Retiring at the end of the year? Let us know!

IAASE is seeking information regarding members who will be retiring during or at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

Please Respond by January 30, 2020 

IAASE wants to honor all 2020 retirees at the IAASE Winter Conference on February 27, 2020 in Springfield.

If you are an IAASE member (or a former member) and are retiring this year OR you know an IAASE member who is retiring PLEASE submit the retiree's name, district/cooperative, job title, and a digital picture of the retiree to Norma Gerrish at ngerrish@iaase.org by January 30, 2020.

Your help is greatly appreciated as we don't want to leave anyone out!

Register Now - CEC in Portland, Oregon

We do hope you are making plans to attend CEC in Portland, Feb 5-8, 2020--and encourage your members to attend CEC. This is a great chance for you to send some of your teachers to an international conference. It could make the difference in them staying in the field! CEC has great resources on Teacher and Administrator attendance tool kits. Check them out and pass this information on to your members!

Registration for CASE Night will be going on sale soon. We have a tentative CASE Events list and the CASE Night Flyer for you to look at and share. I will let you know through my weekly update when the CASE Night tickets are on sale.

Keynote Follow Up - Randy Grieser

A great additional resource to participants would be our free Workplace Cultural Health Assessment Tool that can be found here. This is an amazing resource, and those who fill it out will receive a detailed report on their organization’s culture.

You can also subscribe to Randy's personal newsletter to receive my blogs, videos, and free resources. They can do that here.

WELL Summit 2020 - Coming Soon!

IAASE is pleased to serve as a co-sponsor of the 2020 WELL Summit (Women in Education Leading and Learning).  WELL - An event to empower, connect, inspire, support, celebrate and develop women in educational leadership - will be held on March 11, 2020 and March 12, 2020 in Bloomington, IL.  Our colleagues at the Illinois Principal's Association have populated this great website with all of the latest and greatest information.

You can learn more about the summit by downloading this flyer.

A Few Great Conference Opportunities

There is certainly not a shortage of great professional development coming up in the 2019 - 2020 school year!

CASE/NASDSE Joint Conference

October 27-29, 2019 - Louisville, KY

Join your special education administrative colleagues from the state and national level for the annual CASE conference in Louisville, KY.  We will partner with our National Director Colleagues (NASDSE) for a fantastic event.

Keynote Speakers include Marilyn Friend and Johnny Collett.

Hotel blocks and registration are filling quickly!  Register now at this site (link opens in a new window). 

CEC Annual Convention 

February 5-9, 2020 - Portland, OR  

The CEC Convention is the largest meeting of special education professionals in the world!  You will not want to miss this great event in Portland, OR!  Register by September 30, 2019 to receive a discount on registration! 

Keynote speakers include Sady Paulson and Randy Sprick!

Get registered now at this link.

Proudly Announcing - Randy Grieser - Our Second Keynote Speaker!

Our Fall Conference is scheduled for October 16 - 18, 2019 in Tinley Park, IL and you certainly won't want to miss it!  We will have tons of great updates and new information from the field and inspiring keynotes from great people!  One of those great people is Randy Grieser!

About Randy Grieser 

Randy Grieser is the founder and CEO of ACHIEVE Centre for Leadership & Workplace Performance and the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI). He is the author of The Ordinary Leader, and co-author of The Culture Question. Randy is a visionary leader who, together with a team of employees and trainers, has positioned these organizations to be two of the premier providers of professional development training in the industry.

Randy Grieser - Fall Conference Keynote

Randy gives presentations on culture, leadership and management principles to a wide range of audiences in business, education, health, and government settings. He is passionate about sharing the importance of creating healthy workplace cultures, and believes leadership requires us to always be intentional about what we do and how we do it. Randy is a dynamic presenter who delivers insightful presentations that are engaging, humorous and informative.

You can get registered for the Fall Conference now by clicking here.

Announcing Fall Conference Keynote - Monica Genta

Our Fall Conference is sure to be action packed with over 60 hours of presentations, administrator academies, board and committee meetings, and, of course, keynote speakers!  We are pleased to announce that Monica Genta will be joining the IAASE crew on Thursday, October 17, 2019 as our keynote speaker on day one!

About Monica Genta

Monica is the author of two books, Game Changers and 180 Days of Awesome, a middle school science teacher, and nationwide educational consultant and motivational speaker. Monica’s TED talk has been viewed by thousands of educators from all over the world. She has earned a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction and a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration and is a National Board Certified teacher.

