iLEAD Charter Schools inspire LIFELONG LEARNERS with the skills to lead in the 21st CENTURY. We EMPOWER students to become conscientious, PRINCIPLED LEADERS and citizens of the world. Our programs cultivate CREATIVE THINKING, by offering INDIVIDUALIZED instruction, ACTIVE learning methods and opportunities for SELF-DIRECTED educational experiences.

Welcome prospective iLEAD families!

My name is Tiffany Adamski and I’m the regional director for iLEAD Schools in Ohio. I joined iLEAD because I believe in the mission and vision: Free to think. Inspired to lead.

Isn’t that powerful?

I grew up here in Toledo and the surrounding areas. I attended grade school at Elmhurst and junior high at DeVeaux. My parents, like many of you, moved to provide a better education for my brothers and me, so I attended Maumee High School. School choice back then consisted of sending us to a private school or moving. We couldn’t afford private schools, so we moved.
So much has changed in 25 years. Now you can choose many different options when it comes to finding the best fit for your children’s education, and you don’t have to move to a better district or pay out-of-district fees. The school choice movement has opened so many doors.

When I was 24, I ran for Toledo City Council against a 10-year incumbent and managed not to embarrass myself. Although I didn’t win, I feel like I made a contribution to the community as I shed light on issues I felt were important. Since then I have continued teaching at the high school and college levels, spending the last five years building effective, innovative educational models to provide kids the best possible educational opportunities. I love learning about best practices and researching what is the best fit for different students. I’ve shared what I have learned at conferences as a presenter for the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Alliance of Public Charter Schools and Ohio Council of Community Schools.

A colleague and I were participating in the XQ America Super School Challenge to rethink American high schools when we found iLEAD.

The nonprofit iLEAD is doing amazing things for kids in California. They’re teaching children to think! What a concept! With a project-based learning model that incorporates the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Love and Logic,” I knew I’d found like-minded people. They were doing good things for kids and I wanted to be part of that. The best part turned out that they were looking at bringing the model to my Toledo-area stomping grounds.

“Free to think. Inspired to Lead.”

It resonates with me as an educator and as a parent. I want children to feel empowered, not bored, when it comes to learning. Tackling projects that make them think, and engaging them in service to their community and the world, helps students see how they fit in the bigger picture of life. I cringe when my kids come home and, when asked what they learned, their responses are “nothing” or shrugged shoulders.

They should come home with projects they are working on. My 12th grader should spend his mental energy trying to solve the Great Pacific Garbage Patch problem instead of watching “Mulan” in class. I build schools where learners are engaged in authentic, real-life learning. They may encounter an archeological dig and need to identify the fossils and hypothesize a story of what the people were like. And, my teachers understand how to connect that to modern-day needs of detectives and investigators of crime scenes. That attention to detail and ability to see connections is a 21st Century skill that students need for college and careers. Real world learning is such a powerful tool. iLEAD gets that. I get that. I want to bring that to your student so he or she is ready for a future we can’t predict. We have to help our students learn to think deeply, see and apply broad concepts, and be leaders in their own lives.

Let us prepare your child for the biggest test of all: Life.

If you have any questions about our new iLEAD Spring Meadows opening this August or if you would like to discuss the future of education in Ohio, feel free to call me anytime! I look forward to speaking with you.

Tiffany Adamski
Regional Director
iLEAD Schools Ohio
(419) 491-7423
tiffany.adamski@ileadspringmeadows.org