Backers say consultant's services, conventions lead to results

It doesn't take Meadowview School Principal Laura Morgan long to point to benefits Grayslake Elementary District 46 received from a South Carolina education consultant or by attending the company's conventions.

Toward the front of her Grayslake building is a respectful citizen hall of fame that resulted from the deal with Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Inc. Children's photographs are on a wall and list of desirable character traits they were found exhibiting.

Parent and student feedback collected through a Blue Ribbons Schools Internet-based survey led to the hall of fame.

"To have a tool to give us parent and student feedback was invaluable," Morgan said.

Blue Ribbon Schools-related expenses totaled $65,528 for District 46 over 2007 and 2008, records show. The tab includes consulting services and all travel-related expenses to two South Carolina conventions.

Contacts made with other educators at the most recent four-day Blue Ribbon Schools conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in December 2008 led to various initiatives at Meadowview, Morgan said. Meadowview formally received the business' highest award, the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse, at the convention.

Meadowview now has a data den where children's reading progress is monitored, as well as a miniature kindergarten technology laboratory. Meadowview is a building for students in kindergarten through fourth grade.

"I really feel it was a good use of money," Morgan said. "In schools and business everywhere, there is a need for training and professional development. And this is something we value in terms of professional development."

Nine categories of Blue Ribbon Schools-suggested improvements provided to District 46 schools are researched-based and will help the buildings' performance, Superintendent Ellen Correll said.

Those areas include student focus and support, challenging standards and curriculum, technology integration, professional communities and success indicators.

Morgan said the information gained from the company is more important than the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse award.

"So, award - no award - it doesn't matter," she said. "It's what we're able to do for these kids and make a difference for them."

Grayslake Elementary District 46 spent nearly $25,255 to send 25 employees to a consultant's education convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., from Dec. 9 to 12, 2008. Here's a breakdown of the expenses.

$6,800: substitute teachers

$5,215.65: airfare for 25 employees

$4,172.27: hotel rooms

$3,566.95: rental vehicles

$3,477.50: Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Inc. conference

$1,529.38: food, gasoline and incidentals

$295: airline baggage fees

$178: round-trip limousine rides from Grayslake to O'Hare International Airport

Source: Grayslake Elementary District 46 records