��News and Press Releases

  ﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss xmlns:a10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>������News and Press Releases</title><link>/</link><description>Stay up-to-date with the latest news and announcements by subscribing to our RSS.</description><category>Press Release</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><category>Leadership Development</category><category>������Update</category><category>Curriculum &amp; Assessment</category><category>Health &amp; Wellness</category><category>News</category><category>Sourcewell</category><category>Access &amp; Opportunity</category><category>E-Rate</category><category>Technology &amp; AI</category><category>District &amp; School Operations</category><a10:contributor><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:contributor><a10:contributor><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:contributor><a10:contributor><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:contributor><a10:link rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="/feeds/aasa-news-and-press-releases" /><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:09da1cf1-a563-48e8-81c6-4fe184053a1e</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/04/03/texas-superintendent-latonya-goffney-named-aasa-president-elect</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>Texas Superintendent LaTonya Goffney Named ������President-Elect</title><description>LaTonya Goffney, superintendent of the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas, was voted as the 2025-26 president-elect of AASA, ������</description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 17:40:47 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; April 3, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash; &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/latonya-goffney"&gt;LaTonya Goffney&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent of the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas, was voted as the 2025-26 president-elect of AASA, ������, the nation&amp;rsquo;s premier organization
        representing more than 13,000 school system leaders nationwide.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/advocacy/latonya-goffney.png?sfvrsn=6fd68277_3" alt="" sf-size="812773" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Goffney
 was named the superintendent of Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas in 2018 after serving in a similar role with the Lufkin Independent School District in Lufkin, Texas for five years.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;My experience as a superintendent in rural, suburban, and urban districts has provided me with diverse insights into the unique challenges and opportunities schools face,&amp;rdquo; Goffney said. &amp;ldquo;As ������president-elect, I will champion
        public education, leading with optimism, courage, and hope, while uniting educational leaders from all districts across the country &amp;ndash; small, midsize, and large; rural, suburban, and urban &amp;ndash; to ensure every child graduates with choices
        and opportunities. Together, we will foster resilience, innovation, and collaboration to strengthen public schools.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Goffney joined ������in 2013 and currently serves as a member of the organization&amp;rsquo;s executive committee. She has been a member of the Texas Association of School Administrators since 2008 and served as its President from 2023-24.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Superintendent Goffney provides strong, future-driven leadership for her district and demonstrates a tireless commitment to the transformative power of public education by shaping opportunities for all students,&amp;rdquo; David R. Schuler, executive
        director, ������said. &amp;ldquo;I look forward to working closely with LaTonya in her new role as president-elect to forge brighter futures for district leaders and ensure students nationwide are not only prepared for real life in the real world but
        can succeed and thrive.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Goffney earned her Doctor of Education, Master of Education, and Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:128a090b-1528-4b6a-a5d2-1d3d4a95d040</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/04/03/idea-full-funding-act-bill-reintroduced-by-reps.-huffman-thompson-and-sen.-van-hollen-to-fully-fund-special-education</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>“IDEA Full Funding Act” Bill Reintroduced by Reps. Huffman, Thompson and Sen. Van Hollen to Fully Fund Special Education</title><description>This legislation would fulfil Congress’ commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)</description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 15:37:15 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; April 3, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash; Today, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Glenn &amp;lsquo;GT&amp;rsquo; Thompson (PA-15) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) reintroduced the IDEA Full Funding Act. This legislation
        would fulfil Congress&amp;rsquo; commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In 1975, Congress passed IDEA to ensure that every child with a disability has access to educational opportunity. This law was a historic
        step forward, but since its passage Congress has failed to provide the funding it promised.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Under IDEA, the federal government committed to pay 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure for special education. However, that pledge has never been met, and current funding is right around 10 percent. The IDEA Full Funding Act provides
        for regular, mandatory increases in IDEA spending to finally meet the obligation to America&amp;rsquo;s children and schools. Eight other Representatives signed on as original cosponsors: Reps. Neguse, Fitzpatrick, Criag, Stauber, Bynum, Bacon, Swalwell
        and Bost.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The full press release from the bill&amp;rsquo;s sponsors can be found &lt;a href="https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/04/03/2025/huffman-van-hollen-reintroduce-bicameral-legislation-to-fully-fund-special-education" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.

