By Jimmy Gunnell, IAASE President
August, 2010

On behalf of the IAASE Executive Board, I would like to encourage all Illinois special education administrators to become members of IAASE and to attend the 12th Annual Fall Conference on September 23-24, 2010. Given all that is happening in special education, and in education in general, including the ongoing State of Illinois fiscal crisis, the election of a governor, and the potential reauthorization of two landmark pieces of educational legislation, ESEA & IDEA, this will be a defining year! It will be critical for all special education administrators to stay abreast of what is happening and a way to “one stop shop” for the current special education news and events is to become a member of IAASE and to attend its annual conferences!

In cooperation with ISELA and South Cook ISC, the IAASE Fall Conference will offer an administrator academy on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, immediately preceding the conference. The topic will be “Special Education Finance - An Update”. Participants will earn either administrator academy credit or CPDU credit at the pre-conference workshop presented by Bob Fennema and guest speaker, the ever-popular ISBE Grant Coordinator, Ms. Bonnie Douglas.

This year’s fall conference will center on “Leadership and Learning for the 21st Century”. As special education administrators, we must be effective leaders prepared to lead special education teachers and staff in successful school reform. The IAASE Program Committee, led by Dr. Gineen O’Neil has worked for months on the slate of presenters who will share their expertise along with their identified leadership skills and abilities. Many of the sessions were selected to increase administrative leadership competencies and ensure successful delivery of programs and services to students with diverse abilities. As in the past, the fall conference promises to address the current issues in special education such as teacher and principal evaluations, growth models, and an array of legal topics. Other presentations will focus on mental health issues, transition programming, and technology in the classrooms.

It is anticipated that the 12th Annual Fall Conference will be attended by more than 1000 special education administrators and is an excellent opportunity to network with your colleagues as well as inspire and motivate your administrative team! Specifically, the fall program has two nationally known keynote speakers, Dr. Eric Hartwig and Dr. Thomas Hehir. Both keynote speakers are well versed in special education issues and their presentations are guaranteed to enlighten and inform! Keeping with tradition, Thursday’s events will be capped with an IAASE social hour, where conference participants can unwind in casual surroundings and perhaps engage in team building activities with your staff!

During the fall conference, IAASE will recognize an outstanding leader in special education by presenting the Larry D. Vuillemot award. Also, State Superintendent, Dr. Christopher Koch, will be presented with an IAASE honorary membership for his long term collaborative efforts and his ongoing support of IAASE.

It is evident by the overwhelmingly positive conference evaluations that IAASE continues to offer professional networking opportunities and professional development to advance the competencies of special education administrators across Illinois through our state-wide conferences.

Thank you in advance for joining us at the fall conference and I hope that you find the time taken from your busy schedules to be invaluable!

Jimmy Gunnell
jgunnell@aerosped.org