Education

Sophomore/Junior Postsecondary Day Reaches Over 3,600 Students!

March 10, 2026

More than 30 universities, colleges, and organizations joined Alignment and School District U-46 for the Sophomore/Junior Virtual Postsecondary Day on March 4. This large-scale Zoom event reached over 3,600 students, exposing them to a multitude of college and career pathways.

As they met with admissions counselors and visiting faculty, students gained valuable guidance for their academic and professional endeavors. Throughout the day and across 32 different Zoom sessions, students had access to key resources:

Industry-specific college panels highlighting top program offerings across the Arts, Automotive, Business, Education, Engineering, Healthcare and Manufacturing industries
Information regarding Elgin Community College’s FAFSA, Transfer, and Academic Services
Workshops sharing insights on College Athletics and Military opportunities

Whether a student is considering a four-year university, community college, technical institute, or military service, Postsecondary Day provides a unique learning opportunity where students can be encouraged and equipped in their postsecondary planning.

Thank you to the following colleges, universities, and organizations for partnering with Alignment and U-46 to offer the Sophomore/Junior Postsecondary Day:

Aurora University
Bradley University
Butler University
DePaul University
Dominican University
Elgin Community College
Elmhurst University
Grand Valley State University
Harper College
Honest Game – NCAA Academic Eligibility
Illinois State University
Indiana University
Iowa State University
Judson University
Lincoln College of Technology
Loyola University
Marquette University
Milwaukee School of Engineering

North Central College
Northern Illinois University
Purdue University
Roosevelt University
Southern Illinois University
Universal Technical Institute
University of Dayton
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
University of Notre Dame
University of Wisconsin Madison
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
U.S. Armed Forces
Valparaiso University
Western Illinois University
Xavier University

Thank you to all the volunteers from these organizations who made this event a huge success, as well as to our Alignment partners from the U-46 Postsecondary Success Team, and Northern Kane County Region 110, who facilitated 32 different sessions for students.

Alignment Prepares Students to Go To Work

March 2, 2026

Students prepare to go to work with internship and Job Fair opportunities

From Career Panels offering industry insights for future career planning, to Resume Workshops providing guidance on planning, resume building and interviewing skills, to career exploration through Summer Internships, Alignment is working hard to prepare our region’s students for future career success!

Career Panel at Bartlett High School Equips Students with Valuable Job Insights

Alignment’s Career Panel at Bartlett High School reached nearly 500 students with vital industry insights for future career planning. The program began with a comprehensive general assembly, then transitioned into breakout sessions. In smaller groups, students engaged with professionals across Automotive, Business, Culinary, Engineering, Healthcare, and IT fields through focused industry panel discussions, gaining a clearer roadmap for their professional journeys.

alignment 2026 bartlett high school panel

alignment 2026 bartlett high school career panel

Resume Workshops Provide Students with Interviewing Skills in Preparation for Summer Employment and Internship Opportunities

Over 1,900 students throughout all four school districts benefited from resume and interview skill workshops. Providing resume guidance and conducting mock interview sessions, both in person and online, students applied dynamic career skills in preparation for summer employment and internship opportunities.

Central High School’s first Student Resource Day provided students with with specific programming dedicated to each grade level. Students received assistance in behavioral interviewing, career and technical education (CTE) course selection, the fastest growing careers, personal finance, postsecondary opportunities, etc.

alignment feb 2026 central high school behavioral interviewing session

alignment feb 2026 central high school resume session

Summer Internship Applications Open

The Summer Internship Application Acceptance opened on Monday, March 2 for students enrolled in School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and 303.

The summer internship program is a work-based learning opportunity that allows students to explore a career through placement with a local employer. Students applying for the internships are primarily juniors entering their senior year of high school. Priority will be given to students who have taken a sequence of advanced career and technical education courses, or those students enrolled in academies. All internships are competitive, and placement is not guaranteed.

