Aside from his day-to-day job responsibilities serving Oxford Schools, Superintendent Tim Throne will now be a member of the board of directors for Illuminate Education.

Throne has also served during the past in advisory capacities with Cisco and PowerSchool.

Illuminate Education is a company staffed heavily by former educators who use technology to try and provide resources to teachers and school administrators in hopes of bettering the learning process. The organization aims to improve simplicity, collaboration, responsiveness, creativity, selflessness and positivity in the schools that use its products.

Throne said Oxford has utilized Illuminate for things in the past, mostly involved with helping students when it comes to state testing. Because of that, he is looking forward to be part of the body that makes decisions for the services Illuminate provides its schools.

“We use some of (Illuminate’s) products, primarily in our assessments,” Throne said. “So, (Oxford uses it for) the actual giving of assessments, storing of assessments, teachers going in and being able to assimilate that assessment data across classrooms or grade levels and trying to use that data to inform instruction.”

Throne was asked by Illuminate through a phone call to join the board. He said Illuminate thought Oxford’s input would be a good fit, and he agrees.

“I think learning industry trends and having a better understanding of assessment applications in general (will be helpful for Oxford),” Throne said. “I’ll learn best practices from across the United States, not just what districts are doing here in Michigan. (I’ll get to) influence product direction and enhancement in areas that (Oxford) sees are important… It will expand Oxford’s list of contacts of experts in the industry.”

Though his board appointment will cost Oxford some of Throne’s time, he said Illuminate has agreed to pay all of his expenses while he travels and he will not be paid to be a member of the board. He noted that even though the appointment will take some of his time away from physically being in his office, he thinks the commitment will end up being a good thing for Oxford.

“If I have to physically go somewhere to do something, Illuminate will pay all of those expenses,” he said. “Really, what Oxford is agreeing to spend on our end is really my time. That’s what Oxford is willing to invest.”

Overall, Throne said he is most excited to use his involvement to take Oxford Schools to the next level.

“It’ll be a chance to meet people from various parts of the country and really get a perspective on what high-flying districts are doing when it comes to assessments,” Throne said. “That’s what I’m really looking forward to.

Throne will attend his first meeting as a board member later this year