Elementary School District 102 Superintendent Mark Van Clay is leaving the district at the end of June after 34 years in the education field.

During  that time, he said he has seen a tremendous improvement in how teaching is delivered and learning is acquired and believes the quality of education is at a high of a level as any time in his career. The district serves parts of Brookfield, La Grange and La Grange Park.

Q What would you say to those who believe the education system is being “dumbed down” to make things easier for students?

A Nonsense. Learning demands have only been heightened regarding what we expect today's students to know and do. However, the fact that public education lacks national standards and measures hurts it in terms of guaranteeing a base level of rigor and expectations for all students across the country and hurts it in test comparisons with other countries. Public education in the U.S. measures every student, something other countries to whom we are compared do not do. Such comparisons artificially dilute what happens here and the public unfairly thinks no American public schools are up to speed. However, there is a wide gap between good American schools, which are as good or better than any schools anywhere in the world, and poor ones.

Q What advice would you give to young parents who will soon be sending their children to school?

A  Don’t expect education to look or feel like it did when you were in school. Don’t be afraid to have your child experience some setbacks in school, and don’t accept less than your child's best efforts at school. Above all, don't become a “helicopter parent” who hovers around their children all of the time — this robs them of their ability to develop self-reliance — and, particularly in communities like this one, trust that the school and the teachers are being fair to all students and support the school rather than fight it when your child is disciplined.

Q What plans do you have after retirement?

A I am taking speaking engagements based upon my first book, published in January; am writing two more books; and will be a consultant starting in August for the Consortium for Educational Change, a cutting-edge educational support organization based in Lombard. (You can access information on my book - “The School Board Fieldbook - Leading With Vision” by going to the Solution Tree Web site: solution-tree.com)