The Greater Chicago Education Leaders Summit gave area educators the opportunity to hear from experts in assessment, curriculum and instruction, and professional development—the key components to improved teaching and learning. The Summit, sponsored by Measured Progress, took place October 12, 2005, in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Summit participants interacted with national and regional education experts and shared ideas about and insights into proven methods to maximize student learning. The Summit also introduced Measured Progress’s integrated approach to assessment, curriculum and instruction, and professional development, which has been developed specifically to support successful K–12 school improvement efforts.
Dr. Glenn W. “Max” McGee, former Illinois state superintendent of schools and the current superintendent of schools in Wilmette District 39, presented “Leadership Lessons from the Spotlight Schools,” the Summit’s keynote address. McGee outlined the common characteristics that helped Illinois Spotlight Schools to improve achievement. These characteristics include: exemplary leadership, emphasis on literacy, teachers’ beliefs that their students can learn and succeed, effectively using data to guide instruction, employing team learning and collaborating, involving parents and community partners, lengthening school days and years, and using professional development effectively to support the collective good.
The coauthor of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know: School Leadership for the Real World, McGee recently completed research on high-achieving, high-poverty schools that have closed the achievement gap. The study has garnered state and national attention for identifying how schools and communities can help all students succeed.
John Q. Easton, executive director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research, presented recent research findings in “Organizational Characteristics of Improving Schools.” Easton has participated in several major research projects, including surveys of Chicago Public Schools’ teachers, principals, and students. He is the lead author of the Consortium survey, Charting Reform: the Teachers ’ Turn, as well as an ongoing series of annual studies of elementary school test score trends, including How Do They Compare? ITBS and ISAT Reading and Mathematics in the Chicago Public Schools.
In a presentation entitled “Setting the Stage for Strategic Planning with Effective Use of Data,” Malykke Bacon, regional director of the Consortium for Education Change, offered insight into different sources of data and their proper use in analyzing the performance of students, teachers, administrators, and school systems. He also stressed the need to compare and contrast the data gleaned from different sources and analyze the data in leadership teams.
The Summit’s luncheon program, “Whittier Spotlight School: A Case Study in Collaborating and Connecting,” featured Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, principal of Peoria’s Whittier Primary School, and two members of the school’s faculty. The presentation showcased how the Whittier Primary School became an Illinois Spotlight School and a Blue Ribbon School.
Measured Progress professional development experts Kate Garrison and Karen Bailey, who led a session on assessment literacy entitled “Assessment Literacy and its Role in School Improvement,” rounded out the roster of speakers.
In a drawing held during the Summit, Dr. Doris Hope Jackson of Calumet Public Schools won $5,000 toward Measured Progress professional development services.
Measured Progress developed the unique approach of helping build school and district capacity by collaborating with local educators to identify needs and goals, assess existing local resources, and develop a strategy to achieve school improvement. Its success depends on long-term relationships and appropriate follow-through. Measured Progress plans to continue building relationships with schools in the Chicago area. In addition, the company will host summits and forge similar relationships in other metropolitan areas.
