Illinois P-20 Council and Illinois Early Learning Council ...

Illinois P-20 Council and Illinois Early Learning Council Kindergarten Transition Advisory Committee Tuesday, April 17, 2018, 3-5 PM The Ounce of Prevention Fund 24th Floor, 33 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL 60603 2800 Montvale Drive, Springfield, IL 62704

Dial-In: 1-650-429-3300 Access code: 639-716-373

Panel: Administrator Perspectives

Megan Clarke Executive Director, Exceptional Learners Collaborative

Ms. Megan Clarke has BSE in Communication Disorders from University of Arkansas, a MAT in Special Education from National Louis University, a CAS in Administration from National Louis University, an EdS in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University, and is working on an EdD in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. Ms. Clarke began her teaching career in a large suburban school district in Illinois teaching children with significant emotional needs and well as learning disabilities at the junior high level. In that district, Ms. Clarke also spent time teaching younger elementary students with multiple special needs. Ms. Clarke is in her 18th year as an administrator starting first as a building leader at a middle school and then at three elementary buildings, and then moved to central office as a coordinator, director, assistant superintendent, and currently the executive director/superintendent of a special education collaborative. Ms. Clarke has led the Exceptional Learners Collaborative since it opened three years ago serving its member districts, Kildeer Countryside School District #96, Lincolnshire - Prairie View School District #103, Adlai E. Stevenson High School District #125, and Fox Lake School District 114.

During Ms. Clarke's tenure as an administrator, she has had experience working within very diverse communities. Ms. Clarke spent three years in North Chicago School District 187 serving the role of Principal of an Early Childhood Building/Assistant Superintendent of Student Services. Ms. Clarke was responsible for writing the Preschool for All grant as well as a Preschool Expansion grant, which allowed preschool age children to attend school full day. Ms. Clarke built partnerships with many organizations within the community. In Ms. Clarke's current position, she has a team that evaluates students coming out of the early intervention system to successfully transition these students to a public school setting. Ms. Clarke has developed relationships with preschools within her district's boundaries. Ms. Clarke has a passion working with students that have special needs as well as second language learners.

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Kristina Davis-Salazar Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, West Chicago District 33

Kristina Davis-Salazar is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in West Chicago District 33. West Chicago District 33 is a suburban school district situated 30 miles west of Chicago in DuPage County. It serves 4,500 students in grades PreK-8. Although West Chicago D33 is located in the third most affluent county in Illinois, it is over 60 percent low income. As of 2017, 80 percent of the district's population is Hispanic, with over 54 percent of the students designated as English Language Learners.

Kristina oversees D33's Prek-8th grade curriculum and instructional programs as well as assessment and accountability systems. Kristina's educational career began 20 years ago as the first bilingual teacher in an Illinois farming community of migrant workers. In 2003, she started her administrative career as a principal and district administrator in the third largest district in Illinois. In 2009, she was hired in West Chicago and since then has been involved in numerous initiatives that have promoted equity and helped to close opportunity gaps for learners. Research has found dual language programs to be the only method of second language learning that promises to close the achievement gap between English learners and English speakers. Over the past three years, she has led the district in expanding its dual language program from a magnet school to a prek-8th grade program to ensure that all students have the opportunity to become bilingual, biliterate, and cross-culturally competent. This was done through empowering Hispanic parents to advocate for programs that value students' linguistic and cultural strengths. Over the past couple of years, the expansion of this program has flourished into an amazing cultural arts program that now boasts a ballet fokl?rico dance troupe, mariachi band, and student art gallery that is becoming well-known in the area. This has dramatically increased student involvement and parent engagement among Hispanic families. She supported these growing initiatives through professional development of staff, parent and community work, and leveraging of funds. She credits the amazing teachers and administrative colleagues that she has worked with and grown from for the success of these initiatives.

Dave Deets Principal, Harmony Intermediate and Emge Jr. High and District Curriculum Coordinator, Harmony Emge SD 175

In 2008, I was hired as Elementary Principal at Marissa Elementary School in southeastern St. Clair County. I was at Marissa for 2 years and was proud to lead the building in being recognized as a 2009 Illinois Spotlight School. In the summer of 2010, I was hired to serve as the principal of Ellis School in the Harmony-Emge School District in Belleville, IL. Over the course of 7 years at Ellis Elementary, I was fortunate to be part of a team of administrators, teachers, and staff that earned a 2013 Academic Award for Exemplary Gains in Performance, a District of Distinction Award in 2014, and most recently a 2018 State School of Character Award . I have also been very fortunate to earn individual awards as well, including the 2013 Elementary Principal of the Year and the 2017 Reaching Out and Building Bridges Award, both for the Illinois Principals Association Southwestern Region.

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For the 2017-18 School Year, I moved within district from Ellis Elementary to Harmony Intermediate/Emge Jr. High as well as Curriculum Coordinator for the district. For the past three years, I have served on the Illinois Principal's Association Executive Board as the State Director for the Southwestern Region. On behalf of the IPA I also served on the recent ESSA Indicators of Effectiveness Committee for both P-2 and 3-8.

Andrew McCree Principal, Brokaw Early Learning Center, SD 308 Oswego

Andrew McCree received his degree in early childhood education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His teaching experiences allowed him to work with children from infants to grade three in central Illinois. He later became a full time early childhood teacher in Joliet Public Schools District 86. There he learned to love different cultures as the early childhood teacher at Parks Cultural Studies Academy.

Andrew received his master's degree in Educational Leadership from Benedictine University, Lisle, IL. He became an assistant principal in Community Unit School District 308 before becoming the principal of the Brokaw Early Learning Center in 2012. The early childhood program serves 700+ 3-5 year olds. He strives to learn and improve with each school year. This year, he and his team have done much work on buffering stress and adversity in the early years of children. He thrives while continuing his passion in early childhood and working to shape the future.

Dr. Julie Oziemkowski Director of School Improvement, CUSD 200 Wheaton Warrenville

Dr. Julie Oziemkowski is Director of School Improvement for Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit School District 200, a diverse, high-performing district in Dupage County. Since graduating from District 200 K-12 schools, she has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Taylor University, a Masters in Educational Administration from Loyola University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University. Prior to assuming her current role in 2006, Dr. Oziemkowski served in a school-based leadership position for two years. Julie's leadership philosophy is strongly influenced by the thirteen years she taught, eleven in CUSD 200 and two in Pinellas County Florida.

In her current role, Dr. Oziemkowski tries to ensure that testing is seamlessly organized, data reports tell a story that leads the way to transforming students' lives, and professional learning experiences include time to discuss and apply what is learned. Her favorite aspect of her work is collaborating with and learning from colleagues such as Stephanie Farrelly, principal of Jefferson Early Childhood Center. Having recently defended her dissertation, a multi-state legal analysis of the use of student achievement data as part of teacher evaluation systems, Julie is looking forward to having the time to become more involved with the Wheaton Warrenville Early Childhood Collaborative. As for other outside interests, she is just beginning to rediscover them, so it is too early to list any!

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Kris Pennington Principal, Brigham Elementary, McLean County Unit District 5 Kris Pennington holds bachelor degree in early childhood education with special education endorsement and master's degree in educational administration. She served as an early childhood teacher for 16 years in both private and public school settings. For the past eight years Kris has served as early childhood coordinator and early childhood principal in McLean County Unit District 5 located in the Bloomington-Normal area.

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