Educational Reform Act 1985 Interviews

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Educational Reform Act 1985 Interviews

Dr. Peggy Allan - Educational Reform Act 1985

Peggy Allan has spent her life in teaching in the Bond County, IL Community School District, specifically at Greenville Junior High School. In 1988 she was selected Illinois Teacher of the Year. Since then, she has served on many state committees in the field of Learning Standards, State Assessment, Writing Assessment, and Advance Illinois. Peggy discusses the implementation of the state's landmark educational legislation passed in 1985, how the reforms impacted her teaching, and the role teachers had in implementing the programs.

Jo Anderson - Educational Reform Act 1985

Jo Anderson worked on the implementation of Illinois's landmark 1985 Educational Reform Act, from the perspective of the Illinois Education Association, Illinois's primary teachers' union. Among the reforms he addressed were learning goals, assessments, alternatives to social promotion, principal/teacher evaluation, new school funding sources, kindergarten full day/prekindergarten, educational service centers, the Illinois Math Science Academy, Casimir Pulaski Day, staff development, testing of potential new teachers, school safety requirements, teacher compensation, modifications to the newly created Educational Labor Relations Board, and some Chicago reforms.

Dr. Richard Anderson - Educational Reform Act 1985

Richard Anderson was first elected to the College of Lake County (CLC) Board of Trustees in 1974 while he was a full time student, and has continued to serve on the Board thereafter. He has served as chairman of the CLC Board of Trustees for five terms, as well as serving as president of the Illinois Community College Trustee Association and the Northern Suburban Region. Richard shares his in-depth knowledge of the school's history, and discusses some of the issues the college has faced during his tenure.

Paul Baker - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Paul Baker, while overseeing the Educational Administration and Foundation at Illinois State from 1985 to 2001, helped conduct research on the Educational Reform Act of 1985. Being a participant in the research being done prior to 1985 in such areas as school effectiveness, essential schools, critical thinking, learning communities, and active learners, Dr. Baker then monitored and researched some of the Act’s many reforms.

Dr. Susan Bentz - Educational Reform Act 1985

Sue Bentz began working for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1971 and stayed there for the next thirty years. She experienced the name change to the Illinois State Board of Education, and was very active in the adoption and implementation of the landmark 1985 Education Reform Act. Her specific assignments included being an Assistant Superintendent in charge of Teacher Education and Certification, and Secretary to the State Teacher Certification Board. Sue talks about the 1985 act in great detail.

Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant - Educational Reform Act 1985

Illinois State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant discusses the 1985 Educational Reform Act from the perspective of her experiences as a school principal at Channahon Junior High School, as the Will County Regional Superintendent of Schools, and since 2012 as a State Senator serving Illinois's 49th Senate District. She reviews in detail the modifications made in the landmark 1985 legislation and its legacy 30 years later.

Barbara Flynn Currie - Educational Reform Act 1985

Representative Barbara Flynn Currie has represented the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago since 1979, and has been a leader for the Democratic house caucus for many years. In 1985 she was instrumental in gaining passage for the Educational Reform Act, especially the portions of legislation dealing with early childhood education and the Prekindergarten At-Risk Program. She discusses this at length, as well as the impact of the legislation over the next thirty years.

Dr. Robert Daiber - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Robert Daiber began a long teacher career at Triad High School in Troy, Illinois, and in 2007 became a Regional Superintendent of Schools for Madison County. He offers detailed perspective on the implementation and the legacy of Illinois's landmark 1985 Educational Reform Act. Dr. Daiber covers his involvement with the new learning standards, local and state assessments, the new teacher evaluation model, and staff development initiatives that took place because of the 1985 Reforms

Dr. Sherry R. Eagle - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Sherry Eagle discusses the impact of the 1985 Educational Reform Act since its adoption from her perspective as a teacher, assistant principal, curriculum director and long tenure as superintendent. She also reviews the formation and the development of the John C. Dunham STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Partnership School located at Aurora University. This School is a cooperative partnership of the West Aurora, East Aurora, and Indian Prairie K-12 School Districts and Aurora University.

Ross Hodel - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Ross Hodel is a career educator who began his career as a teacher in Pekin, Illinois in 1965, and steadily progressed in his profession, earning a Ph.D. in 1987. He was very involved with Illinois's landmark educational reform in 1985, which resulted in 169 distinct reforms to the state's educational system. Dr. Hodel discusses the events leading up to the passage of the legislation in 1985, and the efforts to implement many of its far-reaching reforms.

