Elmhurst SD 205 principals outline leadership development, curriculum work and student‑voice efforts

The Elmhurst School District 205 Board of Education’s Committee of the Whole heard school leaders on May 7 describe coordinated work to strengthen principal leadership, implement new curricular materials and increase student voice across the district.

District Superintendent Dr. Campbell opened the meeting by placing the presentations in the district’s strategic-plan framework and said the session was intended to show how building-level work aligns with district priorities for student success and learning environment.

Jefferson Elementary Principal Laurie Sweeney said her school reorganized its student success team from a reactive problem-solving group into a monthly, data-driven review that combines social-emotional, attendance and academic measures. “So at Jefferson, we’re really fortunate to have a team of really hardworking, smart educators who are focused on giving kids what they need academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and that is no small task,” Sweeney told the board. She described using StrengthsFinder to build leadership triads, a book-study sequence (The Knowledge Gap and Switch) for shared learning, and weekly “big rocks” planning to keep priorities visible.

Bridal Middle School Principal Jackie Decipio focused on student-centered work prompted by her school’s 5 Essentials and IAR data. After a data review showed a flattening in the student‑to‑teacher trust indicator, Decipio said staff and students co‑defined what trust “looks, sounds and feels like” and created an exploratory‑teacher strategy and a student advisory committee to collect real‑time feedback. “Students reported to us that trust in a classroom feels like knowing that it’s a safe place, that a classroom feels like a family,” Decipio said, describing how student responses guided next steps for teacher goals and exploratory classes.

York Community High School Principal Dr. Hert described schoolwide efforts to boost belonging and instructional coherence. Students and staff developed a We Are Dukes campaign that culminated in a weeklong set of activities and a school assembly the district called the first “Duke Olympics.” Hert said the initiative was meant to pair schoolwide culture-building with sustained instructional improvements, noting, “When students feel connected to their school, they come to school.”

Hert also described shifts to extend the impact of instructional coaches, who now co‑plan with teachers, conduct multiple classroom observations and analyze student work with teachers to identify next steps. The high school has been reviewing late‑arrival PLC time and directing division chairs to support PLCs that use student‑work protocols rather than only planning time. Hert said district and building leaders are preparing a summer learning series for teachers and will scale leader learning into course‑level work next year.

Across presentations, principals traced these school efforts to district initiatives: an intentional shift to a “school leader paradigm” for principal coaching and evaluation, adoption and implementation supports for adopted curricular materials (Amplify ELA, Illustrative Math and, at sixth grade, Enquire Ed), and use of tools such as IMET (Instructional Materials Evaluation Toolkit) and guided observation rubrics. Superintendent Dr. Campbell and district leaders described multiple supports—lead principal roles, paired principal coaching, learning walks and subset leader learning—meant to create coherent expectations systemwide.

Board members commended the emphasis on aligning practice to measurable outcomes, student voice and cross‑building learning. Several asked how practices such as the monthly student‑success review and student advisory committees are being spread across schools and how teams monitor tiered (MTSS) supports; principals said data collection and intervention tracking are in place at the building level and that district structures exist to share evidence and scale effective practices.

What’s next: principals said they will continue to refine implementation over the summer and next school year—rolling out PLC structures, expanding student advisory work, and using summer leader learning to prepare teachers for next‑year curriculum and instructional priorities. The board adjourned at 7:20 p.m.