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title: Whose story needs to be told?
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In a few words (or sentences), are you feeling overwhelmed? ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

| View in browser Finding the Stories that Build Us Up I walked back into our office and immediately started telling everyone about my visit with Principal Tom O'Brien.   I pulled out The Bulldog Beat--Welsh Elementary's student newspaper--and showed my colleagues a 4th-grader’s story about bricks on nearby roads. How he got curious. Investigated. How Tom invited the city’s Director of Public Works to come talk to the students. How the Director gave the 4th-grader a historic paver brick as a gift.    "The mayor's been interviewed too," I said. "These kids are doing real work."   I couldn't stop talking about it. And I realized: that's exactly what Tom does. His excitement is contagious.   Welsh Elementary sits in Rockford's North End. Around 50% of students are Black, 19% are White, and 17% are Hispanic. Around 87% are categorized as “low-income” on the state report card. If the demographics suggest one story, Tom O'Brien tells a different one. "A lot of families are on their way up," he explained. “There's a sense of progress in North End--of families building toward something.” It's not always the final destination. Sometimes it is.  Either way, Tom's honored to be part of it.   He should know. He's lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. He’s raised his family there, does his shopping there, and even does his laundry there.   "I was at the laundromat this weekend," he told me, "and I realized I was the only person reading a newspaper instead of looking at a phone."   It bothered him. Not in a judgmental way, but in a way that connected to something he cares deeply about: getting kids to read. He handed me a dog-eared copy of Timothy Shanahan's Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives. "You've got to pick this up!"   He still does read-alouds. "I tell my teachers all the time that kids don't care how great of a narrator you are, they just want to hear you read in your voice."    (He's right. Earlier that morning, my son had refused to accept a YouTube rendition of “There’s a Wocket in My Pocket” when I was trying to get ready. He kept shoving the book in my hands until I read it to him).   Walking through Welsh with Tom is like watching someone move through a place they love. He greets a late-arriving student: "I'm so thankful you're here with us!" He kneels down to whisper encouragement to a student wearing a necklace with a photo of a family member recently lost.   He shows me the Calm Classroom, where two students are listening to waves crashing on a beach. He points out the plaque memorializing when the building was named after former RPS Board President R. K. Welsh.   He's proud of The Bulldog Beat. He's proud of his teachers. He's proud of his neighborhood. And when he talks about students--their curiosity, their potential, their stories--you believe it too. Not because he's selling you something, but because he genuinely believes they can do anything.   Tom still takes his 80-something-year-old uncle to NIC-10 basketball games across the city. Former students recognize his uncle at games. In that way, Tom is part of a larger story, a family of educators who are proud of where they're from and the people they serve. Maybe that's the thing about pride. It isn't something you hold. It's something you give away. We're better because you're here, Tom.   Dan Holder Director of School Support Services SUMMER SYMPOSIUM   "I appreciate the focus on strategies that can be used right away."    "Great keynote, great variety of breakout sessions to choose from, wonderful conference to attend together with colleagues."    "I thought it was well-organized and run, and gave me insight into student and staff SEL initiatives."    "Absolutely love the venue. Everyone at ROE4 is so helpful and friendly."   Administrators who attended last year's Symposium had great things to say about the experience! This year's Symposium is shaping up to be just as impactful - PLUS, when you bring your staff, you save money: special group rates are available for groups of 3 or more and 10 or more! ABOUT SYMPOSIUM COFFEE BREAK   "To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul."   - Simone Weil Final Illinois Accountability Redesign   While there is a "clean" version of the finalized document, I wanted to link the redline version because it allows you to more easily track what has changed across each iteration of feedback and revision. Though long, many of the pages schools will most want to review begin on page 48 in Section 4, titled "Accountability, Support, and Improvement for Schools." LEARN MORE How to Read... A Lot More by Ryan Holiday   In this piece, Ryan--who I coincidentally first learned about through podcasts and not his writing--reminds us that reading is something of a "shortcut" to wisdom: virtually every problem we face has already been wrestled with by someone else who captured their experience IN PRINT! Like so many other things, the secret to reading more might be in getting clearer on our priorities and systematically removing "excuses" and friction that get in the way of just doing it! LEARN MORE THE OTHER, TYPICAL ADMIN STUFF   Legislative Session Bills to Watch   Senate Bill 2427 - Cellphones    The cellphone bill passed the House, 102-3, with one present vote. “It would require Illinois school districts to adopt policies by the 2027-28 school year banning the use of wireless communication devices like cellphones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices during school time.” The bill does allow for certain exemptions, however, such as for students with certain medical needs, etc.  Senate Bill 2914 - Notices of Remedial Warning     The IPA has noted that this bill would “...allow an outside, third party to overturn the evidence and validity of an administrative investigation into educator misconduct - at a significant cost to the school district.”  Accountability Redesign - Final Draft The final draft was recently approved by the ISBE board and has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Education as of April 17. Among other things, there is an ESSA changelog reference document that notes important updates. One important update is the “inclusion of a footnote that says a school with only one elevating indicator can elevate with only one high performing elevating indicator.”   Lastly, Chalkbeat recently published a “digestible” article that does a nice job breaking some of the changes without belaboring the more technical aspects and implications. NUMBER WORTH NOTING   40%   That's how many students that public school leaders estimate began the 2024-2025 school year behind grade level in at least one academic subject. Would you guess over or under this for students entering SY27? LEARN MORE UPCOMING PL FOR ADMINISTRATORS For Special Education Leaders - explore how competing priorities, accountability pressures, and role boundaries can undermine inclusive practice and service delivery. APRIL 30 \| ONLINE Presented by attorney Brandon Wright, this course provides info for admins on standards for the conduct, misconduct, ethics, and rights of school personnel.  MAY 21 \| ONLINE JUNE 5 \| ONLINE JUNE 12 \| ONLINE Join Dr. Kierra Pickens and Chicago Public Schools' Devon LaRosa for an impactful, day-long workshop on fostering a more inclusive and innovative educational landscape! JUNE 30 \| 6 PDHs We’re bringing together schools, healthcare providers, community partners, and families to improve access to mental health, public health, and social supports - and we need your voice!  MAY 12 \| 6 PM TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK GIVEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS, ALL WEEK LONG (MAY 4-8)! Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we're giving away something on our Facebook and Instagram pages EVERY day! Make sure you (and your staff) follow us before the giveaways! BONUS TREAT - Free Entree at Chick-Fil-A on May 5th! Just present a valid school ID and get a free entree at either Chick-fil-A location in Rockford or Machesney Park! (Vets/Military, Police Officers, Firefighters/EMTs, and Nurses have their own days that week, too!) Forwarded this message? SUBSCRIBE NOW Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education #4 \| 300 Heart Boulevard  Loves Park, Illinois 61111 \| (815) 636-3060 Unsubscribe \| Subscribe or Manage Preferences |
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