 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;This legislation is crucial in strengthening our nation&amp;rsquo;s schools and ensuring all students&amp;mdash;regardless of ability&amp;mdash;have the opportunity to access a high-quality education.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;While we&amp;rsquo;ve made substantial progress to fund special education services in recent years, we still have important work left to do to live up to the original commitment Congress made,&amp;rdquo; said Rep. Jared Huffman. &amp;ldquo;All children
        &amp;ndash; no matter their zip code, race, disability, or any other factor &amp;ndash; should be able to access a full, exceptional education, and this legislation will help school districts provide the necessary resources to make this vision a reality.
        The current chronic underfunding leaves an unfair burden on students, teachers, schools, and families. Our bill holds up the federal government&amp;rsquo;s end of the bargain to fully fund special education services on a permanent basis and set all
        students up for long-term success.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"For too long, the federal government has fallen short on its commitment to share the cost of education with states for individuals with special needs, placing an unfair burden on schools, teachers, and families,&amp;rdquo; said Rep. Glenn &amp;lsquo;GT&amp;rsquo;
        Thompson (R-PA). &amp;ldquo;The IDEA Full Funding Act reaffirms our promise and makes IDEA whole over the next 10 years. This is a positive step toward ensuring every student with disabilities receives the support and resources they need to thrive.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Fifty years ago, Congress passed the IDEA Act, and with it, made a promise to children with disabilities and their families &amp;ndash; but we have fallen short of that promise every year since. While Donald Trump and Elon Musk are illegally gutting
        public education in America, we are fighting to strengthen it. Our bill will ensure that Congress finally meets its commitment to fully fund IDEA, putting us closer to delivering equal access to high-quality education for every student in this
        country,&amp;rdquo; said Senator Van Hollen.&amp;nbsp;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This legislation is supported by a broad and diverse group of over 50 national organizations, including AASA, The School Superintendent Association.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;������is proud to support the IDEA Full Funding Act being introduced today. This legislation is crucial in strengthening our nation&amp;rsquo;s schools and ensuring all students&amp;mdash;regardless of ability&amp;mdash;have the opportunity to access a
        high-quality education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) represents a critical commitment in leveling the playing field for students with disabilities. Congress passed IDEA 50 years ago, pledging to fund 40% of the additional
        costs associated with educating these students. As Congress has yet to meet this obligation, we are proud to endorse the IDEA Full Funding Act, being introduced in both the House and Senate and thank Senator Van Hollen and Representatives Thompson
        and Huffman for their leadership on this important issue.&amp;rdquo; said Executive Director of AASA, David. R. Schuler, Ph.D.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:0c5914d3-48ef-4e7c-a3be-4f179f70a8ed</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/04/01/aasa-releases-2024-25-superintendent-salary-benefits-study</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>������Releases 2024-25 Superintendent Salary &amp;  Benefits Study</title><description>More people appear to be ascending to the superintendent position at an earlier age than over a decade ago according to the 13th annual superintendent salary study released today by AASA.</description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:42:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; April 1, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash; More people appear to be ascending to the superintendent position at an earlier age than over a decade ago according to the 13th annual superintendent salary study released today by AASA, ������. A noticeably higher percentage of superintendents were in the 41&amp;ndash;50 age range (34.38%) in the 2024&amp;ndash;2025 study, compared to 29.83% in 2012. The percentage of superintendents ages 60+ decreased from 19.48% in 2012 to just 9.87% in 2024&amp;ndash;2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report, &lt;a target="_blank" href="/resources/superintendent-salary-benefits-study"&gt;2024-25 ������Superintendent Salary &amp;amp; Benefits Study&lt;/a&gt;, is used to gauge school district leadership compensation and benefits and is released in two versions: a full version for ������members and an abridged version for wider/public circulation. The current study is based on 2,077 responses from superintendents in 49 states. The annually-revised and updated survey tracks the demographics, salary, benefits and other elements of the employment agreements of school superintendents throughout the country.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;������has collected superintendent salary information since 2012 to provide critical insight into the conditions of the superintendency,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, ������executive director. &amp;ldquo;Our continued commitment to this survey means we can capture not only real-time data, but also inform a broader narrative, allowing longitudinal analysis and comparisons on the progress school systems have made and the work that still remains.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Demographics and key findings include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The demographic breakdown of the 2,077 respondents throughout 49 states was female: 26.47 and male: 73.19.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Female superintendents earned 99.16% of what males earned in 2024&amp;ndash;2025.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;People are becoming superintendents younger: The median age was 52, as it was in the 2022&amp;ndash;2023 study. The modal response was 51&amp;ndash;60 years of age (51.61%) and 38.01% of respondents were 50 years old or younger in 2024&amp;ndash;2025 compared
            to 34.71% in 2022&amp;ndash;2023.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Almost 52% of respondents had more than 5 years experience as superintendent.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Approximately 57% of female superintendents had five years or less of experience as a superintendent compared to a little more than 44% of male superintendents.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Although median and mean salaries in our samples have increased over the last decade, evidence suggests they have not kept pace with inflation. The mean salary reported for the 2013 sample was $131,171 and the median was $123,775. When adjusted
            for inflation, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index calculator, the mean real wage for superintendents in 2013, using 2024 dollars, would be $175,679, which is $6,336 above this year&amp;rsquo;s reported mean salary.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The inflation adjusted median salary from 2013 would be $165,773 today, which is $7,052 above this year&amp;rsquo;s median salary. Stated another way, over the last decade, superintendent real wages have decreased about $7,000 below where they should
            be if their salaries were annually adjusted for inflation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Superintendents with either an EdD or PhD had higher median salaries than those without a terminal degree.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Approximately 90% of respondents intend to remain as superintendent in their current district next year: 2025&amp;ndash;2026. Overall, almost 93% reported they would continue to serve in the position of superintendent in 25-26.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are grateful for the excellent work of the research team and extend our appreciation to school superintendents across the nation who took time to reply to the survey and make this work possible,&amp;rdquo; added Schuler.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/docs/default-source/resources/reports/2024-25-superintendent-salary-benefits-study-abridged-nonmember.pdf?sfvrsn=ab88c064_3"&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt; to access a copy of the 2024-2025 ������Superintendent
        Salary &amp;amp; Benefits Study. For specific questions about the report, contact Tara Thomas, ������Government Affairs Manager, at &lt;a href="mailto:tthomas@aasa.org"&gt;tthomas@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:2826efc2-c83a-4717-9751-60d136c961cc</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/27/nce-2026-call-for-proposals-now-open</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>������Update</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>NCE 2026 Call for Proposals Now Open</title><description>The 2026 National Conference on Education call for proposals is open now through May 30, 2025.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:51:53 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/nce/aasa-16642-2026-nce-banner-ad_640-x-110.jpg?sfvrsn=59e844c5_0" alt="������2026 National Conference on Education in Nashville, TN" sf-size="19034" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style="text-align:center;"&gt;The 2026 National Conference on Education Call for Proposals is Now Open&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;������is searching for the &amp;ldquo;best of the best&amp;rdquo; presenters to engage attendees in conversations around cutting edge trends, issues and solutions in education for the 2026 National Conference on Education in Nashville, TN.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participation as a presenter will help attendees increase their leadership skills and professional competence, provide for an exchange of ideas and solutions and help attendees address the controversial issues facing today&amp;rsquo;s educators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus Zones for 2026 Include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Prioritize Student-Centered Learning&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The New Basics: Real Skills for Real Life&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Attract, Hire, Retain and Reward the Best Employees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Build Highly Engaged School, Family and Community Partnerships&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Measure What Matters&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;School Safety and Security&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Finances, Technology and Operations&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Submissions are due by 11:59 pm ET on May 30, 2025.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education/call-for-proposals"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Learn More &amp;amp; Submit Today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions?&lt;/strong&gt; Contact Gabriela Iturri at &lt;a href="mailto:giturri@aasa.org"&gt;giturri@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:653a3b21-d801-4742-a0d1-1eb422fe1f37</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/24/aasa's-aed-of-finance-operations-and-technology-appointed-to-cosn-board-of-directors</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>AASA's AED of Finance, Operations and Technology Appointed to CoSN Board of Directors</title><description>Tony Schlorff, CETL, joins the CoSN board of directors alongside 14 other education technology experts.</description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:04:42 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 align="center"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tony Schlorff, ������Associate Executive Director of Finance, Operations and Technology, Joins CoSN Board&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 18, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash; CoSN today announced its 2025-26 Board of Directors. The Board includes 15 education technology experts from across the country dedicated to shaping CoSN's mission and strategic direction.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/tony-schlorff"&gt;Tony Schlorff&lt;/a&gt;, CETL&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt;,&amp;nbsp;AASA's Associate Executive Director of Finance, Operations and Technology, joins this year as a new board member. Tony Schlorff is an accomplished education and technology leader with a diverse background spanning instructional leadership, operational management, and strategic innovation. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prior to joining AASA, Tony served as Chief Technology Officer for both Township High School District 214 and Community Consolidated School District 93 in Illinois. His earlier roles include Assistant Principal at Carol Stream Elementary School and high school mathematics teacher in Naperville, Illinois&amp;mdash;where he began his career in education. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A recognized voice in the field, Tony is a CoSN Certified Educational Technology Leader (CETL), Apple Foundations Trainer, and SMART Exemplar Educator.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"I&amp;rsquo;m honored to join the CoSN Board of Directors and collaborate with fellow leaders dedicated to advancing the role of technology in education," said Tony Schlorff. "As we navigate the evolving landscape of digital learning, I look forward to contributing to the mission of ensuring all students have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schlorff will serve a three year term on the CoSN Board. The new Board was elected by CoSN members in advance of the 2025 CoSN Annual Conference, taking place March 31-April 2 in Seattle, Wash.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the &lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/cosn-news/cosn-announces-new-board-of-directors-ahead-of-annual-conference-2025/" target="_blank"&gt;full announcement from CoSN here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:d3618c0d-55e3-4e47-bb7a-be4b45ea55ed</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/18/new-report-highlights-superintendents'-strong-commitment-to-summer-learning-amid-funding-challenges</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Curriculum &amp; Assessment</category><title>New Report Highlights Superintendents' Strong Commitment to Summer Learning, Amid Funding Challenges</title><description>Study by National Summer Learning Association, AASA, ������ and Gallup Shows District Leaders Prioritize Academic Benefits of Summer Programs</description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2025 04:00:04 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 align="center"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Study by National Summer Learning Association, AASA, ������&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;and Gallup Shows District Leaders Prioritize Academic Benefits of Summer Programs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 18, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash; A new study by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), AASA, ������, and Gallup underscores the critical role that summer learning programs play
        in achieving school district goals, despite ongoing funding concerns. The report, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/resources/resource/bridging-the-summer-gap-what-district-leaders-say-about-learning-beyond-the-school-year"&gt;Bridging the Summer Gap: What District Leaders Say About Learning Beyond the School Year&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, presents insights from U.S. school superintendents on summer learning
        opportunities, challenges, and future priorities.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendents Strongly Support Summer Learning and Plan to Keep Investing Despite Funding Uncertainty&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An overwhelming 91% of superintendents say summer programs are essential to achieving their district's strategic objectives, with 41% rating them as &amp;ldquo;very important.&amp;rdquo; Larger and urban districts place even greater emphasis on their importance.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the phasing out of federal pandemic-related funding, 82% of superintendents plan to maintain or increase spending on summer learning programs in 2025. Many districts are transitioning funding from temporary federal support to district budgets
        (81%) and grants (52%).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;High-quality summer learning programs are not just beneficial; they are essential to student success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This research underscores what superintendents across the country know to be true&amp;mdash;high-quality summer learning programs are not just beneficial; they are essential to student success. Even as federal emergency funds expire, district leaders
        remain committed to sustaining and expanding these opportunities because they see firsthand the positive impact they make on academic achievement and student engagement,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, AASA, ������&amp;rsquo;s
        Executive Director. &amp;ldquo;At AASA, we are proud to partner with Gallup and the National Summer Learning Association to highlight the vital role of summer learning in closing achievement gaps and preparing students for a bright future.&amp;rdquo;
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Academic Gains Are the Top Priority for Summer, But Enrollment Barriers Persist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Superintendents primarily view summer programs through an academic lens, with 73% identifying maintaining or improving academic skills as the most important benefit. In contrast, parents tend to prioritize engagement and social aspects, such as having
        fun and making friends.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scheduling conflicts are cited as the biggest barrier to student participation in summer learning by superintendents, with 75% highlighting parent-child schedule conflicts and 65% pointing to other extracurricular activities. A lack of transportation
        was also a commonly mentioned challenge across all respondents.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Measuring Success Through Academic Improvement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When evaluating summer program effectiveness, 33% of superintendents measure success by improved student reading and math scores, while 25% assess student performance at the beginning of the new school year. Another 25% track enrollment numbers as
        a key performance metric.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This Gallup report confirms that high-quality summer learning programs are not just enrichment, they are critical to student success,&amp;rdquo; said Aaron P. Dworkin, CEO of NSLA. &amp;ldquo;NSLA is dedicated to supporting superintendents and district
        leaders in expanding access to meaningful summer learning opportunities for more students.&amp;rdquo;
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As districts prepare for summer 2025, the report highlights the need for sustainable funding solutions, increased access, and enhanced program flexibility to accommodate family schedules.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The full report, &lt;em&gt;Bridging the Summer Gap: What District Leaders Say About Learning Beyond the School Year&lt;/em&gt;, is available&amp;nbsp; &lt;a target="_blank" href="/resources/resource/bridging-the-summer-gap-what-district-leaders-say-about-learning-beyond-the-school-year"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Celebrating 30 years of impact, NSLA has worked to combat summer learning loss and close the opportunity gap, which research shows grows most dramatically between lower- and
        higher-income students over the summer months. NSLA works to ensure all of America&amp;rsquo;s students, regardless of background, income or ZIP code, can access and benefit from a high-quality summer learning experience every year. NSLA supports
        and collaborates with a broad and ever-growing network of 25,000+ leaders of school districts, youth-serving government agencies, and nonprofit and corporate partners from across the country focused on improving the lives of youth. Learn more
        at &lt;a href="https://www.summerlearning.org/" target="_blank"&gt;summerlearning.org&lt;/a&gt;.
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Gallup&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gallup delivers data-driven insights to help organizations and leaders solve their most pressing challenges. With over 85 years of research and analytics, Gallup supports education institutions nationwide in fostering student success. Visit &lt;a href="https://www.gallup.com/" target="_blank"&gt;www.gallup.com&lt;/a&gt; for more information.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:068923c2-0554-4518-aa4d-65db6680f981</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/08/aasa-scholarships-awarded-to-top-graduate-students</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>������Scholarships Awarded to Top Graduate Students</title><description>Seven of the nation’s outstanding graduate students in educational administration have been selected to receive scholarships.</description><pubDate>Sat, 08 Mar 2025 17:35:52 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 8, 2025 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;, is pleased to announce that seven of the nation&amp;rsquo;s outstanding graduate students in educational administration have been selected to receive scholarships. 

 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The ������Educational Administration Scholarship was created in 1949 to provide incentives, recognition and financial assistance to outstanding graduate students in school administration who intend to make the school superintendency a career. ������selects recipients on the basis of their experience and excellence in school administration, personal essays and recommendations from university faculty. 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each beneficiary received a $2,500 scholarship given in honor of AASA&amp;rsquo;s former executive directors &amp;mdash; Sherwood D. Shankland, Worth McClure, Finis E. Engleman, Forrest E. Connor, Paul B. Salmon, Richard D. Miller and Paul D. Houston. 

 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The 2025 scholarship recipients are:&lt;/strong&gt; 

 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Norma G. Garcia&lt;/strong&gt; - Director of the multi-language department at Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District in Harlingen, Texas. She is pursuing her superintendent certification at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Casey Ngo-Miller&lt;/strong&gt; - Assistant superintendent for student services with Newton Public Schools in Newton, Mass. She is pursuing her Ed.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nelson L. Render&lt;/strong&gt; - Executive Officer of secondary schools with Bibb County School District in Macon, Ga. He is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration on advanced leadership at Georgia State University. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lashon Sanford&lt;/strong&gt; - Regional Director (Principal Supervisor) in Region South of Los Angeles Unified School District. She is pursuing a doctorate degree in educational leadership at Azusa Pacific University. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arman Sidhu&lt;/strong&gt; - Education Policy Resident based in Chandler, Ariz., with ExcelinEd and the founder of iCubed Learning, a nonprofit microschool in Tempe, Ariz. He is pursuing an Ed.D. in leadership and innovation at Arizona State University&amp;rsquo;s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adina Thea&lt;/strong&gt; - Director of elementary language learning and fine arts at Highline Public Schools in Burien, Wash. She is pursuing a doctorate at University of Washington. 

