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ISAL ACADEMY:
Life-Changing Experience
for Graduates
No one could have blamed Dr. Kevin Russell for passing on IASA’s
School for Advanced Leadership, an 18-month program designed
to provide practicing Illinois superintendents with experiences and
skills essential for successfully impacting student achievement.
The Chicago Ridge School District 127.5 superintendent lives three
hours away from Springfield and has seven children at home.
By Jason M. Nevel
IASA Assistant Director of Communications
But after two years on the job, Russell was ready for a
change. He knew he needed to build his professional
network and learn how to become a more effective
superintendent.
“The time commitment when you first start can be
intimidating,” said Russell, who was among a group of
25 superintendents who graduated from ISAL on May
11. “I can tell you as someone with seven kids, the time I
put into ISAL I have gotten back ten-fold.
“It’s really been life changing for me.”
That last part about “life changing” is a phrase Dr. Brent
Clark, executive director of IASA, said he’s heard from
graduates of each of the four cohorts of ISAL.
The ISAL Academy is the brainchild of Clark, dating
back to 2005 when he interviewed for the job as
executive director of IASA. Clark said he viewed the