LM Feb 2022

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. Dr. Victor Simon III Gower SD#62 BethCrider Peoria County ROE

Who: Dr. Victor Simon III, Superintendent What: 5 Essentials Survey; eLearning; Assisted school districts in building on site COVID-19 testing; Framework for Effective Leadership Where: Gower SD #62, DuPage Region When: Superintendent of Gower SD #62 since 2013 Why: “A child’s education isn’t a dress rehearsal. We have one chance to get it right.”

Who: Beth Crider, Regional Superintendent What: Offered safety training for school administrators; Expanded professional development opportunities for educators; Improved mental health support for schools; Advanced career readiness initiatives; Hosted regular superintendent meetings

throughout the pandemic. Where: Peoria County Regional Office of Education When: Regional Superintendent of Peoria County since 2014 Why: As the leader of the Peoria County Regional Office of Education since 2014, Beth Crider has tried to elevate supports and programs, build connections with stakeholders and expand professional learning opportunities for educators. “We have a mission statement of service and will do everything we can to empower students, educators and our community,” Crider said. One major priority of the Peoria ROE is school safety. Every August before a new school year begins, Crider hosts a school safety seminar with school

As superintendent of Gower SD #62, Dr. Simon has adopted that philosophy and continuously pushed his district forward while also elevating public education. He is a strong supporter of the 5 Essentials Survey and presented at numerous conferences and events about how the tool can be used to collect data and drive school improvement. “If you’re serious about school improvement then you have to understand in its simplest form there is a Plan-Do-Check-Act” cycle,” Dr. Simon said. “A lot of organizations plan and do, but they don’t have a deliberate system in place to check and take corrective action. The 5 Essentials Survey provides actionable data and insights into what is going well and what can be improved.” While at Chicago Public Schools, Dr. Simon became familiar with the 5 Essentials Survey when it was introduced in the early 2000s. Later on at Gower SD #62, he advocated for and carried out a pilot of the survey for 4th and 5th grade students in partnership with the University of Chicago. Before then, 5 Essentials was only used in

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