Her goal is to transform teachers, leaders, and schools from seeing education as an ordinary job into an extraordinary adventure. Genta feels that every person who walks into a school deserves to love their experience! She is a believer in finding awesome and celebrating life every day! Genta is full of energy, full of passion, and full of love for helping others on their journey in life and learning.

In her free time, she enjoys long road trips, accomplishing new challenges, eating unique pizzas, and impromptu dance parties. She is pumped to share her life and experiences with you and is confident you will laugh along the way. Monica lives in Illinois and is surrounded by loving friends and family.

Registration is now available on our website - click here to get started!

Call for Programs - IAASE Fall Conference

The IAASE Program Committee is pleased to announce the opening of its Call for Programs for the Fall Conference.  The conference will take place from Wednesday, October 16, 2019 through Friday, October 18, 2019 in Tinley Park, IL at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

The Call for Programs is open until June 30, 2019 and you can access the link by clicking here.

Share Your Knowledge - Lots of Upcoming Opportunities

We know that our IAASE Members are talented presenters and professionals.  Several upcoming conferences have calls for programs currently available including the following:

CASE/NASDSE Joint Conference – October 27-29, 2019 The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) are excited to be hosting our 2nd joint conference that reflects the desired collaboration between local and state special education directors and their stakeholders. Click here to find the call for programs and more information about this conference. 

Illinois Statewide Transition Conference - OctoberThe Illinois Statewide Transition Conference invites submissions of proposals to present at the 2019 Illinois Statewide Transition Conference, Stepping Stones of Transition to be held October 17-18, 2019 in Collinsville, Illinois. Each of you brings hope, education, and inspires change in people to find the courage to help those you work with fulfill their potential. Join a myriad of others interested in doing this and also gain new skills at innovative workshops. Submit a proposal to present and also network with colleagues, experts in other fields and families at this year’s Illinois Statewide Transition conference.  Click here to get started. 

Council for Exceptional Children - February, 2020The International Council for Exceptional Children will host its Annual Convention in Portland, Oregon in February, 2020.  Interested in submitting a workshop? Please use this link that will take you to the 2020 CEC Workshop Call for Proposals. Workshops provide practical, evidence-based information and are full- or half-day workshops.

IAASE Members Encouraged To Register for CASE/CEC Special Education Legislative Summit

Be an advocate | Registration Options | Hotel & Travel

2019 Special Education Legislative Summit The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) invite you to the 2019 Special Education Legislative Summit, the premier advocacy event of the year for special educators and early interventionists. During this event, advocates from across the country gather to educate our nation’s policymakers about: Protecting and increasing IDEA funding for its intended purpose. Ensuring no policy restricts public education’s ability to deliver a free appropriate public education and early intervention services. Safeguarding the rights of children and youth with exceptionalities. You know what children and youth with exceptionalities and professionals need, so raise your voice and advocate with us during the 2019 Special Education Legislative Summit this July! Hurry to register at Early Bird rates! Be an advocate!

Council for Exceptional Children 2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22202

Winter Conference Recap

Submitted by Jami Hodge - IAASE President-Elect

The Twentieth Winter Conference last week was a huge success! The attendance continues to grow, topics are always plentiful and we had more exhibitors than ever before in Springfield. For those of you who missed it…..here’s a recap! We started out Wednesday with a packed house Board meeting including three members of ISBE Executive Staff. Upon the conclusion of the Board meeting, IAASE members stormed the State Capital discussing legislative priorities and the needs of special education across the state. Many of our legislative friends joined us that evening at a Legislative Reception at TJM Consulting. 

Executive Director of Special Education at ISBE, Heather Calomese, addressed the crowd on Day 1 offering support and guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education followed by the introduction of IAASE Officer Candidates by Dr. Frost. Ben Glenn AKA - The Chalk Guy - wowed the crowd with his heartfelt story about growing up with ADHD and his exquisite artwork on a Target bed sheet stretched around a frame built by the one and only - Harlan Gerrish. 

There were so many amazing presenters and session topics that it was difficult to select where to spend your time. Many of the friends of IAASE and sponsors took professional development to an all new level; sharing ideas, providing practical guides, offering support and guidance on the ever changing world of special education. We celebrated upcoming retirements during lunch and set aside time in the afternoon for all IAASE Regions to collaborate and discuss new ideas. A special thank you to Shannon Miller Bellini for organizing a dynamic legislative panel featuring several legislators from across the state. Thursday evening is always packed with fun- the social hour, raffle basket winners and who can forget the “Gus Bus?”