 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jesse Yeuk-Hay Tang&lt;/strong&gt; - An is serving an intern with Deanne Galdston, superintendent of Watertown Public Schools in Watertown, Mass., in 2024-25 and will be a doctoral resident with Adrienne Battle, superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee in 2025-26. He is a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he is pursuing his Ed.L.D. 
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;
 &lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:4cd935ac-36a0-4134-bdca-5b8e5204b7f2</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/08/nashville-tn-superintendent-receives-save-the-music-foundation-award-for-distinguished-support-of-music-education</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>Nashville, TN Superintendent Receives 20th Annual Save The Music Foundation Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education</title><description>Dr. Adrienne Battle of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, TN, is the 2025 recipient of the Save The Music Foundation’s (STM) 20th Annual Administrator Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education.</description><pubDate>Sat, 08 Mar 2025 16:48:45 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Award Presented During AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;New Orleans, LA&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; March 8, 2025 &amp;ndash; Dr. Adrienne Battle of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, TN, is the 2025 recipient of the &lt;a href="https://www.savethemusic.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Save The Music Foundation&amp;rsquo;s &lt;/a&gt;(STM) 20th Annual Administrator Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This prestigious award was presented at the &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, hosted by AASA, ������. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This award recognizes one superintendent or school district CEO who has exhibited outstanding commitment to restoring music education in his or her district. Dr. Battle was chosen for her unwavering devotion to providing students across the Nashville community with a well-rounded education that includes music.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Music education is so important to a high-quality education, and I&amp;rsquo;m grateful for everything Save the Music has done to help us grow and improve our instructional program and resources,&amp;rdquo; Dr. Battle said. &amp;ldquo;Our forward-looking Visual and Performing Arts team and our brilliant teachers across the district are so good at helping students see and develop their own musical talents, which fits right into our larger work of making sure every student is known, supported and on a path to success. Thank you to Save the Music for its generous support and for this recognition of our collective efforts.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Over the past 26 years, STM has supported Nashville&amp;rsquo;s investment in K-12 comprehensive music education across the district with musical instrument and technology grants, music teacher professional development, and ongoing program support, totaling more than $1,700,000 to date. This project is fueled by a strategic partnership with Dr. Battle, who has pledged to ensure every student in the district has equitable access to music education taught by qualified teachers as part of the regular school day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Through Superintendent Battle&amp;rsquo;s leadership, all students across music city have the opportunity to express themselves through music making in school,&amp;rdquo; said Jaclyn Rudderow, senior director of school programs for Save The Music Foundation. &amp;ldquo;We are thrilled to celebrate her with this national honor and look forward to our continued partnership.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through the Save The Music Foundation grants, 70 MNPS schools have been able to expand their music programs. Students now have access to new instruments and music technology without the worry of financial burden being a barrier to them participating in the arts. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Past recipients of this award include: Dr. Amy J Carter, superintendent, Meridian Public School District (MS); Christopher Downing, superintendent, Anaheim Elementary School District (Calif.); Elizabeth Lolli, superintendent, Dayton Public Schools (Ohio); Leon Rogers, superintendent, Newark Public Schools (N.J.); Keely Roberts, superintendent, Zion Elementary District 6 (Ill.); Francisco Escobedo, superintendent, Chula Vista Elementary School District (Calif.); Nancy Sarra, superintendent, Consolidated School District of New Britain (Conn.); Kevin George, superintendent, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools (La.); Russell Freitas, superintendent, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District (Calif.); Kristi Wilson, superintendent, Buckeye Elementary School District (Ariz.); Reginald Mayo, retired superintendent, New Haven Public Schools (Conn.); Rita Bishop, superintendent, Roanoke City Public Schools (Va.); Kathy L. Kelly, superintendent, Columbia Heights Public Schools (Minn.); Duncan N. P. &amp;ldquo;Pat&amp;rdquo; Pritchett Jr., former superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools (Ind.); John Lange, former superintendent, Adams County School District 14 (Colo.); Carol Johnson, former superintendent, Memphis City Schools (Tenn.) and current superintendent, Boston Public Schools (Mass.); Richard Kaplan, superintendent, New Brunswick Public Schools (N.J.); Eugene White, retired superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools (Ind.); and James A. Williams, former superintendent, Buffalo Public Schools (N.Y.).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regarded as the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators, AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education addresses the most critical issues affecting public education today and in 2025 will focus on what school system leaders can do to prepare America&amp;rsquo;s students for bright futures they cannot yet even imagine; from digital literacy and embracing new tech and AI, to ensuring students graduate with the necessary skills they need to thrive in the real world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center" style="text-align:center;"&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;About Save The Music Foundation:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Save The Music Foundation is the leading U.S. nonprofit dedicated to helping students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. Almost 30 years after its founding as &amp;ldquo;VH1 Save The Music,&amp;rdquo; Save The Music is now a completely independent 501c3, focused on supporting its culturally rich partner communities by investing in music education. Since 1997, the organization has donated over $75M in instruments and resources to more than 2800 schools, impacting millions of students nationwide and counting!&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Learn more at &lt;a href="http://savethemusic.org/"&gt;savethemusic.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;About ������&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;About Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Metro Nashville Public Schools is one of the nation&amp;rsquo;s top 50 largest school districts, preparing more than 80,000 students for higher education, work and life. With the goal of being the premier large urban school district in Tennessee and beyond, MNPS wants to ensure Every Student is Known by meeting focused outcomes that will help each child achieve growth from an academic and social-emotional perspective. The governing body for Metro Schools is the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education, a nine-member elected body. For more information, visit MNPS.org, or follow us on Twitter @MetroSchools or Facebook/MetroSchools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;Press Contact: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Save The Music Foundation &amp;ndash; Zack Flores, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications&lt;br /&gt;(210) 279-6334, &lt;a href="mailto:zack.flores@savethemusic.org"&gt;zack.flores@savethemusic.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, The School Superintendent Association - Lara Wade&lt;br /&gt;Director of Communications, 813.833.1498,&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools &amp;ndash; Michael Cass - &lt;a href="mailto:Michael.Cass@mnps.org"&gt;Michael.Cass@mnps.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:a9787d1b-4d9d-4ef9-8ebc-c83a73e3d1ee</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/07/aasa-announces-2025-women-in-school-leadership-award-winners</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>������Announces 2025 Women in School Leadership Award Winners</title><description>These awardees have a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to student success, staff development, and innovation in education.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2025 16:06:31 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt="Women in School Leadership nominees on stage" src="/images/default-source/awards/women-in-school-leadership/women-in-school-leadership-nominees-on-stage.png?sfvrsn=6ea686e4_1" sf-size="100" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;span class="note"&gt;Women in School Leadership Award nominees on stage at the 2025 ������National Conference on Education. Left to right: Martha Salazar-Zamora, superintendent, Tomball Independent School District (Texas); Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent, Harrison School District 2 (Colo.); Jennifer Halter, principal, Clay County District Schools (Fla.); Alicen Gaytley, Director of Teaching and Learning, Quincy School District (Wash.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 7, 2025 -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;As part of a long-standing tradition to create more
        pathways for women who wish to enter the field of education administration, &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 ������Women in School Leadership Awards.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards, sponsored by Horace Mann and AASA, pay tribute to the talent, creativity and vision of outstanding women educational administrators in the nation&amp;rsquo;s public schools. Today&amp;rsquo;s announcement was made at &lt;a target="_blank" href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt; in New Orleans, Louisiana.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The winners for each category are:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Central Office/ Principal Category&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/alicen-gaytley"&gt;Alicen Gaytley&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;,
 Director of Teaching and Learning, Quincy School District (Wash.)
        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Superintendent Category &lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/wendy-birhanzel"&gt;Wendy Birhanzel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;,
 Superintendent, Harrison School District 2 (Colo.)&lt;strong&gt; 
    &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;They have a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to student success, staff development, and innovation in education.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Horace Mann is honored to partner with ������to celebrate these outstanding women leaders in education,&amp;rdquo; said Marita Zuraitis, president and CEO of Horace Mann Educators Corporation. &amp;ldquo;We applaud their work to shape the future of
        education by inspiring future leaders and strengthening educator retention and recruitment.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The ������Women in School Leadership Awards were created for amazing leaders like our honorees today,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. &amp;ldquo;They have a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to student success, staff
        development, and innovation in education. It&amp;rsquo;s mission critical to significantly increase the number of women in education administrative positions, and we are proud to recognize these talented educators and showcase their outstanding achievements
        and contributions. We thank Horace Mann for supporting our program.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2024/11/18/aasa-announces-2025-women-in-school-leadership-award-finalists"&gt;Award finalists were announced November 18, 2024&lt;/a&gt; and evaluated on their leadership in meeting the learning needs of students, personal and organizational communication strength, constant professional improvement of knowledge and skills and active community involvement.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/women-in-school-leadership-awards"&gt;Women in School Leadership Awards&lt;/a&gt;,
 please visit the ������website or contact Jennifer Rooney, ������senior director of meetings and awards, at &lt;a href="mailto:jrooney@aasa.org"&gt;jrooney@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
        access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;
 &lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Horace Mann&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Horace Mann Educators Corporation is the largest financial services company focused on helping America's educators and others who serve the community achieve lifelong financial success. The company offers individual and group insurance and financial solutions tailored to the needs of the educator community. Founded by Educators for Educators&amp;reg; in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:114b767f-7c0b-47ba-9a2b-39b9fb853089</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/06/alabama-s-walter-b.-gonsoulin-jr.-named-2025-aasa-national-superintendent-of-the-year</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>Alabama’s Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr. Named 2025 ������National Superintendent of the Year®</title><description>Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Alabama, has been named the 2025 ������National Superintendent of the Year®.</description><pubDate>Thu, 06 Mar 2025 22:27:56 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/awards/superintendent-of-the-year/walter-gonsoulin-at-podium.jpg?sfvrsn=173c5ddb_1" alt="Walter Gonsoulin at podium" sf-size="100" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 6, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;- &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/walter-gonsoulin" target="_blank"&gt;Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr.&lt;/a&gt;,
 superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Alabama, has been named the 2025 ������National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg;. Today&amp;rsquo;s announcement came at the &lt;a href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education" target="_blank"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, hosted by &lt;a href="/home" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;.



