LM Feb 2024

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What type of professional development does Schiller Park provide for teachers? We’re one of those places that really believes in the train the trainer model. It’s really important to us to hear isn’t an easy place to teach. We expect our teachers to differentiate and meet kids at multiple levels within the course of a lesson.

How much technology is infused into the educational process in your district? We’re 1:1 with iPads in grades K–8. We’ve been Apple users 1:1 for many years. This is a place where we just jump in with two feet, and we learn as we go. We’ve been doing this so long now that it’s just engrained in who we are. Any final thoughts? It’s important as leaders that we remember the boots on the ground. Our teachers have a tremendous amount of knowledge and there’s a tremendous amount of importance in engaging them in conversations about what’s happening in the classroom and what their needs are. It’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re giving them what they need to be successful. We expect our teachers to differentiate for our students and meet them where they are. As leaders, we have to be prepared to do those same things.

from teachers about what they need. If we expect them to differentiate for our students, we have to differentiate for them. Our teachers go out and get information in teams and then those teams come back and train the larger building or district depending on what the topic is. Can you share what the learning spaces look like in Schiller Park? We are fortunate to have three 21st century learning facilities. Where kids learn does matter. Our spaces definitely are getting our kids ready for a world that demands that we know how to collaborate and work well with others in flexible spaces. We can tie, and we have tied, back to the changes in our physical space to improved growth as well. I think that is because these spaces are lending themselves to teaching strategies that are helping our kids become more engaged in their learning. I can’t stress enough the importance of that and how fortunate we are to have a Board that really demanded equity in that area.