Students will apply through their school district. The Alignment Collaborative for Education and the Northern Kane County Region 110 will match students to placement based on the student’s experience, academic performance, and career interests. Hosting organizations will make the final decision on student placement through a resume review and interview process.

Student applications are due by Monday, March 16, 2026.

Teachers Visit Flender’s Expanding Operations in Elgin

February 28, 2026

Teachers across the region had the opportunity to visit with Flender as part of Kane County Institute Day on Friday, February 27, learning first-hand, what it takes to build and repair high precision gear boxes necessary to power wind turbine systems.

Automotive and electronics teachers from Dundee Crown and Hampshire high schools quickly made the connection of what they teach daily to students applied on a much larger scale. Flender continues to make a powerful contribution to the Elgin community breaking ground in mid 2025 on a new facility adjacent to the service center which will include expanded warehouse operations and parts storage along with in-house gear regrinding.

teachers learn of flenders new capabilities

ECC Education Day Focuses on Preparing Future Teachers

February 10, 2026

ECC Education Day on February 10 attracted future teachers from School Districts 300 and U-46. More than 140 students interested in the education career pathway were joined by Elgin Community College along with Aurora University and Northern Illinois University education professionals to learn about transfer opportunities for students interested in the teaching profession. Students toured facilities, learned about 2+2 programs with Aurora and NIU, visited with educational professionals in leadership roles across the region’s school districts, and learned about upcoming paid internship opportunities dedicated to building the region’s teacher pipeline.

U-46’s Dr. Suzanne Johnson Named a ‘Superintendent to Watch’ by National Group

January 12, 2026

U-46 superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson named to NSPRA's "30 to Watch"

Program honors superintendents with strong communication and relationship-building skills

School District U-46 Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson was named to the National School Public Relations Association’s (NSPRA’s) list of “Superintendents to Watch.” Each year, NSPRA recognizes superintendents with fewer than five years of experience who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core. The selection process was highly competitive, with a deep field of outstanding nominees, from which only 30 superintendents nationwide were selected.

“These leaders understand that communication is not just about sharing information. It is about building relationships,” said NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter, APR. “Through meaningful engagement with families, staff, and community members, they are advancing their districts with clarity and purpose.”

One of the major accomplishments for which Dr. Johnson was recognized was leading the district’s “Unite U-46” effort — a community engagement initiative that successfully secured a $180 million bond approval in spring 2023, approved by a majority of voters in all three U-46 counties. The community support is now powering the completion of several district-defining, decades-in-the-making projects that will result in a major shift of the current educational landscape.

Dr. Johnson’s nomination for the NPSRA honor included letters of support from community leaders who recognized her for the relationships she has built across the school district.

Nancy Coleman, executive director of the Alignment Collaborative for Education, cited Dr. Johnson as a champion of efforts to provide work-based opportunities and paid internships for high schoolers and to create a path through which future teachers can complete their education degrees and certifications without having to leave the community.

“Dr. Johnson is defining a culture that embraces collaboration for the benefit of students, families, and the overall economic prosperity of the region,” Coleman said. ”Her unwavering commitment to supporting youth is always present as she works beside teachers and business community leaders to ensure students can graduate academic and career ready, prepared for successful futures.”

Carol Gieske, CEO of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, praised Dr. Johnson’s visible leadership, responsiveness, and forward-thinking communication strategies that have made her a trusted and respected voice in Elgin and beyond. “She exemplifies the kind of superintendent who not only leads with integrity but also builds lasting bridges between schools and the broader community,” Gieske explained.

“Dr. Johnson exemplifies what it means to be a transparent, engaging, and visionary communicator — one who not only ‘talks the talk,’ but consistently ‘walks the walk,’” said Amber Peters, the executive director of Enriching Partnerships for Early Learning, noting how Dr. Johnson has used her strong communications and relationship-building skills to increase awareness and support for the importance of early childhood education. “As both a leader and a parent, Dr. Johnson understands the power of communication to build trust, foster connection, and inspire collective action,” Peters said.

