D41 Board Approves Think Tank Recommendations

District 41 board of education approves recommendations to change structure of elementary classrooms starting in 2013-14 school year.

The Glen Ellyn School District 41 board of education on Monday unanimously approved its Think Tank plans that will change classroom structures and implement teacher specialization in elementary schools to work toward the common core standards. Board members said Monday they look forward to seeing consistency across schools with the changes. District 41 board member Sam Black said while he still has some concerns about specialization in the second- and third-grade classrooms, teacher survey results showed the changes would be right for students. He said he also remains concerned about the three-year implementation plan, but trusts staff and administrators have students' best interests in mind. Parents have voiced concern for the plan since …

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D41 Board Hears Think Tank Recommendation; Forum Planned Prior to March 11 Vote

A public forum on District 41's Think Tank initiative will be held March 9, prior to the board voting on the measure.

D41 Board Hears Think Tank Recommendation; Forum Planned Prior to March 11 Vote

A public forum on District 41's Think Tank initiative will be held March 9, prior to the board voting on the measure.

Parents, some forced to stand, filled the library at Hadley Junior High Monday night as the Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education received the final Think Tank initiative recommendation from district officials. The recommendation was made during the board’s business meeting Monday and the presentation, question and answer period, along with public comment lasted roughly three hours. The presentation included a high-level overview of the plans for implementation as well as feedback from the elementary school principals, who explained how the program would be implemented in the schools. Karen Carlson, assistant superintendent for teaching, learning & accountability made the presentation to the board. The presentation included the …

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D41 Receiving Think Tank Recommendation Monday Night

The board will hear the final recommendation on the Think Tank initiative Monday night. A public forum is planned for March 9, prior to the board voting on the measure.

After months of presentations, meetings and discussion surrounding the District 41 Think Tank proposal, the district’s board of education will hear the administration’s recommendation for the 21st Century Learning plan during its board meeting Monday night. The district is recommending that the Think Tank proposal be implemented and piloted in schools across the district to varying degrees depending on readiness. Meanwhile some parents in the district remain concerned about the pace at which the district plans to implement the changes.  Think Tank Goals The district’s Think Tank group convened in the fall of 2011 with the goal of researching ways the district might better address 21stCentury Learning and Science, Technology, Engineering …

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Parents Ask District 41 and School Board to Slow Think Tank Process

The Glen Ellyn District 41 Board of Education will hear the Think Tank initiative proposal at its Feb. 25 business meeting. Watch the video about divergent thinking related to the Think Tank that was presented at Monday's board meeting.

The Glen Ellyn District 41 Board of Education will be presented Feb. 25 with the findings and proposal from the Think Tank, a group charged with creating a plan for the district to implement 21st Century education, including science, technology, engineering, arts and math.  What the board chooses to do with the Think Tank proposals will be up to it to decide at that time. According to District Superintendent Ann Riebock, it could choose to approve it on the spot, discuss it or take action at later date. Many parents in the district still hold out hope that the district and board will push back taking any action until a later date. While the Think Tank was not on the board’s agenda Monday night, parents attended the meeting to share …

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Letter to the Editor

Why 41? Responds to District 41 Superintendent Ann Riebock

Glen Ellyn Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be submitted to Local Editor Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com.

The following is a letter in response to Dr. Ann Riebock’s, Glen Ellyn School District 41 superintendent, opinion letter in the January 10th, 2013, Glen Ellyn News.   As parents of Glen Ellyn District 41 students and active members of the community, we agree with many of the sentiments expressed by Dr. Riebock in her January 10th letter and would like to express our gratitude toward the members of the District 41 Think Tank for their hard work to ensure that our schools continue to evolve appropriately.  However, the tone of Dr. Riebock’s letter suggests that we are a community resistant to change and what is needed is an effort focused on “translating these ideas into a change effort that stakeholders understand and support.”  To be clear…

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District 41 Sets January Think Tank Meetings

The school district has scheduled an afternoon and evening meeting for parents to learn more about the proposed Think Tank initiative.

School is back in session and that means the discussion over the District 41 Think Tank resumes. In January, the district has scheduled two more informational sessions for parents to learn more about the Think Tank and offer feedback. District 41 is planning to hold the sessions on Jan. 16 and Jan. 23. The meetings will be held at the Glen Ellyn Public Library. While a number of parents and educators in the district are in favor of the district making changes in the 2013-14 school year, a large number of parents have raised concern that the district is moving too quickly to implement changes in the next school year. The Think Tank was convened about 18 months ago and is comprised mostly of teachers and some parents. The goal of the group …

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District 41 Board Begins Think Tank Discussion, Seeks Clarifications

The Glen Ellyn District 41 Board of Education began to discuss the Think Tank initiative and has asked for some clarifications.

For the first time, the Glen Ellyn District 41 Board of Education discussed the Think Tank initiative, which as proposed, would bring classroom changes to students in second- through fifth-grade in the 2013-14 school year. The initiative was discussed at a board meeting held earlier this week. Plans to implement the District 41 Think Tank initiative have come under fire from a large number of parents concerned that the district is moving too rapidly and not taking into account training time needed for teachers. Parents also have raised concerns about how students might be grouped for math and literacy. A number of parents and teachers have spoken in favor of the initiative, but the parents who have raised concerns have been the most vocal…

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