Leadership Matters - January 2013

A message from Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark

please send those to mchamness@iasaedu.org . • A monthly tip from one of our new Field Services Directors based on their experience and topics raised by their visits with current superintendents. • Profiles of IASA Board members each month,

We are pleased to introduce a completely revamped, rebranded newsletter called Leadership Matters. It will be a monthly newsletter as opposed to the sporadic installments of the former E-News & Notes. If there are breaking items that we need to communicate to you quickly, we will send you a direct email as we currently do. Capitol Watch, professional development announcements and other news will continue to be sent in timely fashion. We have been searching for the right vehicle to better connect and get information to our members, and I really think we are on the right track – a nice way to kick off 2013! Probably the first thing you will notice is that this looks more like a magazine than a newsletter. While we hope you find the graphic design to be pleasing to the eye, we also hope you notice that the newsletter is fresh and contains content you will find interesting and useful. Each month we will have a cover story, and we are kicking off this newsletter with an in-depth profile of the 2013 Illinois Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Jane Westerhold of Des Plaines Consolidated Community District 62. By interviewing others, as well as Dr. Westerhold, certain leadership traits emerged, characteristics that make a superintendent successful. Inside you will find stories such as a suggestion for a New Year’s resolution from Rich Voltz’s professional development perspective, a primer from Diane Hendren for what promises to be a challenging spring session of the General Assembly, and a column written by guest attorneys lined up by Sara Boucek in order to give our members a variety of legal views on current hot topics. Also, standing items in Leadership Matters include: • An interactive 60-day calendar, color-coded to make it easy to find professional development classes, important legislative events or IASA events • News items about superintendents from the 21 IASA regions, something we think is worth reviving. If you have any items of interest,

including some regular information, but also information to give you a deeper look at their outside interests and their viewpoints on issues affecting public education. • A brief survey each month on a hot topic. This month’s survey is about the truancy issue that was the subject of a compelling Chicago Tribune series. State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia introduced legislation to form the “Truancy in Chicago Public Schools Task Force,” and while the issue is about Chicago right now, it certainly is a topic of interest to all of us in public education. If you would take a moment to answer the two questions – as well as offering us your narrative opinion if you wish – that would give us some statewide information that the task force might find helpful. Please click here to go to the page containing the survey questions. I think everyone will agree that this is an improvement in our newsletter, one that we hope will give us an even stronger monthly connection with you going forward. If you like the newsletter, please let your colleagues know that they might want to take a look at the new product. Finally, we welcome suggestions on how to make the product even better. Whether it’s a newsletter like Leadership Matters or any other part of our operation, the goal remains to serve you, our members. Thank you for your support of IASA, and best wishes for a happy and productive New Year -- one in which we once again live up to our vision of “Maximum Educational Success for All Students.”

Brent Clark

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