David R. Schuler, a Clintonville High School graduate, was recently installed as the president of a national organization championing public education.
Schuler will lead AASA, The School Superintendents Association, for the 2015-16 school year. His installation ceremony was held in conjunction with the group’s legislative advocacy conference July 8 in Washington, D.C. The organization includes more than 13,000 educational leaders in the U.S and Canada.
“AASA is our nation’s premier thought leader in public education and I am honored to serve as its president, especially as the organization continues to celebrate its 150th anniversary,” Schuler said. “I am so grateful to have served in the Wisconsin school systems, where I honed my skills as an educator and worked alongside some of the most dedicated staff who dedicated their lives to inspiring students and preparing them for success.”
Schuler grew up in Clintonville and graduated from Clintonville High School in 1988. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Carroll University in Waukesha and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his doctoral research focused on leadership theory and the building of credible relationships between superintendents and their administrative teams.
He spent the first 13 years of his career in Wisconsin, serving as a social studies teacher in Waukesha before becoming a student activities and athletic director at the Franklin Public School District. He served as principal and superintendent of the Marshall Public Schools and then superintendent of Stevens Point Area Public School District.
In 2005, he was named superintendent of Arlington Heights, Illinois-based High School District 214, the second-largest high school system in Illinois with approximately 12,000 students in 10 schools and programs.
Under Schuler’s leadership, achievement levels in District 214 have soared amid changing demographics. The Class of 2014 ACT composite score maintained a record high of 23.5, well above the state and national average, and the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests more than doubled. The district has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon High School District by the U.S. Department of Education.
“We are fortunate to have someone of David Schuler’s caliber to represent the leadership of our nation’s school districts as president of AASA,” said Daniel A. Domenech, AASA executive director. “David is an outstanding school administrator in every sense. As we continue to strengthen our public schools, he will be a tremendous asset to our organization in his role as president.”