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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. DonWhite, Mokena SD#159 Dr. SharonDesmoulin-Kherat, Peoria SD#150

Who: Dr. Don White, superintendent What: Senate Bill 7 Performance Rankings Tool; ISAL Design Team; Evidence-Based Leadership: Using Data to Drive Immediate and Lasting Improvement and IASA Principal Evaluator Academy. Where: Mokena SD #159, Three Rivers Region. Retired July 1, 2020. When: In 2012, Dr. White created

Who: Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, superintendent What: Developed innovative programs; IASA COVID-19 Transition Team; school funding advocate; serves on numerous community boards, including the United Way, trustee on Bradley University’s board and Urban League. Where: Peoria SD #150, Central

Illinois Valley Region. When: Dr. Desmoulin-Kherat was named Peoria SD #150 Superintendent in 2016 and has helped foster innovative programs, including the Wraparound Center in 2018. She testified for the need to fully fund EBF in 2018 and was named to the IASA COVID-19 Swat Team this year. Why: Dr. Desmoulin-Kherat is propelled by her passion to reimagine schools and has tried to share that philosophy with others. Under her leadership at Peoria SD #150, the district has put an emphasis on community partnerships that aim to provide students, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, increased academic and social-emotional support, with a focus on the whole child. She has also focused on redefining learning to include work- based learning, industry credentials and certifications, along with competencies-based learning.

Senate Bill 7 Performance Rankings Tool. Thirteen years ago, he co-chaired the Illinois School for Advanced Leadership Design Team and last year co-taught the Evidence-Based Leadership academy, helping school leaders foster a culture of evidence-based practice. In addition, Dr. White developed software to help school leaders with administrator evaluation. Why: One of the driving factors behind Dr. White’s desire to help his peers is his personal belief in the importance of informed practice. Using his knowledge of Microsoft Excel, he specializes in developing customizable software that allows school leaders to input their own data and make decisions that are based in statistics and research. The customizable spreadsheets have helped hundreds of school districts in the areas of compliance with requirements

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LM Summer 2020