Leadership Matters May 2014 working doc

Schuler is less diplomatic regarding the pending implementation next year of the new PARCC assessment by ISBE, especially when it comes to high school juniors who are faced with the prospect of having to take PARCC, the Advance Placement (AP) exams and their final exams all within a matter of weeks. And that doesn’t even count the ACT, which remains the main standardized test that colleges anduniversities use for admission.

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district has an “A-OK” program where students do community service projects, but in addition to doing things such as raking leafs, the students are also required to visit with the people they are assisting and listen to their stories. Rather than ignore citizens who don’t have children in school, Schuler focuses on them. He holds town-hall style meetings at the senior citizens center and frames issues from the perspective of the senior citizens’ children and

“At the secondary level it’s a complete and total waste of money at this point,” Schuler said. “Why should we tell our students to take the PARCC seriously when it is a no-stakes assessment from the students’ perspective? Colleges may use it for placement, but they are not yet using it for admission. It is only a few weeks before the AP exams, from which students can earn college credits. Currently there is no value to PARCC for students, but it will used to measure and evaluate our schools. And it will take a minimum of nine to 15 hours to administer right before AP testing. If students don’t take it seriously and there is no value for them to take it seriously, then how can the results be valid?” It was made clear in an essay Schuler wrote while running for AASA president that he’ll be a great spokesman for public education in this country.

grandchildren.When one of the schools is performing a play or musical, a special daytime preview is offered for senior citizens. “Seniors look at being supportive and helping our public schools as their legacy,” Schuler said. Like school superintendents all over the nation, Schuler is wrestling with implementation of federal and state mandates at a time when funding is being slashed, resources are scarce, and political rhetoric often supersedes educational values. “Initially, I thought setting minimum common standards for

“My prioritywill be championing public education, school district leaders and the amazing achievements occurring in schools across this country.Weneed to change the focus fromwhat’s

wrongwith our schools toa focus on themany incredible innovations and interactions takingplace in classrooms across this great nation.”

-AASAPresident-Elect Dr. DavidSchuler

schools was terrific. But then when the U.S. Department of Education supported Common Core it just politicized the issue,” said Schuler, adding that he gets several emails or contacts every few weeks from people opposingCommonCore as some sort of federal conspiracy. “We don’t use the term ‘Common Core.’ We refer to the New Illinois Learning Standards andwe tell people that a long time agowe aligned our curriculum to the College Readiness Standards. Most people seem to accept that answer. Education shouldn’t be political, so we try to take the politics out of our languagewhenever possible.”

“My priority will be championing public education, school district leaders and the amazing achievements occurring in schools across this country,” Schuler wrote. “We need to change the focus from what’s wrong with our schools to a focus on the many incredible innovations and interactions taking place in classrooms across this great nation.” (JessicaThunberg, HighSchool District 214 Director of CommunityEngagement and Outreach, alsocontributed to thisstory.)

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