Twitter chat for superintendents around the nation and world with my friend and colleague Dr. Nick Polyak. In closing, for this post, I’m sharing some suggestions/questions/reflection points in the spirit of #SuptChat.

Leading in a culture of connectivity means getting involved in the profession, like #suptchat on Twitter …

S – Stop …now that you have read this blog post, stop and reflect on the main ideas and how have you or will you implement one or more of the suggestions:
Seek input from stakeholders – if you have done this – have you shared the data and taken action as a result? If not, will you make an action plan to seek input and co-plan the next professional development activity in your District?

U- Understand how your personal values and professional philosophy guides all of your actions and successes – have you told your story or shared your fundamental values lately? If not – please do – start with your Board at the next meeting. What is your leadership philosophy regarding professional development? Define it – write it – share it.

P – Plan for how next week you will start the process of connecting with stakeholders and leaders with respect to connected professional development. Plan a meeting with your union or faculty leadership and engage in two way conversations about professional development in your District. Take input and plan with them.

T – Think of three take-aways from this blog post you will present at your next leadership team meeting, write them down.

Chat: Pick an edchat, like #suptchat or a state edchat and participate for an hour – if you do this regularly, make a point to respond to questions; if you have not yet done this – now is the time to experience a digital form of professional development.

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Leadership Lessons in Real Time – Life Long Learning via Professional Associations

“Education costs money.  But then so does ignorance.”
– Sir Claus Moser

Like other educational leaders and public school administrators I learn a great deal about the “state” of education and the “state” of policy and leadership from membership in professional associations. From time to time I have shared blog posts about leadership benefits I have gained and the District has gained through programs and partnership in organizations like the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). In addition to the current National Superintendent Certification Program in which I am enrolled through AASA, I recently completed a two year leadership program with the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA): The Illinois School of Advanced Leadership (ISAL). My aim is to model the way through life-long learning so that I may have current, fresh, meaningful and evidence-based support for leading initiatives.

In education we often mention that “life long learning” is a value for which we have great respect. One way to model or demonstrate life long learning is through leadership programs, graduate coursework, teaching, seminars, reading, etc. I have been blessed with mentorship and coaching and guidance from many along my career journey and for them I am eternally grateful. Often I have sought out multiple perspectives on issues large and small so that I may be best informed as decisions need to be made and as educational growth and leadership must take place. In addition, in today’s digital world I am an advocate of video, audio, imagery, and “instant access” to timely and relevant information.

In this blog post I am sharing a link to AASA Radio (click the box below) of an interview with AASA Executive Director Dan Domench and the 2014 US Superintendent of the Year Alberto Cavalho. Please take a few minutes and listen to leadership and education perspectives on a national scale and if you like what you hear you can subscribe via iTunes at the website.

“Alberto Carvalho became Superintendent of the nation’s fourth largest school system in September 2008. He is a nationally recognized expert on school reform and finance who successfully transformed his district’s business operations and financial systems with the implementation of a streamlined Strategic Framework focused on a singular goal of student achievement.”

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Taking a Stand For Public Education-Illinois Vision 20/20

“In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality for a leader is, unquestionably, integrity. Without it, no real success is possible.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower

ILIn Illinois, as well as across the nation and world, there is much written about education and reform movements and efforts. In Illinois there have been sweeping reforms over the past few years with legislation around administrator and teacher evaluation, curriculum standards, and recently regarding school funding (SB16). So much is at stake when policy makers consider changes to public schools when they consider societal effects on the public schools and the shared responsibility of all to support growth of our local, county, state, regional, and national endeavors.

In DPS109 we have a lot of work to do in terms of educational reform and instructional transformation! This year has been particularly stressful on our system and staff and parents with multiple initiatives launched at once. One of the main reasons for our rush is the sense of urgency we feel in support of innovative and forward thinking education so that each and every child may succeed and flourish in an educational environment with high expectations and modern evidence based instructional strategies. We are grateful to our stakeholders for communicating with us – pro, con, support, concern – this helps guide and govern our work.

vision2020As part of the communications campaign of the groups sponsoring Vision 20/20 I am sharing the informational video below as well as links for more information if you wish to get involved in this “reform,” “transform,” and professional approach to take charge of public education in Illinois. The Illinois Vision 20/20 resources page has links to evidence based finance information as well as current curricular mandates in effect for Illinois public schools.

For more information and an overview of Illinois Vision 20/20, please take a few minutes and watch the following Vision 20/20 video: Fulfilling the Promise of Public Education:

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Video Pod Cast – DPS 109 – snapshot of organizational growth

In my last blog post I reflected on personal professional development that has been most meaningful to me; I highlighted my participation in the Illinois School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL) through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) this is a post-doctoral certification program. In this blog post I’m sharing a “video/vlog” post showing highlights of the District 109 success – in relation to the guidance and support I received through the ISAL program. Of course, great thanks, gratitude, admiration, and respect go to the Board of Education, the teachers, educational support staff, students, administrators, parents, and community members who have all had a part in the ongoing and continued success of DPS109!