Karla Jiménez, Elgin Community College’s chief community & government relations officer, highlighted Dr. Johnson’s belief that “strong communication is at the heart of effective leadership,” in particular mentioning the award-winning “Johnson on the Job” video series in which the superintendent visits U-46 employees to experience the work they do first-hand, and shares their stories with the public. “Dr. Johnson leads with authenticity, care, and courage,” Jiménez said. “She’s a thoughtful communicator, a collaborator by nature, and a superintendent who never loses sight of the students and families she serves.”

Dr. Johnson has deep roots in U-46. She attended U-46 schools from kindergarten through high school, graduating from Elgin High School. Her parents were both U-46 educators, and after college, she returned to the district as a language arts educator, coach, high school principal, and district administrator. She was named interim superintendent in February 2023, and officially became superintendent of the state’s second-largest school district for the 2023-24 school year.

This year’s “Superintendents to Watch” will be formally recognized at the NSPRA 2026 National Seminar in New Orleans in July.

U-46 Press Release
Tara Burghart
January 12, 2026

Northern Kane County Region 110 and Alignment Host Landmark Career Pathways Advisory Meeting

November 17, 2025

2025 Advisory Team meeting - room overview

Over 60 leaders from business and industry across the Fox Valley region volunteered their time and industry expertise to form a Career Pathways Curriculum Review and Advisory Council Model to support School Districts U-46, 300, 301, 303 and Elgin Community College. This unprecedented gathering provided actionable insights into the essential skills and knowledge that should be part of the region’s high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) curricula for the 11 high schools in the region.

Representatives from diverse fields—including Business, Finance, IT, Computer Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Healthcare, First Responder Services, Law and Public Service, Programming, Communications, Marketing, Graphic Design, and Education—participated in focused discussions to ensure students are prepared for the evolving workforce.

Key Themes and Foundational Skills Needed in Today’s Workforce

Breakout sessions by industry sector revealed several common foundational themes of identified opportunities in today’s entry level workforce that need to be addressed as early as high school to better prepare students for the future workforce. Examples of skills identified across multiple industry clusters included:

Professional Skills: Initiative, reliability, and accountability
Communication: Strong oral, written, and digital communication skills
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Independent and collaborative approaches
Academic Foundations:
- Mathematics: Algebraic reasoning, spreadsheets, budgets, and statistical data
- English Language Arts: Oral and written communication, digital literacy, and presentation development
- Science: Pathway-specific courses such as anatomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and health-related sciences
- AI competency in various applications

A Milestone Event

This was the largest advisory board meeting of its kind, featuring curriculum and work-based learning leaders Dr. Todd Stirn (Northern Kane County Region 110), Joseph Sieczkowski and Jonathan Anderson (District 300), Stephen Buchs (District 301), Dr. Monica Boehle (District 303), and Myka Kennedy (District U-46) as well as numerous educational leaders from Elgin Community College including Dr. Sandra Gonzalez, Dr. Parul Raval, and Dr. Farah Bennani among others. The meeting was facilitated by Regional Director Terry Stroh (Northern Kane County Vocational Region 110) and Executive Director Nancy Coleman (Alignment Collaborative for Education).

“This morning, Northern Kane County Region 110, with the support of our business and community partners, held regional advisory committee meetings simultaneously across more than a dozen industry clusters for all four school districts,” noted Director Stroh. “When we began planning, I hoped for 20–25 business partners to attend. The room was packed with over 60, highlighting the commitment of our partners and the collaboration across districts and industry.”

Thank You to Our Business Community and Postsecondary Partners for a “Win-Win”

“This event highlights the power of collaboration among our school districts, business partners, and education organizations,” said Nancy Coleman, Executive Director of the Alignment Collaborative for Education. “It was Alignment’s honor to bring together such a depth of knowledge and experience to support the region’s school districts. We are strengthening our region’s 11 high schools to deliver academic and career education that is a precursor to preparing students for the future workforce. The investment today will pay for itself as we ensure within a decade a workforce that meets and hopefully exceeds the region’s need for continued economic growth and community prosperity.”