Educators gather for national conference at District 214
School superintendents from across the country will gather in Arlington Heights over the next three days for a national conference that champions a college and career readiness initiative started by Northwest Suburban High School District 214 Superintendent David Schuler.
The second annual Redefining Ready! National Summit is scheduled for Wednesday at District 214's administration building, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, where educators will attend breakout sessions to learn more about the program Schuler launched in 2015. The initiative uses metrics - such as grade-point average, placement in advanced or dual credit courses, attendance and participation in co-curricular activities - to define students as being college- and career-ready, as opposed to solely test scores. Attendees will also make site visits to District 214 high schools.
The event is co-hosted by District 214 and The School Superintendents Association, which named Schuler its National Superintendent of the Year in 2018. He served as president of the organization during the 2015-16 school year.
"Administrators attending our summit will be able to serve as 'critical friends' with peers from across the country and engage about what they're doing to create real-life workplace situations on behalf of their students," Schuler said in a news release.
On Thursday and Friday, superintendents who are already part of the Redefining Ready! cohort will meet at District 214 and Harper College in Palatine for additional meetings.
While the program has developed readiness indicators for high schoolers, the organization is now working on standards covering kindergarten through eighth grade.