Congratulations to D300’s Christina Dahlberg from Algonquin Lakes Elementary School for being the first to respond to my blog last week, “As The Bell Rings”. Christina will receive a $20 Amazon gift card for being such a faithful reader.
As an educator we look everywhere for ideas, lessons, innovative technology, bulletin boards, etc.. We read books, peruse Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, Twitter, follow blogs, participate in school led professional development – You name it, we’ve done it, but how often do we get to hear from and connect in-person with educators outside our district?
Did you know, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) puts on an annual state-wide conference?!? I didn’t until I started working for a partner of IARSS. This local conference is called Raising Student Achievement Conference also known as “RSAC”.
Just as educators make changes to their instructional practices, IARSS has worked hard to update and meet the needs of their participants for the upcoming year, here are a few of the important updates to note:
- RSAC will be held in December as in the past (December 9th and 10th)
- It will no longer be at Pheasant Run, instead the venue will be at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.
- There is a new website and logo – be sure to check it out!
- We have 2 world renowned keynotes (Dave Burgess & Greg Wolcott)!!!!
- You no longer need to wait until you arrive at the conference to see what the topics are and to pick out the breakout sessions you will attend. With the new streamlined registration process through Eventbrite you are able to view all the presentations, and reserve your seat for each session you want to attend before the day of the event!
I know that it can be difficult to get a substitute to attend a conference; however, this is a conference you won’t want to miss! There were over 200 presenter proposals submitted, and over 30 featured school/district applications! This year’s conference has something for everyone K-12.
The Featured Speakers for RSAC 2019 include:
- Middle school science teacher, nationwide educational consultant, author and motivational speaker, Monica Genta
- Three-time, best-selling author and professional learning facilitator with more than 20 years experience in leading school change, Jenni Donohoo
- Co-Founder and President of FIRST Educational Resources, author, and part-time Director of Educator Effectiveness for the Winneconne Community School District in Northeast Wisconsin, Garth Larson
- Grant Community High School’s Greg Urbaniak, Maggie Germann, & Tom Evans presenting a PL Series on the text, “Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies = Blended Learning That Works”
- English Language Arts Content Specialist for the Illinois State Board of Education through the Center for the Advancement of Educational Initiatives/ISU, Kathi Rhodus
- ….and more!
Don’t miss the presentations from RSAC’s 2019 Feature School/District winners!!
| Featured District | Featured School When Applicable | Session Title |
| Cicero School District 99 | Daniel Burnham Elementary School | Bulldog Strong: Improving student achievement through student ownership of learning |
| High School District 230 | Advisory, Enrichment & Intervention to meet students’ needs | |
| Belvidere Community Unit School District #100 | Transforming All The Way: Competency K-12 | |
| Community High School District 155 | Crystal Lake South High School | Building Collective Teacher Efficacy |
| Morrison Community School District 6 | Morrison High School | Creating an Education Pathway Experience Class |
| Hamilton County CUSD 10 | Blended Learning Increases Student Achievement | |
| Oswego CUSD #308 | Long Beach Elementary School | Effective SEL Structures that Lead to Success |
| Bellwood School District 88 | STEAMing to Success: Using STEAM to Improve Districtwide Culture & Climate |
RSAC 2019 will be 2 days of nonstop learning and engagement leaving you with strategies, skills, and resources you can utilize and implement immediately to raise your students’ achievement! Early Bird registration is now open – Click here for more information and to register! – I hope to see you there!
If you have any questions about RSAC 2019, please email rsac@iarss.org
Katie Algrim – Director of Innovative Professional Learning
(t):630-444-3044
(c):630-675-4447
(e):kalgrim@kaneroe.org