LM Nov-Dec 2022

Education Elevat g General and Special Educators Collaborating in a Professional Learning Community in 2016. The book provides tips and strategies to create a more uniform education system for all learners and encourages all educators to take collective responsibility in improving outcomes for students with special needs. Friziellie ... cont’d.

she wrote on women in leadership focuses on having crucial conversations when in points of conflict to get to a better place of resolution. As superintendent of Fox Lake GSD #11, Friziellie is proud to have led a successful referendum that has provided sustained funding to enhance facilities and improve teaching and learning throughout the district. Fox Lake GSD #114 also takes great pride in building connections with the community, and will soon bring back a program that offers Spanish-speaking adults in the community the opportunity to come to the school and receive English language instruction at no cost. “We want to offer that outreach and make sure our Spanish- speaking families feel valued in our school district,” Friziellie said. Lastly, Friziellie developed 5 Essential Strategies of Focus for Fox Lake GSD #114 based on research principles and serves as President of the Lake County Superintendents Association. that requires a more permanent solution. We wrestle with trying to get that right and ensuring a commitment to the purity of the model.” Tipsord has also served on the IASA Board of Directors since 2017 and is currently chair of the IASA Governmental Relations and Advocacy Committee, which works to ensure that legislative positions, public positions of IASA, and governmental communications accurately reflect the interests of administrators and students across Illinois. Furthermore, he is among a group of educators in McLean County that is trying to launch the HEAT Academy, which focuses on expanding non-traditional student learning opportunities through partnerships with business/industry experts in the areas of Health, Engineering, Agri-Business, and Technology. “It’s incredibly exciting work because it has the potential to break cycles of poverty in our kids who are at the most risk,” Tipsord said. Within the walls of LeRoy CUSD #2, Tipsord is also proud of the learning spaces and programs developed for students not best served in a traditional environment. LeRoy CUSD #2 has developed unique programming for unique needs at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. “These are unique designs to address the needs of students who were historically underserved,” Tipsord said. “The only way that commitment happens is a collaboration between our district administration and Board of Education to create a better product that is more aligned to the needs of the students we are responsible to serve.”

Tipsord ... cont’d. the committee was school funding and finding an alternative formula to General State Aid. “Being able to do that made sense from the way I see the business side of public education and how that marries the core responsibility we have as educators to be in service to kids throughout the state of Illinois,” Tipsord said. “I am blessed to work for a Board of Education that sees that responsibility similarly and gives me the freedom to participate in this valuable work.” The main challenge Tipsord and other Vision 20/20 members faced was bringing together divergent school districts around the principles of Evidence-Based Funding—an idea Illinois adapted from the research of Picus Odden & Associates, which focused on funding resources needed to provide every student an equal opportunity to perform at high levels. “Illinois’ distribution model for EBF is genuinely unique and created a critical distinction between the implementation of the model in Illinois and other states.” Tipsord said. “Dr. Michael Jacoby (Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials) deserves a lot of credit for his work in developing that.” Tipsord continues to be a leading expert on the mechanics of EBF. He serves on the state’s Professional Review Panel, which is tasked with studying if the formula is working as intended or needs to be modified. “I think a challenge continues to be looking at education post COVID,” Tipsord said. “We want to be extremely careful about making a permanent change to the model to respond to what can be seen as a momentary deficit in learning. However, it’s also possible COVID has caused a more permanent change The lessons in the book are still used by schools during Institute Days and other professional learning opportunities. It was published by Solution Tree. Friziellie serves as a consultant for the company and provides professional development for school districts across the country. Solution Tree also hosts an Institute over the summer that attracts upwards of 2,000 educators. Friziellie is one of the keynote speakers at the event. In addition, Friziellie has co-authored two other books: Professional Learning Communities at Work and High Reliability Schools and Women Who Lead . The chapter

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