LM Aug 2020

Education Elevat g We continue our series highlighting tremendous educators across Illinois who have given their time and energy to ele- vating the superintendency and public education as a whole. Each month, we will feature two educators who are going the extra mile and truly making a difference beyond their school districts and local communities. While we are aware of many of the contributions administrators are making, we are open to any suggestions for someone to feature next month. To make a recommendation, contact Jason Nevel, IASA director of social media and publications, at jnevel@iasaedu.org or by calling 217–753–2213. Sheri Smith, Forrestville Valley CUSD#221 ToddDugan, Bunker Hills CUSD#8

Who: Todd Dugan, superintendent What: Advocate for how schools can smartly integrate technology (Education Technology Leaders, Institute for Education Innovation, advisor to Tech and Learning, author of multiple articles on technology in schools and moderated Twitter chat for International Society of Tech Education).

Who: Sheri Smith, superintendent What: IASA Region President, Northwest Region; Organized a system of support for superintendents in the Northwest Region during the pandemic. Where: Forrestville Valley CUSD #221. When: Seventh year as

Where: Bunker Hills CUSD #8, Kaskaskia Region When: Superintendent at Bunker Hill CUSD #8 since 2018; Superintendent at New Holland-Middletown ED #88 for six years. Why: Before he entered the superintendency, Dugan recognized access to technology was a major inequity in public schools. He also believed that technology, if implemented correctly, could be a great equalizer for Illinois students. As a superintendent, Dugan worked hard to close inequity gaps in the districts he led. He also tried to help his peers better understand an issue they may not be familiar with. “I’ve seen districts massively deploy devices,” Dugan said. “If there are equity issues before, it doesn’t mean you’re going to provide equitable learning by quickly going to 1:1.” Dugan is involved with various organizations that support school districts to better incorporate technology, including ISTE, ILTPP, IETL (the IL affiliate of CoSN) and was honored as a

superintendent of Forrestville Valley CUSD #221; Second year as IASA Region President. Why: Since being named superintendent, Sheri Smith said she has benefited greatly from having a support network of peers. When the pandemic hit, she drew on that support and organized virtual Zoom meetings with her peers in the Northwest. “The more we stand together, the easier it will be for our communities,” she said. The meetings allowed superintendents in the region to collaborate on the major issues facing schools, such as remote learning, graduation, providing meals, returning items to students and personnel issues. To streamline the meetings, she set up polls and gathered feedback to help set the agenda and keep the conversations on topic.

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LM August 2020