Midwest Instructional Leadership Council: A Brief History
So, how did this whole thing get started? How does an idea for planning and delivering a practitioner-based conference lead to the development of a fledgling organization dedicated to building and sustaining capacity for improving results for ALL children? From time to time it pays to reflect upon these things as it shows us where we have been; honors the hard work and dedication of all those, including those of you that have attended or will attend the Midwest Leadership Summit, that have helped us along the way; and it generates opportunity for dreaming and envisioning a better future for all children, ALL children.
A Rainy Night In Georgia
Many of you have heard about the rainy night in Georgia where the idea of developing and delivering a practitioner-based conference on response to intervention (RtI) was born. The fact of the matter is that it was a rainy night in Georgia and the story goes something like this.
It was November 2006 and several of us were attending another professional development conference for our national organization. The conference was meaningful and fruitful and was well-planned with strong content. However, it seemed that something was missing and that something was answered by the question, "So, we have heard the theory, but how does all this work in practice back in my local school or district?" This question kept rattling around the mind of one of our now miLc committee members. This must have been an important thought because it would not go away. Finally, the thought needed to be shared so it was decided to share the idea with some colleagues in a relaxed social setting.
This small contingent of folks from Minnesota (Nan Records and Gaynard Brown) and Wisconsin (Ed O'Connor) thought it would be beneficial to meet once we were back in the Midwest to see if we could put some legs under the idea. There may have been others there that night as we mapped out the ideas on a napkin, but memory fades over time. This rainy night in Georgia transformed itself to a meeting in Minnesota in January 2007. It was not rainy nor was it warm that fateful Saturday in January 2007.
St. Paul, Minnesota - January 2007
We knew that if we were going to take the idea of developing and delivering a practitioner-based conference on the application of RtI at the school and district levels that we needed to discuss the idea more formally. We met on a very cold Saturday in January 2007 in St. Paul. Even though it was very cold that day, the energy in the condo on Dayton Street made the temperature seem irrelevant.
Present at the meeting were Elisabeth Rogers, Nan Records, Mia Urick, Gaynard Brown, Chris McHugh, and a representative from Wisconsin. The group was energized and came together very quickly as a well-functioning group. We discussed the idea of a practitioner-based conference and committed to developing and delivering a professional development conference in September 2007 in Rochester, Minnesota. The Midwest Leadership Summit was born!
At that time we were only focused on a conference. That seems like a lifetime ago!
The decision to move forward was quite momentous as we had no resources nor were there existing structures in place to assist us with our task of developing and providing a practitioner-based conference on RtI. We had a collective commitment to change the educational world.
We knew we needed others to help us with this task so we brought other professionals to the table to assist us in planning. The original members of the planning committee consisted of the following people: Nan Records, Minnesota; Mia Urick, Minnesota; Elisabeth Rogers, Minnesota; Chris McHugh, Minnesota; Gaynard Brown, Minnesota; Susan Risius, Minnesota; Bev McCoun, Wisconsin; Elizabeth Freeman, Wisconsin; and Ed O'Connor, Wisconsin.
Many of these dedicated world changers are still with us; however, Susan Risius and Elizabeth Freeman left the committee after providing dedicated service. Others have joined us and include Brad Niebling, Iowa; Sarah Brown, Iowa; and Lori Ott, Wisconsin.
Midwest Leadership Summits I, II, and III
The inaugural Midwest Leadership Summit occurred in September 2007 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota. remembering back to that day it was a truly exhilarating and awesome experience to see 750 educational professionals gathering together to change the educational world and improve the lives of children. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect a response like this. We began to ask ourselves if this was evidence that there is a gap between the world of research and the world of practice.
This event was so well-received that a second Midwest Leadership Summit was planned and held in Rochester, Minnesota at the Mayo Civic Center in September 2008. Again, the response exceeded our expectations. There were more than 850 professionals in attendance and we even had a waiting list! It was clear to us that there is a need out in the educational world that is not being met and we began to ponder doing more.
The recently concluded Midwest Leadership Summit III September 28-29, 2009 was another successful venture. Over 980 professionals attended this Summit with a waiting list of more than 160.
Change is in the Wind
With the success of the first two Midwest Leadership Summits we began to ask ourselves if there was more that we could do. The answer that came to us was yes we can and should do more. With growth comes change and, at times, there are speed bumps along the way. Our committee has not been without its challenges and we have hit those unexpected speed bumps from time to time.
The challenges we have faced and continue to face are nothing more than opportunities for growth. There has been some pain, but there has been even greater joy! For each dashed opportunity an even brighter opportunity has come along.
It has also provided members of our committee to contribute in very unique ways. As an example, one of our committee members had a meeting in February or March 2009 in Brainerd, Minnesota that really rescued us from some despair. We suffered an unexpected loss and this committee member was able to throw us a lifeline. We are deeply appreciative of Gaynard Brown's behind the scenes, below the radar efforts. That meeting was another watershed moment for us and is affectionately known among us as the "Blizzard in Brainerd" as a tremendous snow storm covered the area during that meeting.
The focus on improving outcomes for children has sustained is in good times and those challenging times that always occur. That same focus has provided hope and vision for the future.
December 2008 - Moving the Vision Forward
The committee had been discussing for quite some time the notion of expanding our efforts beyond a once per year professional development conference. It was not that we viewed the Midwest Leadership Summits as lacking, but more that we see them as springboards to other opportunities to build and sustain capacity to improve educational outcomes for ALL students.
In December 2008, the committee dedicated its monthly meeting to visioning the future. We were led through the visioning process by an exceptional facilitator. Through this facilitated process the committee generated areas where work needs to be done in order to improve educational outcomes for all students. The committee identified these areas as professional development, partnerships, advocacy, and governance.
This meeting and the visioning process changed us from a group of volunteers without a real identity to the formation of the Midwest Instructional Leadership Council or miLc.
To guide our current and future efforts, we also developed vision and mission statements that day. The vision of the Midwest Instructional Leadership Council is:
The Midwest Instructional Leadership Council is committed to improving the education of ALL children by promoting data-based practices in a unified system using evidence-based resources through a collaborative network.
The mission of the Midwest Instructional Leadership Council is:
The mission Midwest Instructional Leadership Council is to build and sustain capacity for improving the achievement of ALL children.
This is all pretty heady stuff, eh? Well it just put into words what we all brought and continue to bring to the table - the desire to improve outcomes for children.
What's Next?
Well, the truth of the matter is that we are still in the process of determining the answer to that question; however, we do have some things in mind.
We do believe that in order for us to move forward, we need to do more than just plan and deliver a once per year professional development conference. We believe that this website is crucial for us to disseminate information and to create a community of practice around the constructs of what it takes to improve educational outcomes for ALL children. We do believe that there is more work to be done.
John F. Kennedy boldly challenged the country in 1962 to place a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Although President Kennedy did not live to see the manifestation of his bold vision and challenge, it was accomplished on July 20, 1969.
Likewise, the Midwest Instructional Leadership Council possesses a similar vision for the future. We need your support and commitment to children to assist us in striving toward attainment of that vision. Will you join us on our journey?