Introducing ASCD's New Executive Director
ASCD is delighted to introduce our new Executive Director and CEO, Deborah S. Delisle, who assumed the leadership of the organization on July 1, 2015, following the retirement of Judy Seltz.
During her distinguished 38-year career in education, Delisle served as a teacher, gifted education specialist, curriculum director, elementary school principal, district associate superintendent, and superintendent. In January 2012, she was nominated as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education by President Obama and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Prior to her role at the Department of Education, Delisle was a senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education with a deep interest in educator performance systems and creating transformative cultures in schools and districts to support educators and students. Delisle also served as Ohio's 35th state superintendent of public instruction from 2008 to 2011.
Delisle expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to lead this organization saying, "ASCD is a strong organization with a rich history of outstanding products and services. We should be viewed as partners in transforming the landscape of education who always remember the kids we ultimately serve."
Deb, welcome to ASCD!
Want More EL?
If you enjoyed this issue of Educational Leadership, then check out our back issues. Written by educators for educators, each issue of EL offers a variety of perspectives on a single theme. Past themes include "STEM for All," "Talking and Listening in Class," "Instruction That Sticks," and "Motivation Matters."
Buy a single copy for yourself or multiple copies of a single issue for your professional learning community. Single issues cost $8.95 (for issues dated September 2013 and later) or $7 (for issues dated September 2006–May 2013). Buy 10 or more of the same issue, and you'll save 10 percent. Buy 50 or more of the same issue, and you'll save 15 percent.
Interested in Serving on ASCD's Board of Directors?
ASCD's Nominations Committee is seeking individuals to run for a position on the Board of Directors in 2016. The application process opens September 1, 2015. Visit www.ascd.org/nominations to obtain the application form and for information on the qualifications for office and the time commitment involved. (Board members serve a four-year term.) The deadline for receipt of the completed application is October 31, 2015. Contact ASCD's Governance unit at governance@ascd.org if you have any questions.
Upcoming ASCD Conferences
Find details about these upcoming conferences.
2015 ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership
October 30, 2015–November 1, 2015 in San Diego, CA
Whether your leadership imperatives are in a classroom, a school, or systemwide, this ASCD event will address your needs with immediate and practical solutions.
2016 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show
April 2–4, 2016 in Atlanta, GA
Learn. Teach. Lead. This is where you get the tools to put it all together.
Whole Child Snapshots
To be fully prepared for their futures, children need personalized support, safe environments, good health, and challenging learning opportunities. How well are we, as a nation, supporting the whole child? ASCD's 50-state whole child snapshots begin to answer that question by featuring data that provide a comprehensive picture of child performance and well-being.
Each snapshot also has initial ideas for how families, educators, and communities can make targeted and innovative improvements to support the whole child and help students become productive adults and engaged citizens. ASCD is developing the snapshots annually to feature the most recently available data and to permit year-over-year comparisons.
Visit www.ascd.org/wholechildsnapshots to see how your state compares with others in meeting the comprehensive needs of its children and to find out to what extent students in your area are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
Award Roundup!
APEX 2015 Awards for Publication Excellence
ASCD has won four awards in the 2015 APEX competition, including a prestigious Grand Award for Education Update in the category of Newsletter–Most Improved. The three remaining prizes were Awards of Excellence for the following publications:
- Magazine–Single Issue: Educational Leadership, April 2014, "<LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/apr14/vol71/num07/toc.aspx">Writing: A Core Skill</LINK>"
- Cover Design–Illustration: Educational Leadership, March 2015, "<LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar15/vol72/num06/toc.aspx">Culturally Diverse Classrooms</LINK>"
- Annual Reports–Electronic: <LINK URL="http://ar2013.ascd.org/">ASCD 2013 Annual Report</LINK>
AAP 2015 REVERE Awards
The Association of American Publishers honored Educational Leadership's April 2014 issue on "Writing: A Core Skill" with a REVERE Award in the category of Outstanding Single Issue. Here are some of the judges' comments:
"This is a perfectly written, edited, and curated group of articles and resources covering the new Common Core State Standards for writing. I found this issue to be inspirational—a unique and lasting resource on the meaning and process of writing that is also extremely timely. Excellent!"
"This issue of EL is practically flawless. The writing is clear and the articles engaging, filled with insight and practical ideas. The breadth of content about this crucial topic is dazzling. The brilliant progression of articles helps us delve deeper and deeper."
AMP 2015 EXCEL Awards
Association Media and Publishing awarded Silver EXCEL Awards to ASCD's two association newsletters, Education Update (Print) and ASCD Express (Electronic). Winning silver means that both ASCD newsletters were judged as in the top 15 percent of the 800+ publications and media products entered.
New Resources (Books)
Real Engagement: How Do I Help My Students Become Motivated, Confident, and Self-Directed Learners? (ASCD Arias, 2015) by Allison Zmuda and Robyn R. Jackson. Stock No. SF115056. Price: $9.99 (member); $12.99 (nonmember).
Allison Zmuda and Robyn R. Jackson present concrete strategies for providing the clarity, context, challenge, and culture necessary to transform dutiful, compliant students into highly motivated learners.
Freedom to Fail: How Do I Foster Risk-Taking and Innovation in My Classroom? (ASCD Arias, 2015) by Andrew K. Miller. Stock No. SF115044. Price: $9.99 (member); $12.99 (nonmember).
Learn how to intentionally create learning experiences that give students the time and space to try new ideas, fail, learn from mistakes, and try again.
How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking (ASCD, 2014) by Susan M. Brookhart. Stock No. 114014. Price: $18.95 (member); $24.95 (nonmember).
Assessment expert Susan M. Brookhart explains how teachers can design targeted questions and tasks that align with standards and assess students' higher-order thinking skills.
