An Extraordinary Time: IASB’s Virtual Summit Takes On 2020
By Theresa Kelly Gegen
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary response was not only a key theme of the IASB Virtual Summit, but also a reflection of the Summit itself. IASB offered the one-day, virtual presentation and networking event to its membership to maintain connection and inspiration in light of the cancelation of the 2020 Joint Annual Conference. The Virtual Summit, which had over 1,000 registrants, opened on November 20 with a welcome and appreciation from IASB President Tom Neeley.
Writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde Thurston delivered the opening keynote, “How to Deconstruct Racism one Headline at a Time.” And definitely delivered. Offering up the realities and absurdities of 2020, Thurston’s thought-provoking observations on current events — from Whole Foods to whole history — demonstrated “the emotional range” people are experiencing.
“I want to acknowledge that you’re OK, that whatever you’re feeling is alright,” Thurston said. “2020 is not like any other year… 2020 is hard. But we’re going to roll with it.” Thurston talked of the nature of the systems in place that COVID “uncovered” as discriminatory and unjust. “We are having this moment of clarity; COVID came along and exposed all of our dirt,” Thurston said. “There is a lot left to be fixed. How we move from here will determine everything.”
Thurston discussed the events of 2020, the pandemic, the killing of George Floyd, ensuing protests, social injustices. He spoke of “choosing the words” that describe our times, and of our divisions and uniting through stories.
“It is tempting in this moment to focus outward,” Thurston said. “But we are most powerful where we sit. Imagine how great we could be if we tapped into the greatness of us all.”
Following the opening events, four panels featuring Illinois demonstrated programs that are making a difference in their schools and communities, and that their preparedness to cope in these difficult times was improved through their commitment to the work they shared.
In “The Great Opportunity: 21st-Century Learning Through Community Engagement,” presenting district Cicero SD 99 offered that “good is never good enough” in its work towards meeting the challenges facing the district. Four years ago the district committed to bringing 21st-century technology to every child as its top priority. SD 99 shared its journey which included infrastructure, an instructional approach including personalized learning, and professional development and coaching to develop and advance quality teachers, as well as ensuring stakeholders could use the resources available.
“Our community has changed,” is why Harrisburg CUSD 3 began the development of Matrix, a goal-based program supporting students dealing with poverty issues — in money, resources, health, education, and opportunity, plus the adverse childhood experiences that result. In “Overcoming Generational Poverty,” the Harrisburg team describes how the district identifies students with poverty issues and schedules them into the Matrix, an “environment in which something develops.” There, the district resources these students, building trust, developing academic supports, and determining what other supports are necessary for students to reach their goals.
In “Empowering Students to Support Peers Regarding Mental Health, presenting district Clinton CUSD 15 shared the story of its ongoing participation in the Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) program, which teaches students a five-step plan in helping their friends with mental health challenges. The community experienced loss of students to suicide, and other losses, and sought solutions on teen mental health and communication. The school and community developed a commitment to the program and its importance, and provides support to teens in crisis.
Presenting district Wheeling CCSD 21 closed out the district presentations with “Empowering Every Student, Every Day,” relating a journey towards system change. The district focused on culture and capacity-building to assess itself and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in ensuring equity of educational opportunities and success for all students. Working with the Consortium for Educational Change, the district formed a strategic planning team and developed a system to gather data, provide feedback, and organize this information for a comprehensive improvement effort.
Between the district presentations, an engaging networking event took place in the Virtual Summit’s chatrooms. IASB staff facilitated summit attendees as they discussed the coronavirus and what’s working in their districts, and the importance of staying positive in these troubling, terrifying times. Representatives from the presenting districts also took questions in the chat rooms. Before the closing session, IASB Executive Director Thomas E. Bertrand briefly addressed the membership with a “State of the Association” update on IASB’s activities and efforts on behalf of its members during the extraordinary year. “We exist as an Association to serve our member boards in their pursuit of excellence in local school board governance; the Board of Directors provides the strategic roadmap for that work.” Bertrand noted the addition of Equity to the Association’s strategic priorities.
In the closing keynote, “Flying a Plane While Remodeling It: How Inclusive Leaders Rise to the Challenge Called 2020,” Helen Fagan interwove personal experiences, scientific study, and professional expertise in a conversation about diversity and inclusion — how do we get there and why it matters. Noting that “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are,” Fagan, a leadership and diversity scholar and practitioner spoke of her own life and family as well as her research and practice in the field.
She spoke of acknowledging differences — multifaceted and complex — and approaching them as positive. She discussed the science behind why inclusion is so difficult: our brains are wired for bias and self-preservation, and our management processes are the last to develop. Concluding the story of her work in a health care setting and a family losing a loved one, Fagan offered a phrase that seemed to resonate with a purpose for every listener: “Help me understand why this is important to you.”
Recognizing that nothing can take the place of in-person events, in these extraordinary times, the Illinois Association of School Boards continues to support its members and offers virtual events that bridge the (social) distance, until we meet — in person — again.