LM May 2018

ISAL ACADEMY: Life-Changing Experience for Graduates No one could have blamed Dr. Kevin Russell for passing on IASA’s School for Advanced Leadership, an 18-month program designed to provide practicing Illinois superintendents with experiences and skills essential for successfully impacting student achievement. The Chicago Ridge School District 127.5 superintendent lives three hours away from Springfield and has seven children at home. By Jason M. Nevel IASA Assistant Director of Communications

But after two years on the job, Russell was ready for a change. He knew he needed to build his professional network and learn how to become a more effective superintendent. “The time commitment when you first start can be intimidating,” said Russell, who was among a group of 25 superintendents who graduated from ISAL on May 11. “I can tell you as someone with seven kids, the time I put into ISAL I have gotten back ten-fold. “It’s really been life changing for me.” That last part about “life changing” is a phrase Dr. Brent Clark, executive director of IASA, said he’s heard from graduates of each of the four cohorts of ISAL. The ISAL Academy is the brainchild of Clark, dating back to 2005 when he interviewed for the job as executive director of IASA. Clark said he viewed the

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