Leadership Matters May 2014 working doc

Central IllinoisValleyRegionsuperintendentsand school administratorsuse their ServiceDay to help tornadocleanupefforts inWashington (IL).

federal government. Also, wehave included a column written by Dr. Kevin O’Mara regarding issues related to the PARCC implementation. Kevin is superintendent at Argo Community District 217 in Cook County, a member of the IASA Board of Directors and someonewho has been at the forefront of thePARCCdiscussions. CIV school leaders help Washington tornado cleanup efforts This issue also highlights the Service Day efforts of superintendents and administrators in the Central Illinois Valley Region. The school leaders gathered recently on a Saturday to help the ongoing tornado cleanup efforts in Washington (IL), and the story explores the recovery efforts from the perspective of superintendentswho lived through the tornado. Congratulations toDr. David Schuler, the new AASAPresident-Elect! Dr. Schuler, superintendent at High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, recently was voted President-Elect of AASA. When he becomes President in 2015, he will become the 13 th superintendent from Illinois to lead the national association that dates back to the late 1800s. This issue includes an in-depth profile of Dr. Schuler, who will be a tremendous national spokesperson for public education.

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 Rafe Esquith , an award-winning teacher at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in Los Angeles, where he has taught since 1984. Many of his students, who are all from a community of poor and immigrant families, start class very early, leave late, and typically achieve high scores in standardized tests. Esquith has authored books about teaching and his annual class Shakespeare Productions was featured in the 2005 documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans. We also have invited the two candidates for governor, Governor Pat Quinn and Republican candidate Bruce Rauner, to attend a special forum and discuss their views on public education. That one still is in pencil and may remain so right up to the conference because of the obvious complexities of scheduling that are involved. But we hope both candidates take advantage of the opportunity to come and talk about oneof themost important issues facing our state. Attention turns toPARCCnow that Illinoishas NCLBwaiver This issue of LeadershipMatters features a story about ISBE’s perspective on implementation of PARCC following the news that Illinois finally has received its No Child Left Behind waiver from the

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