 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now in its 38th year, the National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg; program is co-sponsored by AASA, &lt;a href="https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/employers/about-us" target="_blank"&gt;Corebridge Financial&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="/about-aasa/partner/sourcewell" target="_blank"&gt;Sourcewell&lt;/a&gt;, and recognizes exceptional superintendents for their outstanding leadership and dedication to advancing public education in their communities. &amp;shy;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The other 2025 National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg; finalists, named December 16, 2024, are:&lt;/strong&gt;


 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/sharon-desmoulin-kherat" target="_blank"&gt;Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat&lt;/a&gt;,
 Peoria Public School District 150, Ill. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/debbie-jones" target="_blank"&gt;Debbie Jones&lt;/a&gt;,
 Bentonville School District, Ark. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/david-moore" target="_blank"&gt;David K. Moore&lt;/a&gt;,
 School District of Indian River County, Fla. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Congratulations to Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr., on this well-deserved honor. Mr. Gonsoulin has made an immense impact on the learning communities of Jefferson County and provides an inspirational example of effective leadership in the public
            school system,&amp;rdquo; said Terri Fiedler, President of Retirement Services at Corebridge Financial. &amp;ldquo;Corebridge is honored to support this long-standing program. We extend a heartfelt thank you to Walter, this year&amp;rsquo;s finalists,
            and all the State Superintendents of the Year across the country, for their continued commitment and dedication to delivering quality education to our nation&amp;rsquo;s children.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re thrilled to congratulate Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg;,&amp;rdquo; said Chad Coauette, CEO of Sourcewell. &amp;ldquo;We know superintendents are integral to the success of students and ensure
            that each learner in their district reaches their full potential. Superintendent Gonsoulin and the three other finalists selected for this recognition represent education excellence. Sourcewell celebrates the contributions these leaders make
            in creating a solid foundation for students to lead productive and successful lives.&amp;rdquo;

        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It is an honor to congratulate Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr. of Alabama as the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg;,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. Walter as well as our other three finalists are future-driven
            ambassadors in their respective learning communities who are empowering their students and staff to lead us into the future and working to ensure that education is an innovative, vibrant and transformative force. I thank Corebridge Financial
            and Sourcewell for supporting this important program.&amp;rdquo;



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;Walter as well as our other three finalists are future-driven ambassadors in their respective learning communities who are empowering their students and staff to lead us into the future and working to ensure that education is an innovative, vibrant
            and transformative force.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each of the finalists were nominated by their state association and honored with the title of State Superintendent of the Year. The nominees were then measured against the following criteria:


        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leadership for Learning:&lt;/strong&gt; Creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in his or her school system.

            &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communication: &lt;/strong&gt;Strength in both personal and organizational communication.

            &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Professionalism: &lt;/strong&gt;Constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team.

            &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community Involvement: &lt;/strong&gt;Active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national, and international issues.
            &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2025 ������National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg; to a student attending the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Access a complete list of the 2025 State Superintendents of the Year, awarded independently by each state association, &lt;a href="https://soy.aasa.org/winners-2025" target="_blank"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;



 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the program, contact Jennifer Rooney, ������senior director, meetings and awards, at &lt;a href="mailto:jrooney@aasa.org" target="_blank"&gt;jrooney@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://soy.aasa.org/winners" target="_blank"&gt;Click here &lt;/a&gt;to access a list of the ������2025 State Superintendents of the Year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
            access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;
 &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Corebridge Financial&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;
 &lt;p&gt;Corebridge Financial, Inc. (NYSE: CRBG) makes it possible for more people to take action in their financial lives. With more than $400 billion in assets under management and administration as of December 31, 2024, Corebridge Financial is one of
            the largest providers of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States. We proudly partner with financial professionals and institutions to help individuals plan, save for and achieve secure financial futures. For more information,
            visit &lt;a href="http://www.corebridgefinancial.com/" target="_blank"&gt;corebridgefinancial.com&lt;/a&gt; and follow us on &lt;a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/corebridgefinancial/about/" target="_blank"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;,
 &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKS7ZPjX1nkdUi3pbolphA" target="_blank"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.instagram.com/corebridgefinancial/" target="_blank"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Sourcewell&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sourcewell partners with K-12 schools across North America to deliver streamlined procurement solutions that support student success. With access to hundreds of competitively awarded contracts, schools can
            efficiently purchase technology, classroom supplies, transportation, and professional development resources while saving time and money. Our trusted cooperative purchasing process ensures compliance and transparency, with contracts delivered
            through local dealers to strengthen communities. From modernizing classrooms to enhancing student well-being, Sourcewell empowers schools to create enriching learning environments. Focus on what matters most&amp;mdash;empowering students&amp;mdash;while
            we handle the procurement process with care and expertise. Learn more at &lt;a href="http://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying" target="_blank"&gt;www.sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:56a60662-a1d2-49d8-a67e-9a9c08af34a7</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/03/06/aasa-and-battelle-for-kids-announce-strategic-integration-to-expand-future-ready-learning-efforts-for-public-k-12-students</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>������and Battelle for Kids Announce Strategic Integration to Expand Future-Ready Learning Efforts for Public K-12 Students</title><description>AASA’s acquisition of Battelle for Kids’ strategic assets and staff ensures long-term sustainability and growth while maintaining the impact of the leading Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait to Practice® design process.</description><pubDate>Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:46:28 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br data-sf-ec-immutable="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h6 paraid="724516418" paraeid="{e2034dc9-a7d4-4f9a-86a2-6c9143fc6575}{136}"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s acquisition of Battelle for Kids&amp;rsquo; strategic assets and staff ensures long-term sustainability and growth while maintaining the impact of the leading Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait to Practice&amp;reg; design process.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; March 6, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;- &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 announces today its acquisition of strategic assets from &lt;a href="https://www.battelleforkids.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Battelle for Kids,&lt;/a&gt; a national, not-for-profit organization committed to empowering educators so
            that every child in every community has the practical and life skills they need to succeed in the real world. The transition will be effective July 1, 2025.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This integration positions ������for long-term stability and growth, enabling it to expand its reach and deepen its impact. With increased scalability and broader implementation of &lt;a href="https://www.battelleforkids.org/portrait-of-a-graduate/" target="_blank"&gt;Portrait of a Graduate&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.battelleforkids.org/how-we-help/visionary-leadership/portrait-to-practice/" target="_blank"&gt;Portrait to Practice&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/a&gt; it strengthens AASA&amp;rsquo;s ability to support educational leaders, enrich professional development opportunities, and foster strategic partnerships. It will also assist in providing high-quality public-school education supports to leaders
            and learners with student-centered, best in class education systems.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Battelle for Kids and ������share a common mission and serve a similar audience, both organizations are dedicated to transforming school systems for educators and students nationwide. That&amp;rsquo;s why I&amp;rsquo;m thrilled to expand and scale
            the impactful work Battelle for Kids has championed,&amp;rdquo; said Dr. David R. Schuler, Executive Director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;As a lifelong educator and former superintendent, I look forward to advancing this work even further&amp;mdash;creating greater
            opportunities and pathways for every student, in every community.&amp;rdquo;



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the integration of Battelle for Kids assets, ������is enhancing its support for school communities, furthering its commitment to advancing high-quality public education for all students. It will heighten AASA&amp;rsquo;s role in national education
            discussions, expand access to professional development and foster even more innovation in the field.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead with the strategic integration into AASA,&amp;rdquo; says Mike Duncan, CEO of Battelle for Kids. &amp;ldquo;Dr. David Schuler&amp;rsquo;s vision and commitment to preparing future-ready students
            fits perfectly with the work BFK has led for more than a decade around Portrait of a Graduate, Portrait to Practice&amp;reg; and the EdLeader21 network. By joining forces with AASA, the work of Battelle for Kids will be amplified, spread, and
            scaled at an even greater level, impacting more students and communities nationwide.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;As a lifelong educator and former superintendent, I look forward to advancing this work even further&amp;mdash;creating greater opportunities and pathways for every student, in every community.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;This move assists ������in serving school leaders and districts nationwide, leveraging the best of both organizations to drive data-driven innovation, leadership development and best-practice learning models ensuring that students emerge from high
            school ready for real life, in the real world. ������provides the "how" and &amp;ldquo;who&amp;rdquo; through leadership and advocacy, while Battelle for Kids&amp;rsquo; framework delivers a researched based "what" with innovative solutions and research
            based best practices. The synergy results in a stronger influence on educational policy and practice, leveraging AASA's policy expertise and Battelle for Kids' practical solutions.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Battelle for Kids remains committed to delivering high-quality support and partnership to its current clients, honoring all existing contracts. Throughout the integration process with AASA, which will take place from March to June 2025, the organization
            will ensure a seamless transition while maintaining its standards of excellence.