John Hoesley - Educational Reform Act 1985

John Hoesley was a member of the first graduating class for the Illinois Math Science Academy, which opened in Aurora in 1986. The Academy was one of the 169 reforms in the 1985 Educational Reform Act. John discusses the school's phased-in start (one grade added each year for three years), the curricular offerings, the selection process for students, the quality of the staff, the transition from sleeping in the school to the creation of the residential halls, student activities, student rules, and the changes that took place during the first three years. He now serves on the IMSA Fund Board and has been its President.

Tom Kerins - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Tom Kerins began his career in education by directing the gifted program at Hawthorne School, Oak Park, Illinois. In 1971 he began working at the Office of Public Instruction (now the Illinois State Board of Education. Following the passage of the 1985 Educational Reform Act, he oversaw the development of the Illinois State Learning Goals and the Illinois State Assessment Program.

Carol Lampard - Educational Reform Act 1985

Carol Lampard worked in the Illinois House of Representatives Speaker's staff (Mike Madigan-Dem) in the 1980s, during years when educational reform was a topic of lively discussion. Carol discusses legislative activity and the interest of House Democrats during those years. She covers many of the 169 reforms that resulted from the 1985 Educational Reform Act, and how those reforms came to be included. Finally, the interview reviews how one component of the 1985 Educational Reform Act, School Reorganization, became a topic in the 1986 Governors race, and how these reforms encouraged the Mayor of Chicago to also reform the Chicago Public School System.

Senator Kimberly Lightford - Educational Reform Act 1985

In 1998 Kimberly Lightford was elected to the Illinois State Senate, becoming the youngest African-American woman ever to be elected. Since that time, she has worked extensively on educational issues, including her service as vice chair of the Education Committee. During this interview Lightford discusses the impact and legacy of the 1985 Educational Reform Act, especially on school discipline, student remediation programs, teacher certification, staff development, pre-Kindergarten education, and the Illinois Math-Science Academy.

Frank J. Llano - Educational Reform Act 1985

Frank Llano discusses his involvement with the 1985 Education Reform Act through his work while serving in Gov. Jim Thompson administration and while at the Illinois State Board of Education, both in Chicago and Springfield. His experiences at the State Board of Education included oversight of the truant/alternative education, school accountability, bilingual education, early childhood education, teacher certification and professional development. This interview also covers the legacy of the 1985 Education Reforms.

Dr. Stephanie Marshall - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Stephanie Marshall served as the CEO/President of the Illinois Math Science Academy from its inception in 1986 through her retirement in 2007. She gives a detailed discussion of the school's early days, including the legislative discussions in 1984-85, and the school's phased start, adding one grade level each year. She also discusses the development of a curriculum, the selection process for students, the hiring of the staff, the organization of the residential halls, scheduling challenges, extra student activities, and the creation of a unique learning environment.

Dr. Susie Morrison - Educational Reform Act 1985

Susie Morrison was teaching social studies when Illinois's 1985 Educational Reform Act was passed and implemented. She experienced its implementation at the local level, then became an administrator with the State Board of Education. She discusses the role of the State Board of Education in the evolution of several of the reforms, including school improvement, learning objectives, school reports cards, staff development, truant intervention, optional education programs and gifted education.

Dr. Sally Pancrazio - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Sally Pancrazio is a career educator who, as an official with the Illinois Department of Education, helped launch and implement many of the 169 initiatives that made up the 1985 Educational Reform Act. She discusses the extended debate about educational reform in the years prior to 1985, and the implementation of many of the reforms that grew out of this landmark piece of legislation.

Dr. John Perkins - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. John Perkins served as director for Educational Service Center #13 in Charleston, Illinois from 1986 to 1990, helping to implement many of the reforms that resulted from the passage of the 1985 Educational Reform Act. He discusses the origins of the landmark legislation, as well as the State Board of Education’s (ISBE) evaluations of the Truant-Alternative programs, Limited English, Gifted, and State Testing (IGAP), all parts of the 1985 Reforms.

