About Bobb Darnell
Dr. Bobb Darnell is President of Achievement Strategies, Inc. and is an advocate for high student achievement and daily professional growth. He served as Director of Staff Support for more than 1700 staff members in a Northwest Illinois school district and taught for more than 20 years. Bobb has served on the Board of Trustees for the National and Illinois Staff Development Councils, and Illinois International Branch of the Dyslexia Association. He has been served on numerous national and state task forces and committees. Bobb is the author of two ASCD publications and has also written four staff development guides for Wavelength¹s award winning educational comedy videos. His recent articles “Listen to the Data—Students are Talking to You Through Data” and “Is Your PLC Ready to Win?” uniquely captures two current trends in schools today.
Dr. Darnell is an internationally known speaker who has delivered keynote presentations and conducted workshops for educators at all grade levels and for corporations. Bobb's high-energy workshops are filled with "edutainment" and practical ideas that have resulted from blending research and tested practice. Teachers and administrators can easily sense his enthusiasm for continuous improvement, job satisfaction, lifelong learning, and organizational excellence. He is truly committed to helping teachers build high performance classrooms and building strong parental support for schools and learning.
Presentations for National and International Organizations
- National Study of School Evaluation
- International Society for Technology Educators
- Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
- National Association for Secondary School Principals
- Illinois Staff Development Council
- Illinois Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
- International Reading Association
- National School Conference Institute
- Illinois Reading Council
- Illinois Association of Teachers of English
- National School Board Association
- Canadian Reading Association
- National Association for Teachers of English
- Illinois Council for the Gifted
- Illinois Council for Exceptional Children
- Association of Teacher Educators
- Illinois Association for Educational Research and Evaluation
- California Teachers Association
- Iowa Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
- National Staff Development Council
- Minnesota Education Association
- Florida Education Association
- Rhode Island Education Association
- Illinois Computer Educators
- Midwest Principal Center
- American Federation of Teachers
- Illinois Principals Association
- Kansas Reading Association
- Illinois Chapter of the International Dyslexia Association
- New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools
- Kansas Librarians Association
- East Asia Regional Conference of Schools
- Association for Middle Level Education
- Illinois Dyslexic Association
- Coalition of High Schools
- East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools
- Arizona State Equity Alliance
- North Carolina Association for Middle Level Learners
- Illinois Alliance of Administrators or Special Education
...and presentations for hundreds of schools
Educational Preparation and Professional Experience
Advanced Study, Educational Leadership and Licensure
National-Louis University, Evanston, Illinois
Doctor of Education, Reading Education and Curriculum Development
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Master of Arts, Group Dynamics, and Interpersonal Communication
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Bachelor of Science, Speech Education and Psychology
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
Teaching and Administrative Experience
Educational and Organizational Consultant, June 1986 to Present
President, Achievement Strategies, Inc., Lake Zurich, Illinois
Director of Staff Support and Organizational Development, July 1994 to July 2007
Township High School District 214, Forest View Educational Center, Arlington Heights, Illinois
Reading Specialist/Communications Teacher and Staff Development Leader, 1975 to June 1994
Township High School District 214, Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, August 1975 to June 1994
Adjunct Professor
Roosevelt University, Illinois; Governor State University, Illinois; Aurora University, Illinois;
University of Illinois, Illinois
Professional Participation
- Faculty Member—Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Board of Trustee—National Staff Development Council (Learning Forward)
- Board of Trustee—Illinois Staff Development Council
- Board of Trustee—Illinois Chapter of the International Dyslexia Association
- Member and Task Force Representative—International Society for Technical Education
- Member and Cadre Associate—Association for Middle Level Education
- Member—International Literacy Association
- Member—Illinois Reading Association
- Member—Numerous State and National Task Forces
- Member—Illinois Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development