        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more about the integration and follow updates on its progress, visit &lt;a href="http://www.battelleforkids.org/" target="_blank"&gt;www.battelleforkids.org&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable
            access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;
 &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Battelle for Kids&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;
 &lt;p&gt;Battelle for Kids is a national, not-for-profit organization helping to empower educators so that every student has hope, resilience, and the knowledge and skills to be future-ready. BFK has helped hundreds of school districts and state agencies design, launch, and bring their shared community visions&amp;mdash;the Portrait of a Graduate&amp;mdash;to life, impacting the learning experiences of millions of students nationwide. For more information, visit 
            &lt;a href="http://bfk.org/" target="_blank"&gt;bfk.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:0b085f13-097a-4d7d-8911-f53a8320d490</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/02/27/contribute-to-aasa-s-new-blog-series-5-years-later-lessons-innovation-and-the-future-of-public-education</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>������Update</category><title>Contribute to AASA’s New Blog Series: 5 Years Later: Lessons, Innovation, and the Future of Public Education</title><description>������is seeking contributors for a new blog series exploring how public education has evolved in the five years since the pandemic, highlighting resilience, innovation, and the path forward.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:02:39 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;������is introducing a new blog series, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;5 Years Later: Lessons, Innovation, and the Future of Public Education&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;to explore how PreK-12 education has evolved
        and what lessons we carry forward. This series will highlight the resilience, creativity, and strategic adaptations that have redefined public education since the pandemic. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are actively seeking contributions from superintendents, district leaders, educators, and researchers to share their experiences, best practices, and bold ideas that are shaping the future of our schools and communities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scope of the Series&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;div&gt;The blog series will feature contributions from superintendents, district leaders, educators, and researchers who will share insights, best practices, and visionary perspectives on the future of public education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Through real-world examples, reflections, and research-based analysis, the series will aim to:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Examine how learning acceleration strategies have evolved.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Highlight innovations in student and staff well-being, mental health, and engagement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Explore the role of technology in reshaping education.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Discuss leadership and policy shifts that have emerged in response to the crisis.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Envision the future of public education with a focus on resilience and innovation.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus Areas for Contributions&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;Focus Area: Learning Acceleration, Student Growth and Enrollment Innovation&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;For this focus area, we're seeking thoughtful narratives from district leaders who have moved beyond the narrative of "learning loss" to forge paths toward academic recovery and growth. Share your district's journey of &lt;strong&gt;reimagining student support and acceleration&lt;/strong&gt;.
 How has your district transformed challenges into opportunities for &lt;strong&gt;innovative learning&lt;/strong&gt;? We're particularly interested in learning about the &lt;strong&gt;moments that sparked creative solutions&lt;/strong&gt;, the partnerships that made progress
    possible, and the &lt;strong&gt;tangible impact&lt;/strong&gt; you've witnessed in your students' educational journeys. Tell us how your academic initiatives and student success stories have helped maintain or grow enrollment by demonstrating the unique value
    of public education in your community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;Focus Area: Staffing and the Educator Workforce&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;For this focus area, we seek insights on innovative&lt;strong&gt; strategies for recruiting, retaining, and empowering educators&lt;/strong&gt;. How have districts adapted staffing models to address shortages and support teacher well-being? What professional development
    initiatives have been most effective in&lt;strong&gt; equipping teachers for success&lt;/strong&gt; in today&amp;rsquo;s classrooms? Share your experiences with &lt;strong&gt;mentorship programs, alternative pathways to certification, and strategies to cultivate a strong and resilient workforce.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus Area: Well-Being and Learning&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;For this focus area, we invite stories from educators and district leaders who have prioritized student and educator well-being. How have you &lt;strong&gt;fostered a culture of mental health awareness, engagement, and wellness&lt;/strong&gt;? Share &lt;strong&gt;successful initiatives, partnerships, and strategies&lt;/strong&gt; that have enhanced mental and emotional learning and created supportive school environments. We are particularly interested in approaches that &lt;strong&gt;promote student and staff well-being and sustainable engagement, increase resilience, and sense of belonging in school communities.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;Focus Area: Technological Transformation&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The pandemic accelerated digital learning in unprecedented ways. For this focus area, we seek insights on &lt;strong&gt;how technology has transformed instruction&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;expanded access to learnin&lt;/strong&gt;g, and changed the way educators and students
    interact. How has your district leveraged EdTech for long-term success? Share your experiences with &lt;strong&gt;bridging the digital divide, implementing innovative teaching tools, and reimagining classroom instruction with technology.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;Focus Area: Leadership in Innovation and Strengthening Community Connections&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Over the last five years, school leaders have embraced new ways to foster innovation, strengthen community connections, and advocate for students&amp;mdash;even in politically divisive times. In what ways have superintendents refined their approach to communicating
    across differences while engaging with diverse stakeholders? We invite&lt;strong&gt; reflections from superintendents and district leaders on how leadership responsibilities have shifted, the importance of building authentic community connections, and how best to mobilize a wide range of stakeholders toward common goals to support students.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="highlight"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus Area: The Future of PreK-12 Education&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Looking ahead, &lt;strong&gt;what will define the next era of public education&lt;/strong&gt;? For this focus area, &lt;strong&gt;we seek bold ideas and forward-thinking strategies&lt;/strong&gt; from education leaders who are shaping the future of schools. What &lt;strong&gt;long-term changes have emerged from the pandemic&lt;/strong&gt;?
 What new approaches will drive belonging, innovation, and resilience? S&lt;strong&gt;hare your vision for the future of education and how schools can prepare for new challenges and opportunities.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Become a Contributor!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;div&gt;If you have a compelling story, research-based insight, or innovative strategy to share, we invite you to contribute to this series. The deadline to express interest is &lt;strong&gt;March 21, 2025.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://form.asana.com/?k=iS4Uz82d6C2KXUsTrqSqgg&amp;amp;d=1190117139682703" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Submit Interest Today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Throughout the series, we will feature perspectives from leaders across the nation, showcasing the incredible work being done to shape the future of public education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&amp;rsquo;s reflect, innovate, and move education forward&amp;mdash;together.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:f6bf8ee9-c412-4481-a26b-1be9fa659485</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/02/18/advancing-student-well-being-through-community-and-care</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>������Update</category><category>Health &amp; Wellness</category><title>Vineland Public Schools: Advancing Student Well-Being Through Community and Care</title><description>How a New Jersey school system is helping students recover from the mental health effects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and grow socially and emotionally.</description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:56:25 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h5 style="text-align:center;"&gt;������| JED District Comprehensive Approach District Spotlight&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;h6 style="text-align:center;"&gt;Vineland Public Schools, New Jersey&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/news/vineland-graduates-throwing-caps.jpg?sfvrsn=2295df97_1" alt="Vineland graduates throwing caps" sf-size="100" /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="note"&gt;In March 2024, The Jed Foundation (JED) and AASA, ������, announced the selection of &lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/03/20/15-school-districts-join-jed-and-aasa-in-transformational-youth-mental-health-and-suicide-prevention-program-for-pre-k-12-students" target="_blank"&gt;15 school districts&lt;/a&gt; to participate in the &lt;a href="https://jedfoundation.org/district-comprehensive-approach/" target="_blank"&gt;District Comprehensive Approach (DCA) pilot&lt;/a&gt;, a transformative program that guides districts in improving systems of support for pre-K&amp;ndash;12 students&amp;rsquo; emotional well-being.&amp;nbsp; The program, now called the &lt;a href="https://jedfoundation.org/our-work/jed-and-aasa-district-mental-health-initiative/" target="_blank"&gt;JED and ������District Mental Health Initiative&lt;/a&gt;, is currently enrolling new districts into future cohorts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="note"&gt;This is part of a series of  posts that will explore each of the 15 districts and their work learning and leading powerful mental health and suicide prevention practices that will benefit students around the country.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;District at a Glance:&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;District: &lt;/strong&gt;Vineland Public Schools in New Jersey&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Number of Schools:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;16&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Number of Students: &lt;/strong&gt;11,000&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the District: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.vineland.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Vineland Public Schools (VPS)&lt;/a&gt; is among the 20 largest school districts in New Jersey and serves close to 11,000 students. The district&amp;rsquo;s mission is to ensure a safe, creative, stimulating, and caring environment that
    promotes self-esteem, sound character, responsibility, and respect for diversity. &lt;strong&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent: &lt;/strong&gt; Alfonso Llano&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;JED and ������asked VPS superintendent Alfonso Llano what the district hopes to accomplish during its time in the program. (Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;What is your primary reason for participating in the DCA inaugural cohort?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participating in the District Comprehensive Approach allows our district to establish tools to help our students recover from the mental health effects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and grow socially and emotionally. We are honored to be chosen
    as a participating district and to work with ������and JED to assist our students, families, and staff in developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to mental health.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/news/vineland-students-with-painted-rocks.jpg?sfvrsn=76da409b_1" alt="Vineland students with painted rocks" sf-size="80210" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;Explain why student emotional well-being is a priority for you, your district, and your community.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of the high poverty level where VPS is located, as well as its rural location, our district has limited resources &amp;mdash; and the resources we do have for students are maxed out with wait lists.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We know we need to prioritize emotional and psychological well-being so our students can learn and grow academically. Participating in the program means our students will get additional support and services that would not have been available to them otherwise.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;How can students and their families and caregivers benefit from your district participating in this program?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The additional resources and recommended practices give families more options to support their children&amp;rsquo;s mental well-being. We hope to weave these resources into the family activities that are held at each of our schools.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;Where do you hope to move the needle in your district as it relates to mental health?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our district does a great job of understanding and addressing mental health challenges, but we can always do better. Participating in this program allows us to continue to grow and add new tools to assist our students. Working with a District Mental Health
    Specialist also gives us a valuable outside perspective on what we do well and how we can do it even better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;How does involvement with the DCA program impact public education nationwide?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This partnership shows that nonprofits can join forces with public education to create an action group that benefits all involved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;Where do you hope to be on this journey six months to one year from now?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;We hope to provide our support teams and staff members with a better understanding of the supports, services, and resources available to students, along with a wider variety of tools to support student mental health and emotional well-being within the
    school setting and classroom environment. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read about the other school districts participating in the District Comprehensive Approach:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/12/09/prioritizing-mental-health-for-students-and-staff-in-minnesota" target="_blank"&gt;Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/10/23/empowering-minds-how-chandler-unified-school-district-is-integrating-mental-health-and-learning"&gt;Chandler Unified School District in Arizona&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/10/01/fargo-public-schools-prioritizes-student-well-being-through-participation-in-dca-program"&gt;Fargo Public Schools in North Dakota&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/05/21/cultivating-care-hardin-public-schools&amp;#39;-commitment-to-student-mental-health"&gt;Hardin Public Schools in Montana&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/10/01/fargo-public-schools-prioritizes-student-well-being-through-participation-in-dca-program"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/08/15/supporting-the-whole-child-how-harford-county-public-schools-is-prioritizing-emotional-well-being-and-mental-health-through-the-dca-program"&gt;Harford County Public Schools in Maryland&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://jedfoundation.org/dca-district-spotlight-montgomery-county-public-schools/" target="_blank"&gt;Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/professional-learning/event/2025/09/01/default-calendar/district-mental-health-initiative" class="more" target="_blank"&gt;Learn more about the District Mental Health Initiative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:4d53eee4-189c-49de-b1f2-84c1391f9354</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/02/14/k-12-leaders-gather-in-new-orleans-for-aasa-s-2025-national-conference-on-education</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>K-12 Leaders Gather in New Orleans for AASA’S  