Dr.Ted Sanders - Educational Reform Act 1985

Ted Sanders is a career educator who served as Illinois's State Superintendent during the passage and early implementation of the state's landmark Educational Reform Act of 1985. He discusses the legislative debates, the passage of the bill in June, 1985, and the initial implementation of the bill, which included 169 reforms, and additional revenues to support those reforms.

Maria Seidner - Educational Reform Act 1985

Maria Medina Seidner reviews the passage and implementation of the 1985 Education Reform Act, especially the bilingual education provisions of the legislation. Maria worked at the Illinois State Board of Education from 1980 to 1993. She was involved with developing the bilingual education provisions of the 1985 Education Reform Act, and their implementation and management in the decade following its passage.

Dr. Susan Shea - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Susan Shea, a representative of the Illinois State Board of Education and later with the Illinois Education Association, discusses her involvement on many of the reforms resulting from the 1985 Educational Reform Act. Dr. Shea covers the twenty years of implementation and modification that took place following the bill's passage, especially in the areas of teacher evaluation, teacher recertification, staff development, early childhood education, and special education. She also discusses her role in implementing the reform which included more classroom instruction of women’s history and black history.

Sandra Taenzer - Educational Reform Act 1985

Sandy has been involved with early childhood education in Illinois since 1971. She discusses the formation of early childhood education prior to Illinois's landmark 1985 Educational Reform Act, and reviews the implementation and the legacy of the Act regarding the Early Childhood programs. Sandy discusses the Prekindergarten Program for At Risk Children, the Early Childhood Model Parental Training Program, the Prevention Initiative, and the Early Childhood Block Grant, which covers the years 1985-2003.

Joe Turek - Educational Reform Act 1985

Joe Turek began his career in education as a teacher, and in 1984 he took a job with the Illinois State Board of Education, where he worked for the next twenty years. He was intimately involved with the implementation of the 1985 Educational Reform Act of 1985, with a special focus on truancy and alternative education. He discusses the impact of dropouts on society, the coordination needed for various service, and describes the Request For Proposal (RFP) program and other state initiatives.

Dr. David Turner - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. David Turner served as the high school principal at Porta High School (Petersburg, Illinois) from 1975 to 1992, and was the Executive Director of the Illinois Principals Association from 1992 to 2004. From that perspective, he discusses Illinois's landmark 1985 Educational Reform Act, focusing particular attention on how the legislation was monitored through the Management School Alliance (including school boards, school business officials, and school central office administrators), and assisting principals with legal matters and school contracts.

Kathleen Villano - Educational Reform Act 1985

Kathy Villano, Director of the Center for Teaching and Resources at Arlington Heights, Illinois, reviews the implementation and legacy of the 1985 Education Reform Act regarding early childhood programs. Kathy has been involved with early childhood education since 1986. She discusses the Prekindergarten Program for At Risk Children, the Early Childhood Model Parental Training Program, the Prevention Initiative, the Early Childhood Block Grant, and the Preschool for All programs.

Adela Weinstein - Educational Reform Act 1985

Adela Weinstein, who worked at the Illinois State Board of Education from 1974 to 2004, discusses the passage and implementation of the 1985 Education Reform Act. During that time, Adela, who moved to Illinois from Uruguay when she was sixteen, was involved with the state bilingual education program. She reviews how bilingual education has changed over a course of thirty years.

Dr. Lyndon Wharton - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Lyndon Wharton is a career educator who has spent much of his life working in the Office of Public Instruction for the Illinois Department of Education. He was intimately involved with the implementation of Illinois's Educational Reform Act of 1985, including state assessments in reading and writing, learning objectives for grades 3, 6, 8 and 10, the creation of the Illinois Administrators Academy, and many other of the 169 reforms of that landmark legislation.

Roycealee J. Wood - Educational Reform Act 1985

Roycealee Wood discusses her involvement with the 1985 Education Reform Act as a Counselor and Career Advisor in the North Chicago School Districts and later as Assistant and then Regional Superintendent of Schools for Lake County, Illinois. She reviews her involvement with the development of Learning Goals and local Assessments and also discusses the role of Reading Recovery in Lake County schools through the Reading Improvement Grant. Regional Superintendent Wood talks about the Regional Office of Education’s (ROE) role in professional development, gifted, Administrators Academy compliance visits, life safety, bus driver certification, alternative education, truant intervention, substitute certification, school reorganization, and bilingual education. She further discusses the role of the regional offices and their relationship to the State Board of Education and local districts.

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