On Friday morning, Dr. Rubenstein welcomed us by providing an update on the continued focus and work of IAASE and all of its members followed by the introduction of Region Awards. The 2019 ISBE Teacher of the Year, Susan Converse, was recognized for her dedication to students with disabilities at Edwardsville High School. Our closing Keynote Speaker, Andre Norman delivered a powerful presentation on recognizing trauma, overcoming adversity, and the power of having a dream. 

The 2019 Winter Conference Legal Panel closed out the event on Friday, discussing hot topics in special education, a year end review of case law, and answering questions from the crowd. Thank you to the many people that work behind scenes to organize and plan and the volunteers that ensure such a successful and incredible event each year. We look forward to another 20 years!

Volunteers Needed at Winter Conference

We are once again in need of some IAASE members to help with the Winter Conference registration in Springfield. Most of the help will be needed on Thursday morning, February 21st when we will need 12 people to assist with pre-registration as well as sign, room, and AV checks from 7:15 to 8:30 am.

(If you assist with the registration table on Thursday you may need to miss part of the general session announcements. However, we will arrange for you to receive a placeform to save your seat in the ballroom and everyone should be finished in time for the keynote.)

We are also looking for several volunteers to assist with the registration process for the pre-conference workshop on Wednesday morning, February 20, from 7:30-8:30. If you are registered for the workshop and would be willing to assist with helping others sign-in and pick up their materials it would be very helpful. We will make sure to release you in time for you to attend the workshop.

Finally, we are looking for 6 volunteers on Wednesday afternoon, February 20, to help with early conference registration for those members who have attended the academy or IAASE board meeting. Help is needed from approximately 2:00 -4:00.

Please click below if you can assist at any of these times. Thank you!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHCRPK7

2019 CASE Winter Hybrid Conference

I hope you have already signed up for the 2019 Hybrid Conference. It is going to be amazing!  It will be held on March 7-8. Here are the HINTS for virtual sites. We would love for every one of our 43 affiliates to make sure there are at least 3 virtual sites in every state and province. Except for the very first 3 hours, this conference will very much be applicable to our members to the North-Canada!  We know school safety, trauma sensitive schools knows no boundaries!  Please promote this conference...it is definitely more than a special education professional development. It is appropriate for principals, assistant principals, school psychologists, counselors, teachers, parents, community, just about anyone concerned for the education of our students!  And if you would love to join us in Albuquerque, NM, we would love to have you! For more details on the sessions, look at this document! 

CASE Activities at CEC

We hope you are planning on attending the CEC Convention in Indianapolis, January 29-February 2. Here is a preliminary CASE Events document to help you with planning your schedule. If you are attending, be sure you  arrive in time to attend our Member breakfast, sponsored by eLuma ...I don't have the room yet but it will be in the JW Marriott. The member meeting following the breakfast will be full of information and the opportunity to provide input. We will be giving our Unit Awards, sponsored by Master Teacher in the afternoon.  Please encourage all your members who will be attending CEC to join us for the member meeting-it is open to ALL CASE members! Houghton, Mifflin, and Harcourt will be sponsoring Julie Weatherly's 90 Tips in 120 minutes on Thursday.  We are so excited about CASE Night this year! It will once again be sponsored by StarAutism and it will be at the Hall  of Champions--which is in walking distance of the convention! So, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, be sure and do that today!

Registration Now Available for the Women in Education Leading and Learning (WELL) Conference

An event to empower, connect, inspire, support, celebrate and develop women in educational

leadership.

This inaugural event will begin with an evening reception on March 13, allowing registrants a chance to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake during a fun event that will guide participants to discover their inspirational WORDs.

Julie Stapp, National Director of Leadership Development with the Flippen Group will keynote the full-day of leading and learning on March 14. Group activities, a luncheon panel of female legislators, Tammy Talks (the WELL’s version of Ted Talks) and a concluding IGNITE session featuring a sensational group of successful educators will ensure a memorable event.

Participants will also receive a copy of Real Women, Real Leaders by Kathy Hurley and Priscilla Shumway and be invited to continue networking following the WELL through a virtual learning community.

WHEN

Wednesday March 13 (5 – 8PM) & Thursday, March 14, 2019 (8AM – 4PM)

COST

$195 (limited to 300 participants)

WHERE

Crowne Plaza Springfield | 3000 S Dirksen Pkwy | Springfield, IL 62703

Staying overnight at the Crowne Plaza? Register at: http://bit.ly/2P5dU5A to receive a discounted rate.

REGISTER HERE