3
We can spark a great fire for
educating kids the right way
The cover story for this
issue of
Leadership Matters
not
only highlights an outstanding
example of a superintendent
communicating
with
his
community, but it also dovetails
perfectly with our upcoming
Vision 20/20 campaign to chart
a course for public education in
Illinois.
As
I
read
Peru
Superintendent Mark Cross’
letter
to
parents in
his district, I was struck by his
sincerity in standing up for what
he believes is best for the
children in his district. That’s why
I think his letter resonated so
well not only in his community
but throughout the country. The
story and Mark’s letter are well
worth reading in this newsletter.
The reason I link Mark’s
letter to Vision 20/20 is that it
illustrates the sort of grassroots
approach that will be the key to
implementing our plan for public
education in Illinois. We have
one big advantage over any
reform group regardless of the
amounts of money they pour into
political campaigns. We have an
army on the ground in every
community in the state. And it is
going to take superintendents,
principals, business officials and
school board members lighting the Vision 20/20 fire
in their own communities. If we light enough fires at
home, Vision 20/20 will spread like, well, a wildfire –
which is how Mark’s letter took off.
Speaking of Vision 20/20, the coalition of partners
has firmed up a strategy for the rollout and for the
launch of the Vision 20/20 public campaign and it’s
already operational. The formal kickoff will be
November 21 at the first general session of the
Triple-I Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.
However, between now and mid-November we will
be holding more than 40 regional, divisional and
personal meetings to discuss Vision 20/20.
One briefing will occur at our upcoming IASA
Annual Conference, scheduled for October 8-10. If
you have not already registered, I would encourage
you to do so as we have lined up an incredible list of
speakers. The Vision 20/20 briefing will be at our final
general session on October 10.
We also will be holding a special preview of
Vision 20/20 on October 15, from 1-3 p.m. at Forest
View Educational Center in Arlington Heights. To
RSVP for that special preview, please click
There is no cost, but registration is required.
Following the formal kickoff at
the
Triple-I
Joint
Annual
Conference, we have scheduled
special meetings in each of our
three Super Regions. At these
meetings, we will go into detail
about the plan itself, discuss our
strategy to move from introducing
the plan to advocating for the
plan, and provide public talking
points. Those special meetings do
not require registration and will
run from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the
following dates and locations:
December 8 in the Performing
Arts Center at the Naperville North
High School campus, 899 Mill
Street in Naperville;
December 9 at Sugar Creek
Elementary School, 200 North
Towanda Avenue in Normal; and
December 10 at the Holiday
Inn Convention Center, 222
Potomac Boulevard in Mt. Vernon.
I am really enthused about Vision 20/20 and
our potential to change public education in Illinois in a
way that fulfills our promise to the more than 2 million
children in our state who depend on us to live up to
our vision statement “Maximum Educational Success
for All Students.”
Vision 20/20 will succeed only with your help as
we work at a grassroots level to spread our message,
build consensus and demand action across the state
community by community. I look forward to seeing
you at one of our upcoming Vision 20/20 meetings!
Message from the
Executive Director
Dr. Brent Clark
“We have one big
advantage over any reform
group regardless of the
amounts of money they
pour into political
campaigns. We have an
army on the ground in
every community in the
state. And it is going to take
superintendents, principals,
business officials and
school board members
lighting the Vision 20/20 fire
in their own communities. If
we light enough fires at
home, Vision 20/20 will
spread like, well, a wildfire
– which is how Mark’s letter
took off.”
