Cover Stories

• The Value and Promise of Career Technical Education: Results from a National Survey of Parents and Students

  By Advance CTE

• Getting it Right for Every Student

  By Ken Wallace

  Maine Township High School District 207examined long-term economic trends and determined to develop precision in its career and post-secondary advisory programs, seeking to “Get it Right” for students by focusing on real-time information and projected jobs data to provide the highest level of Return on Investment (ROI) Career Advisement possible.

• Career and College Advisement Goes Virtual in 2020

  By Ken Wallace

  The career team at THSD 207 pivoted to virtualized experiences to serve District 207 students and families to ensure seniors had career plans finished to the extent possible and to engage underclassmen in deeper work to post-secondary goals.

Feature Articles

• Together, Apart: Districts Share Stories of Response and Support

  Collected by Theresa Kelly Gegen

  With school buildings closed but learning continuing, Illinois school districts are rising to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic — a worldwide emergency with enormous local implications. As of this writing, we don’t know when Illinois public school students will be back in their classrooms. Here are some vignettes from school districts, a few of the millions of ways education leaders in Illinois — together apart — are supporting each other and their communities through these challenging times.

• Sunshine Laws and Social Distancing 

  By Theresa Kelly Gegen

  When Illinois’ stay-at-home directives were published in mid-March, they included an overabundance of concerns and challenges for Illinois school boards, one of which was how to run a meeting.

• Executive Searches: Still Looking Ahead

  By Theresa Kelly Gegen

  The work of matching school districts with the best candidates for open or pending superintendent positions continues during coronavirus pandemic.

Regular Features

• Front Page: We’re All in the Same Boat, But Not All in the Same Storm

  By Theresa Kelly Gegen

  With the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide health emergency, we are all in the same boat. However, as individuals, parents, students, leadership team members, and resi-dents of Illinois, the storms we face are different.
  
   

• Leadership Letter: Schools Continue to Serve Despite Historic Challenges 

  By Thomas E. Bertrand

  None of us will soon forget the unprecedented challenges Americans faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Schools and school boards faced school governance and operational changes, from conducting board of education meetings to ensuring continuity in learning and reliable meals for students and families.

• Association Information: IASB Offers News, Support During Coronavirus Emergency

  By Kara Kienzler

  The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to adapt our routines, rethink how work gets done, and focus on the essentials. At IASB, with these challenges came opportunities.

• From the Field: Detecting Ends 

  By Laura Martinez

  One of the first and foremost responsibilities of school boards is to clarify the district purpose. That means articulating the district ends: the core values and beliefs, the mission and vision of the district, and the district's goals.

• Practical PR: Strategic Storytelling 

  By Patrick Mogge

  There are tremendous opportunities to engage your students in real-world activities and also expose the community to what school looks like today.

• Practical PR: D214, Harper, and Community Collaborate to Produce PPE

  By Dave Beery

  THSD 214, Harper College, local public safety officials, a state legislator, and Elk Grove-based Total Plastics worked together to contribute: the production of much-needed personal protective equipment.

• Journal Resources May/June 2020