2025 National Conference on Education</title><description>More than 4,000 school leaders will gather in New Orleans for NCE 2025 to discuss AI, digital literacy, and the future of education.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:50:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br data-sf-ec-immutable="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="724516418" paraeid="{e2034dc9-a7d4-4f9a-86a2-6c9143fc6575}{136}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; February 14, 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ndash; More than 4,000 K-12 public school superintendents, district administrators and advocates from across the country are gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 6-8 for the  &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/?_gl=1%2A1m7xwhm%2A_gcl_au%2ANTU1NzUyMTAxLjE3MzM4NDM1Mzg." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;2025 National Conference on Education (NCE),&lt;/a&gt; hosted by  &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1163488349" paraeid="{e2034dc9-a7d4-4f9a-86a2-6c9143fc6575}{202}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="749383312" paraeid="{e2034dc9-a7d4-4f9a-86a2-6c9143fc6575}{206}"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Future Driven Leadership&amp;rdquo; is the theme for this year's conference, and it will focus on what school system leaders can do to prepare America&amp;rsquo;s students for bright futures they cannot yet even imagine; from digital literacy and embracing new tech and AI, to ensuring students graduate with the necessary skills they need to thrive in the real world. Attendees will develop a vision for the future of education and anticipate upcoming trends and challenges, as well as opportunities to proactively shape strategies and initiatives to address them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote paraid="749383312" paraeid="{e2034dc9-a7d4-4f9a-86a2-6c9143fc6575}{206}" class="pull-quote"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;The superintendents attending our conference symbolize what it means to lead&amp;mdash;their diligence and hard work creates and maintains a dynamic learning platform where education is not just a system but an innovative, vibrant and transformative force&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1712103382" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{47}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;ldquo;The superintendents attending our conference symbolize what it means to lead&amp;mdash;their diligence and hard work creates and maintains a dynamic learning platform where education is not just a system but an innovative, vibrant and transformative force,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. &amp;ldquo;It is an honor to welcome so many extraordinary leaders to NCE to network and grow their leadership capacity.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1461540821" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{103}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conference keynote speakers and topics include:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1423171293" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{109}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul role="list"&gt;&lt;li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{" 335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridmultilevel"}"="" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1" role="listitem"&gt;&lt;p paraid="1862242665" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{113}"&gt;Carole G. Basile, Dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University - The Future of Our Education Work Force (March 6)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul role="list"&gt;&lt;li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{" 335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridmultilevel"}"="" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1" role="listitem"&gt;&lt;p paraid="844978307" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{147}"&gt;Freeman Hrabowski III, President Emeritus, University of Maryland - Preparing Students to Succeed in a Divided Society: The Power of Leadership, Education, and Stories (March 7)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul role="list"&gt;&lt;li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{" 335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridmultilevel"}"="" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1" role="listitem"&gt;&lt;p paraid="1587729656" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{167}"&gt;Christian Jackson, Entrepreneur and Speaker, Edapt - Leading as AI Architects: Leading the Charge for Lasting District Development (March 8)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1591763427" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{189}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="1321947034" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{193}"&gt;&lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can see the full education schedule here.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1696048232" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{204}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="81699464" paraeid="{6e97a632-32cb-4ca7-8c67-3d982135b1ad}{208}"&gt;NCE will hold various &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/thought-leader-sessions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Thought Leader Sessions&lt;/a&gt; as well as &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/education-sessions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Educational&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/roundtable-sessions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Round Table Sessions&lt;/a&gt; on Future-Driven Learning Strategies; Generative AI in Education; Live Well, Lead Well; Re-Designing Learning; School Environment and Culture; and School Safety, Finances and Operations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1104094009" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{10}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1728302940" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{18}"&gt;The conference includes an &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/nce-exhibit-hall/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Exhibit Hall&lt;/a&gt; with an Advocacy Action Center, &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/school-safety-security-learning-lab/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;School Safety &amp;amp; Security Learning Lab&lt;/a&gt;, and a &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/health-wellness-center/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Health &amp;amp; Wellness Center&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; where conference goers can relax and recharge with yoga, enjoy meeting friendly pups in the dog-petting lounge and burn extra energy by riding a bike while simultaneously making a smoothie.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="576133657" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{104}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="76686344" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{108}"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/social-media-lounge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Social Media Lounge&lt;/a&gt; is also in the Exhibit Hall, where superintendents and school administrators can enhance their communication skills and attend sessions such as Fostering Mental Wellness and Community Connection Through Social Media, Harnessing AI for District Success: Best Practices for Social Media and Beyond and Tacking Misinformation and Fake News in Public Education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="991794529" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{179}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="2102848735" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{183}"&gt;The &lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/12/16/finalists-named-for-aasa-s-2025-national-superintendent-of-the-year-award" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;2025 National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg;&lt;/a&gt; winner will be announced on the first day of the conference. Recipients of the &lt;a href="/news-media/news/2025/01/17/two-champions-of-education-equity-will-receive-aasa-humanitarian-award" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;2025 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award&lt;/a&gt; as well as the winners of the &lt;a href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/women-in-school-leadership-awards" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Women in School Leadership Award&lt;/a&gt; will also be recognized at NCE.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1953308345" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{244}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1499810510" paraeid="{3b1ef73a-9e79-4279-bf5e-5a3eceb3f942}{248}"&gt;Attendees and those interested in the conference can follow AASA&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href="http://nce.aasa.org/conference-daily-online/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Conference Daily Online&lt;/a&gt;. The award-winning, multimedia publication is updated each day and provides a comprehensive report on conference proceedings and events, coverage of key speakers, award winners and ������governance activities, along with photos, video clips and blog postings.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1830961125" paraeid="{92585aa1-4580-4f9a-bc28-48420186513a}{6}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1640969278" paraeid="{92585aa1-4580-4f9a-bc28-48420186513a}{10}"&gt;For more information about the 2025 National Conference on Education, visit the &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;������website&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="740334402" paraeid="{92585aa1-4580-4f9a-bc28-48420186513a}{25}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p paraid="740334402" paraeid="{92585aa1-4580-4f9a-bc28-48420186513a}{25}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="1486982930" paraeid="{92585aa1-4580-4f9a-bc28-48420186513a}{31}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:ec1607d9-5b73-4365-ba2b-14503aed535e</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/28/aasa-and-national-pta-honor-superintendent-with-inaugural-excellence-in-family-engagement-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>������and National PTA Honor Superintendent with Inaugural "Excellence in Family Engagement Award"</title><description>������and the National PTA Honor Superintendent Alex Marrero with Inaugural "Excellence in Family Engagement Award"</description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:13:16 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; (January 28, 2025) &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.pta.org/"&gt;National PTA&lt;/a&gt; are pleased to celebrate excellence
        in family engagement by honoring a leader dedicated to family-school partnerships. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/alex-marrero" target="_blank"&gt;Alex Marrero&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent of Denver Public Schools, has been selected among district leaders across the country to receive the inaugural &lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/09/26/aasa-the-school-superintendents-association-and-the-national-pta-announce-new-excellence-in-family-engagement-award"&gt;Excellence in Family Engagement Award,&lt;/a&gt; in addition to $5,000 to support family engagement initiatives. Candidates for the award were judged on their commitment to equity, transformative engagement, capacity-building and results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marrero has implemented best practices and integrated family engagement across strategic plans, budgets, and district infrastructure. He also continually demonstrates a commitment to equitable student outcomes and encourages other school system leaders
        to contribute to national efforts to sustain public and private funding for family-school partnerships. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/david-schuler"&gt;Dave Schuler&lt;/a&gt;, AASA&amp;rsquo;s executive director said, "This award honors Alex Marrero&amp;rsquo;s impressive dedication to authentic family engagement and reflects his vision, persistence,
        strong convictions, and sense of equity and excellence. We congratulate him for his many achievements and look forward to seeing the positive impact he makes on the students and families he serves continue to grow."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-johnson-0a3a014/"&gt;Yvonne Johnson&lt;/a&gt;, National PTA president said, "Decades of research shows family engagement is critical to student success and school improvement efforts, and Alex Marrero is dedicated
        to improving student outcomes by investing in family-school partnerships. We are thrilled to join ������in honoring Dr. Marrero with the inaugural Excellence in Family Engagement Award."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marrero will be recognized with the Excellence in Family Education Award during AASA&amp;rsquo;s  &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank"&gt;2025 National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, on March 6 in New Orleans. The award was made possible by funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York and Overdeck Family Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;About the Winner:&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/headshots/alex-marrero.png?sfvrsn=63e81345_1" sf-size="415478" width="200" alt="Alex Marrero" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Alex Marrero has served as the superintendent of Denver Public Schools since Spring 2021. He oversees Colorado's largest school district with more than 90,000 students and 15,000 staff across over 200 schools, and a budget of $1.45 billion. As the
        son of a Cuban refugee and a Dominican immigrant, he advocates for the diverse needs of his students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Under his leadership, the district achieved its highest-ever graduation rates, increased proficiency rates, and saw the implementation of its first-ever equity-based strategic plan. His efforts raised salaries and established living wages for all
        employees, while enhancing school safety and cybersecurity. He established the Latine Education Advisory Council to enhance educational outcomes for Latino/Hispanic students, launched the International Educators Institute to aid new international
        teachers in adapting to the educational system and community and opened six Community Hubs which connect students, families, and community members with free services to increase their economic self-sufficiency and academic success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2024, he successfully championed the passage of a nearly billion-dollar bond proposal, the largest in Denver Public Schools' history, earning 75% approval and underscoring his ability to galvanize community support. It also demonstrated a shared
        commitment to enhancing opportunities for every student, educator, and family in the district.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marrero&amp;rsquo;s leadership philosophy is centered on empowering every student, regardless of their background, to overcome obstacles and become innovative leaders in their fields, reflecting his personal journey and commitment to educational excellence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About National PTA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;National PTA&amp;reg; comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit &lt;a href="https://www.pta.org/" target="_blank"&gt;PTA.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:d9e9e183-bac5-4b5b-a3f6-0a3fe0c27036</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/27/sourcewell-awards-new-fitness-equipment-with-related-accessories-and-services-contracts</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>News</category><category>������Update</category><category>Sourcewell</category><title>Sourcewell Awards New Fitness Equipment with Related Accessories and Services Contracts</title><description>Sourcewell, AASA's government cooperative procurement partner, recently awarded contracts for fitness equipment with related accessories and services.</description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:28:37 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/sourcewell/sourcewell-and-aasa.png?sfvrsn=1682e5da_1" style="margin-bottom:10px;float:left;" sf-size="5808" class="-align-left" width="400" alt="Sourcewell and AASA" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:15px;font-family:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;Sourcewell, AASA's government cooperative procurement partner,  &lt;a href="https://hello.sourcewell.org/webmail/993442/707343434/3ecc2809278195ae84e399dc4c1faefa8ab0087c8c5f6c1bb8c102235c6b3eb8#Contract%20category%201" target="_blank"&gt;recently awarded&lt;/a&gt; contracts for fitness equipment with related accessories and services. The contracts cover things like commercial-grade (or better) individual or group fitness equipment and related accessories, complementary services, including training, calibration, and installation, and more!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Fitness Equipment with Related Accessories and Services&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;Commercial-grade (or better) individual or group equipment and related accessories for cardio, strength, agility, and mobility training; equipment and related accessories for vocational, exercise, sports rehabilitation, or therapy of joint and muscle injuries; related technology and online or virtual programming; and complementary services, including training, testing, calibration, maintenance, installation, and warranty programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dynamic Fitness &amp;amp; Strength&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;EGYM&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Life Fitness LLC&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Precor&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;SportsArt Inc&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;TRUE Fitness&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/sourcewell/athleticaward_sourcewell_020325.png?sfvrsn=d93bfdba_1" sf-size="100" width="600" alt="" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/contract-search" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Learn more here&lt;/a&gt; and visit the   &lt;a href="/district-purchasing-hub/parks-recreation-athletics" target="_blank"&gt;District Purchasing Hub&lt;/a&gt; to access hundreds of competitively solicited cooperative purchasing solutions for your schools and district.&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:91d518cb-abe1-465c-9e60-0fc3f33d21d8</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/22/sourcewell-awards-new-athletic-and-physical-education-equipment-with-related-supplies-contracts</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>News</category><category>������Update</category><category>Sourcewell</category><title>Sourcewell Awards New Athletic and Physical Education Equipment with Related Supplies Contracts</title><description>Sourcewell, AASA's government cooperative procurement partner, recently awarded new contracts for new athletic and physical education equipment with related supplies.</description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:52:12 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/sourcewell/sourcewell-and-aasa.png?sfvrsn=1682e5da_1" style="margin-bottom:10px;float:left;" sf-size="5808" class="-align-left" width="400" alt="Sourcewell and AASA" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:15px;font-family:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 3 []"&gt;Sourcewell, AASA's government cooperative procurement partner,  &lt;a href="https://hello.sourcewell.org/webmail/993442/707343434/3ecc2809278195ae84e399dc4c1faefa8ab0087c8c5f6c1bb8c102235c6b3eb8#Contract%20category%201" target="_blank"&gt;recently awarded&lt;/a&gt; new contracts for new athletic and physical education equipment with related supplies. The contracts cover things like equipment for individual and team sports, technology-enhanced equipment, complementary athletic uniforms and event seating solutions and more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Athletic and Physical Education Equipment with Related Supplies&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Equipment for physical education, individual and team sports, coaching, and adaptive athletics; indoor and outdoor facility-related athletic equipment; curriculum, assessment, and training tools; technology-enhanced equipment; complementary athletic uniforms, fitness equipment, and event seating solutions; and installation services in connection with the purchase of equipment.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Defiant Strength&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Draper&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gill Athletics&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gopher Sport&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jaypro Sports&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Porter Athletic&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Riddell/All American Sports Corp.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;School Health&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"&gt;&lt;p&gt;STEMfinity&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/logos/partners/athletic-contracts-image.png?sfvrsn=8bbfef2_1" sf-size="100" width="600" alt="" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/contract-search" target="_blank"&gt;Learn more here&lt;/a&gt; and visit the   &lt;a href="/district-purchasing-hub/parks-recreation-athletics" target="_blank"&gt;District Purchasing Hub&lt;/a&gt; to access hundreds of competitively solicited cooperative purchasing solutions for your schools and district.&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:668e56e8-cd9c-4c41-a6af-95eaebd22fd9</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/22/aasa-launches-schools-of-thought-blog</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>������Update</category><title>������Launches "Schools of Thought" Blog to Advance Public Education Leadership</title><description>������launches Schools of Thought blog to elevate excellence in public education through shared innovation, practical strategies and stories of success.</description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:39:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;New Blog Aimed at Igniting the Spark of Possibility in Public Education&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/schools-of-thought-blog/schools-of-thought-web-thumbnail.jpg?sfvrsn=5f803c16_1" style="margin:10px auto;display:block;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" width="300" alt="Schools of Thought Web Thumbnail" class="-align-center" sf-size="37891" /&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Today, AASA, ������, announced the launch of &lt;a href="/resources/schools-of-thought-blog" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Schools of Thought&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a new digital platform dedicated to elevating excellence in public education through shared innovation, practical strategies and stories of success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The new blog will serve as an essential resource for district leaders nationwide, focusing on learner-centered approaches and future-driven practices that are reshaping and advancing the promise of America's public schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The platform will feature:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Evidence-based strategies from successful district initiatives across the country&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Innovation spotlights on transformational leadership&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Practical resources for implementing learner-centered approaches&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Future-driven solutions to contemporary educational challenges&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;District leaders can access &lt;em&gt;Schools of Thought&lt;/em&gt; at &lt;a href="/resources/schools-of-thought-blog" target="_blank"&gt;aasa.org/blog&lt;/a&gt;. If you are interested in contributing a post, please visit AASA&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href="/resources/schools-of-thought-blog/blog-submission-guidelines" target="_blank"&gt;Blog Post Submission Guidelines&lt;/a&gt;. Applications for Regular Bloggers will go live in February!&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:fe9262b5-9481-4e73-935b-ae10eb891a7b</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/17/two-champions-of-education-equity-will-receive-aasa-humanitarian-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Access &amp; Opportunity</category><title>Two Champions of Education Equity Will Receive ������Humanitarian Award</title><description>������honors individuals who are paving the way for underrepresented leaders in education.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:25:31 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; January 17, 2025 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; AASA, ������, is pleased to announce the recipients of the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/effie-h-jones-humanitarian-award"&gt;2025 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award&lt;/a&gt;, an annual recognition of education leaders committed to the advancement and mentorship of women and people of color, and/or addressing social justice issues among children
        and adults in schools.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2025 honorees were selected for this award because they exemplify the qualities modeled by the late Dr. Effie Hall Jones, a school administrator, teacher, counselor and former ������associate executive director. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The 2025 recipients are: &lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/nettie-collins-hart"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nettie Collins-Hart&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 superintendent, Hazelwood School District, Florissant, Mo.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/alexandra-estrella"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandra Estrella&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 superintendent, Norwalk Public Schools, Norwalk, Conn.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;These two outstanding individuals continue to break down barriers and build bridges to ensure that the field of educational leadership is richer and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators &amp;ndash; we honor and congratulate them,&amp;rdquo;
        said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. &amp;ldquo;Dr. Jones, a trailblazer throughout her illustrious career, would have been proud of their unselfish devotion to the students they serve and the communities in which they live.&amp;rdquo;

