District 41 principals present school improvement plans; administration highlights staff engagement and 5Essentials/ Humanex metrics

Glen Ellyn School District 41 building leaders presented school improvement plans to the board on Oct. 20, detailing academic, social‑emotional and communication goals aligned with the district strategic plan’s four goals.

Principals and building leadership teams described measurable, data‑driven goals. "Our purpose…is to help our young learners grow from preschool age kids to students that are prepared for first grade," said Sarah Rodriguez, principal at the new kindergarten center, describing a MAP growth target of 58% of kindergarten students meeting individualized growth goals in math and a 65% target in early reading growth.

Lincoln Elementary emphasized math growth, tiered supports and family communication; Principal Britney Smith said the school will "prioritize tiered supports, implementing upward and downward differentiation, and maintaining strong communication with families." Ben Franklin, Churchill and Forest Glen outlined similar blended academic and social‑emotional targets and described action steps such as scheduled coaching cycles, MTSS interventions and small‑group instruction.

At Hadley Junior High, the building leadership team said it is in year two of an initiative to make classroom learning more relevant to students’ lives. "Our goal is that by June 2026 Hadley students will report a stronger connection between classroom learning and real life experiences," said Gia Kunkel, co‑chair of the Hadley BLT.

District measurement work: administrators reviewed district culture metrics collected by two instruments. Humanex (staff survey) achieved a 91% participation rate this year, and the district’s combined staff engagement/satisfaction score placed many measures in the organization’s upper‑right target zone. "The nice thing is is from our from our buildings, they're talking about 5 e at their buildings," said Dr. Bruno, who summarized both Humanex and 5Essentials results and urged more parent participation in the 5Essentials window.

The board asked about midyear progress checks; administrators said building leadership teams meet at least monthly to review data and that principals report progress through regular meetings with central office. Dr. McHugh added that some state assessment data will arrive after the school year and that the district will refine how it reports metrics to the board.

Why it matters: the presentations link local building goals to districtwide strategic metrics and set targets and action steps for instruction, intervention and school climate. Administrators repeatedly emphasized small‑group instruction, targeted interventions (tier 2 and tier 3) and the need to increase parent survey participation to produce reliable, actionable 5Essentials data.

Next steps: principals will continue monthly BLT meetings to monitor interventions and progress; central administration will return to the board with metric updates as assessment windows close. Board and administration also discussed making the 5Essentials survey more accessible to parents (mailing, in‑person opportunities during conferences) to raise participation.