HR1058 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1058 LRB097 21497 GRL 69588 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Representative Monique D. Davis and the Illinois House of Representatives congratulate Dr. Jo Ann Roberts on the occasion of her retirement as Intervention Officer and Education Manager for Turnaround Schools for Chicago Public School District 299 on June 30, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in speech pathology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; she subsequently earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from Northwestern University in 1977 and pursued post-doctoral work at Harvard University (1991), the University of Southern California (1992), and Motorola University (1997); and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts began her educational career as a speech and language pathologist for Chicago Public School District 299 in 1971; in 1978, she became the Director of the District 299 Speech and Language Pathology Department's Special Needs Unit; in 1988, she relocated to Rock Island/Milan School District 41, where she became the Director of Special Services and Assistant to the Superintendent; in 1990, she became the Superintendent of Schools for the Muskegon Heights Public Schools in Muskegon Heights, Michigan; in 1993, she moved back to CPS District 299 to serve as Chief Deputy Superintendent; that following year, she accepted the position of Principal at Charles Wacker Elementary School; in 1996, she was chosen to serve as Superintendent of Hazel Crest School District 152 1/2, where she served until 1998; and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts began serving as the Intervention Officer and Education Manager for Turnaround Schools for CPS District 299 in 1998; in that capacity, she worked to improve the academic and fiscal affairs of schools that showed poor performance on State and national achievement tests; under her direction, most of the schools in question were removed from probationary status within 2 years; during her tenure at District 299, she also collaborated with parents, communities, and school leaders to create school development plans, improved instructional services and academic scores within the district, created and implemented suitable budgets for academic initiatives, and provided support for the district's intervention teams and teachers on effective instructional practices; and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts is the author of numerous publications, including "Legitimacy of the Black Language" (1972), Speech and Language for the Learning Disabilities Child" (1973), "Learning to Talk" (1974), "Speech Correction for the Educable Mentally Handicapped Child" (1974), and "An Overview of the Chicago Board of Education Title I Program for Speech and Language" (1980); and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the Who's Who in the Midwest designation (1978 - present), the Who's Who in American Women designation (1980 - present), the International Who's Who in Community Services designation (1982 - present), the Black Achievement Award for Excellence in Education from the Q.C. Chapter of Blacks in Government (1990), the Who's Who in the World designation (1995 - present), and the Who's Who in Education designation (1997 - present); she was also featured in a New York Times article in 2010 and was honored by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as an Outstanding Educator in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Jo Ann Roberts serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Jo Ann Roberts on the occasion of her retirement and wish her many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jo Ann Roberts as a symbol of our esteem and respect.