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Collins-Hart and Estrella will receive their awards during the general session on the first day of &lt;a target="_blank" href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s 2025 National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, which takes place March 6-8, in New Orleans, LA. On day two, the awardees will be honored at the Dr. Effie Hall Jones Memorial Equity Luncheon, which is co-hosted
        by AASA, the National Alliance for Black School Educators (NABSE) and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), and sponsored by the Institute for Educational Innovation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;These two outstanding individuals continue to break down barriers and build bridges to ensure that the field of educational leadership is richer and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;h6&gt;About the Honorees&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/headshots/nettie-collins-hart.png?sfvrsn=5da37065_1" sf-size="231326" width="176" alt="Nettie Collins-Hart" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Nettie Collins-Hart&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Collins-Hart became the superintendent of the Hazelwood School District in 2016 and has created academic acceleration models in five thematic schools, led the opening of a school-based health center, facilitated the development and implementation
        of the Hazelwood NOW Strategic Plan, expanded early childhood education opportunities districtwide, balanced the $250M budget and successfully advocated for compensation increases across all employee groups. Her current efforts include collaborating
        with state agencies and local organizations to design and implement equity measures for school districts statewide. Collins-Hart was a teacher for nine years and also has experience as an assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, assistant
        superintendent and college professor. During her tenure, graduating seniors in Hazelwood earned more than $188M in scholarships and volunteered over 200,000 community service hours. Hazelwood School District supports 2,950 staff who serve over
        16,000 students representing over 60 countries and nearly 40 languages in North St. Louis County, Missouri.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="/images/default-source/headshots/alexandra-estrella.jpg?sfvrsn=7c887662_1" sf-size="43737" width="176" alt="Alexandra Estrella" sf-constrain-proportions="true" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Alexandra Estrella&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Estrella is a first-generation Latina-American with more than 27 years of experience in education. As Superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools, she championed educational equity, created opportunities for students and fostered diverse leadership.
        As an advocate for systemic change, Estrella is committed to eliminating barriers that limit student potential. Her leadership focuses on addressing disproportionalities in data and embedding equity, excellence, and inclusion across the district.
        In 2021, she introduced the role of Deputy Superintendent of Excellence, Equity, and Inclusion to drive these efforts. Under her guidance, the district has implemented multi-year professional learning workshops for the School Board, administrators,
        and staff to advance equity and inclusion. Through mentorship and advocacy, she uplifts diverse voices, modeling equity and excellence for future leaders. Her work is grounded in the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to achieve
        their dreams, and her passion for equity reflects both a professional commitment and a personal mission.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For additional information about the Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award, contact Bryan Joffe at &lt;a href="mailto:bjoffe@aasa.org" target="_blank"&gt;bjoffe@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt; or visit the &lt;a href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/effie-h-jones-humanitarian-award" target="_blank"&gt;������website&lt;/a&gt;.

 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support
        and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a href="/home" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:0a5627ae-071a-4a28-b434-88e08912cefd</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/16/aasa-applauds-fcc-and-recipients-in-first-federal-cybersecurity-pilot</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>E-Rate</category><category>Technology &amp; AI</category><title>������Applauds FCC and Recipients in First Federal Cybersecurity Pilot</title><description>������applauds the more than 700 schools, districts, libraries and consortia selected as recipients in the FCC’s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program.</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:56:49 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; January 16, 2025 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; AASA, ������, applauds the more than 700 schools, districts, libraries and consortia selected as recipients in the FCC&amp;rsquo;s Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winners hail from all 50 states and include 645 schools and districts, 50 libraries, and 12 consortia. The pilot will provide $200 million over three years, and helps the recipients cover the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This pilot is the third and final piece of FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;Learn without Limits Initiative&amp;rdquo; a three-prong solution for closing the homework gap &amp;ndash; Wi-FI on school buses, Wi-Fi hot-spot lending, and the cybersecurity pilot program. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Making sure our students have access to all the opportunities of the digital world has been a cornerstone of my time at the Commission. It is also vitally important that this access is cybersecure,&amp;rdquo; said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  &amp;ldquo;This issue touches every state in every region of our country, including on Tribal lands, and that range of experience is reflected in the participants announced today.  Through this program, we will be able to provide our federal, state, and local government partners with actionable data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first-of-its-kind, three-year pilot empowers E-Rate beneficiaries to explore the use of Universal Service Fund (USF) dollars to improve school and library protection against cybersecurity attacks. The pilot will also generate data the FCC can use to assess not only the effectiveness of various cybersecurity services and equipment in their ability to protect school and library broadband networks and data, but also the feasibility of the USF to support these services and what a longer-term program might look like. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As districts continue to innovate how they integrate technology into all aspects of teaching and learning, the overall demand for bandwidth in schools continues to grow &amp;ndash; a demand which comes with increased threats of cybersecurity attacks. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;������Executive Director David R. Schuler was &lt;a href="/news-media/news/2024/12/19/aasa-executive-director-david-r.-schuler-named-to-usac-board" target="_blank"&gt;recently appointed to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) Board of Directors&lt;/a&gt;, which oversees the administration of the USF programs, and includes the schools and libraries (E-Rate) program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;������stands behind the E-Rate program&amp;rsquo;s success in ensuring basic connectivity and digital opportunities for all learners.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;������has been proud to support the cybersecurity pilot since it was announced in the summer of 2023, and we commend the Chairwoman for her leadership on this important initiative. The E-Rate program, over the last 25 years, has almost single-handedly transformed connectivity for our nation&amp;rsquo;s schools and the students they serve. ������stands behind the E-Rate program&amp;rsquo;s success in ensuring basic connectivity and digital opportunities for all learners. We applaud the FCC&amp;rsquo;s vision to redirect reserved, unused USF funding which moves the needle on cybersecurity support for schools and libraries without undermining connectivity. We look forward to the opportunity to leverage the data and lessons learned from the pilot to create a longer-term federal policy for cybersecurity support for our nation&amp;rsquo;s schools.&amp;rdquo; 

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support
        and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:78016df3-3c78-4958-add2-ab82d9959c48</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/15/capacity-building-grant-will-allow-school-systems-to-become-more-ai-ready</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Technology &amp; AI</category><category>������Update</category><title>Capacity Building Grant Will Allow School Systems to Become More AI-Ready</title><description>CoSN announced receipt of a new grant to advance the thoughtful and responsible implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in K-12 school districts.</description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:29:13 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/"&gt;CoSN&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;announced receipt of a new grant to advance the thoughtful and responsible implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in K-12 school districts, which was made possible by the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/"&gt;Bill &amp;amp; Melinda Gates Foundation&lt;/a&gt;. The Building Capacity for Generative AI in K-12 Education Grant will support training to help school districts assess their readiness to implement generative AI (Gen AI) technologies and develop a roadmap for implementation that aligns with their instructional and operational objectives. Through collaboration with Education Service Agencies (ESAs) and state nonprofit organizations, as well as working with national education associations, CoSN will provide high-quality professional learning opportunities to school districts of all sizes, with a special emphasis on reaching small- and medium-sized school districts that may otherwise have limited access to quality training and guidance, ensuring responsible and effective integration of Gen AI for all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This project builds on the success of previous efforts, including the development of the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/cosn-news/council-of-the-great-city-schools-cosn-launch-k-12-generative-artificial-intelligence-gen-ai-readiness-checklist/"&gt;CoSN/CGCS K-12 Generative AI Readiness Assessment&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/cosn-news/cosn-unveils-groundbreaking-cosn-cgcs-k-12-gen-ai-maturity-tool/"&gt;K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool&lt;/a&gt;. Informed by insights from project partners as well as from members of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/committee/ai-committee-open-to-all-k-12-members-initiative-sponsors/"&gt;CoSN&amp;rsquo;s AI Committee&lt;/a&gt;, CoSN will define a process to ensure the Maturity Tool is relevant and accessible to school districts of all sizes and locations, including rural and under-resourced school districts. CoSN will also capitalize on the local reach of ESAs and state nonprofit organizations to ensure the &amp;ldquo;Go to Market&amp;rdquo; strategy reaches all school systems/districts, not simply the largest and most sophisticated. This grant will enable CoSN to build a more scalable model to benefit districts of all sizes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;&amp;ldquo;As schools across the country explore how AI can transform teaching, learning and the broader education enterprise, many districts &amp;mdash; especially smaller, under-resourced ones &amp;mdash; are unsure where to begin,&amp;rdquo; said&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;As schools across the country explore how AI can transform teaching, learning and the broader education enterprise, many districts &amp;mdash; especially smaller, under-resourced ones &amp;mdash; are unsure where to begin,&amp;rdquo; said&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN&lt;/strong&gt;. &amp;ldquo;This groundbreaking initiative leverages CoSN&amp;rsquo;s national expertise, in partnership with education service agencies, to empower districts to navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI in K-12 education. We are especially proud to collaborate with our strategic partners AESA, ������and SETDA on this critical effort.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key activities supported by the grant include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Training a cohort of 10-20 lead trainers at the national level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In partnership with the Association of Education Service Agencies (AESA), hosting four regional Train-the-Trainer sessions to train additional cohorts who, in turn, will provide ongoing training to local school districts, with special emphasis on reaching under-resourced and rural districts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hosting three Gen AI Maturity Summits for district teams targeting medium and large school districts. The summits will focus on building awareness of the CoSN/CGCS K-12 AI Maturity Tool and how it can be used by districts along with resources, insights and strategies for harnessing the power of generative AI.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key objectives of the grant include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Serving medium and small school districts that lack the capacity and expertise to leverage AI opportunities by engaging ESAs and state nonprofit organizations in a &amp;ldquo;Train-the-Trainer&amp;rdquo; model, delivering professional learning opportunities and shared technical assistance.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Collecting data on best practices for meeting the local needs of different ESA and state nonprofits&amp;rsquo; operating models to support scaling efforts.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Conducting a pre- and post-survey of participating district teams to provide baseline data and evaluate their readiness to utilize the Gen AI Maturity Tool.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Developing a library of resources from CoSN&amp;rsquo;s Gen AI Committee &amp;mdash; with experts from AESA, ������ (AASA) and SETDA, the principal association representing U.S. state and territorial education technology leaders &amp;mdash; tied to the Gen AI Maturity Tool, providing evidence and examples of successful Gen AI integration at varying levels of maturity.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Enhancing networking between ESAs, state nonprofit education organizations, superintendents, state departments of education and CoSN to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing on common successful strategies.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Lessons learned from these activities will inform the continuous improvement of the &amp;ldquo;Train-the-Trainer&amp;rdquo; model and supporting resources, with a view to making the training available to additional organizations and school districts following the completion of grant-funded activities. By prioritizing trust, transparency, and ethical, responsible, and sustainable implementation, CoSN aims to ensure the safe and effective use of AI technologies in K-12 education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;To learn more about CoSN&amp;rsquo;s work on AI, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cosn.org/AI"&gt;&lt;em&gt;www.cosn.org/AI&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:4dbf0c60-ce50-4fc5-ae07-58f64bc33022</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/13/aasa-awards-grants-to-school-districts-across-the-nation</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>District &amp; School Operations</category><title>������Awards Grants to School Districts Across the Nation</title><description>Sixteen districts awarded funds to improve learning from the ������| Sourcewell Helping Kids Mini Grants program.</description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:26:18 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; January 13, 2025 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="/home"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;,
 announced today the recipients of the 2025 &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/helping-kids-mini-grant-program"&gt;Helping Kids Mini Grants&lt;/a&gt;,
 a program funded by AASA, and supported by its government cooperative procurement partner, &lt;a href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/" target="_blank"&gt;Sourcewell&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, $40,000 in funds have been distributed to 16 school districts to improve learning in two ways - reimagining and advancing existing district infrastructure and making upgrades for flexible and contemporary educational facilities.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;������is thrilled to be able to support public school districts. We pride ourselves as the premier national organization of service for the education community, and it&amp;rsquo;s part of our fabric to help provide opportunities for districts to
        better themselves and their communities,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. &amp;ldquo;Sourcewell is an integral part of making this program available, and we thank them for their partnership, which speaks volumes to their unparalleled
        commitment to school communities nationwide.&amp;rdquo; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;For 2025, the following school districts were chosen to receive the ������| Sourcewell Helping Kids Mini Grants:&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adams12.org/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adams 12 Five Star Schools&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, Thornton, Colo.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;Christopher Gdowski&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.baldwinschools.org/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baldwin Union Free School District&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, Baldwin, N.Y.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Shari Camhi&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sau74.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Barrington School District&lt;/a&gt;, Barrington, N.H.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Deannah Rae&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bertrandvikings.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Bertrand Community School District #54&lt;/a&gt;, Bertrand, Neb.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Nicole LeClaire&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.biddefordschools.me/" target="_blank"&gt;Biddeford School District&lt;/a&gt;, Biddeford, Maine&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Jeremy Ray&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.glendiveschools.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Glendive Public Schools&lt;/a&gt;, Glendive, Mont.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Stephen Schreibeis&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.greenbrierschools.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Greenbrier Public Schools&lt;/a&gt;, Greenbrier, Ark.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Kelli Martin&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.isd728.org/" target="_blank"&gt;ISD 728 Elk River Area Schools&lt;/a&gt;, Elk River, Minn.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Daniel Bittman&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Johnston County Public Schools&lt;/a&gt;, Smithfield, N.C.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Dr. Eric Bracy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://texas.legacytraditional.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Legacy Traditional Schools&lt;/a&gt;, San Antonio, Texas&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Dr. Sylvia Mitchell&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.lewis.k12.mo.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Lewis County C-1 School District&lt;/a&gt;, Lewistown, Mo.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; John French&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.lin-wood.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Lincoln-Woodstock Cooperative School District&lt;/a&gt;, Lincoln, N.H.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Mary Steady&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.maps124.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Milford Area Public Schools #124&lt;/a&gt;, Milford, Ill.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; John Klaber&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.gozeps.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Noble Local School District&lt;/a&gt;, Sarahsville, Ohio&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Justin Denius&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nebobcats.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Northeastern School District&lt;/a&gt;, Manchester, Pa.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Dr. Jason Bottiglieri&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.scsd303.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Stevenson-Carson School District&lt;/a&gt;, Stevenson, Wash.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent &amp;ndash; Ingrid L. Colvard
        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2012, ������and Sourcewell have worked together to create the mini-grant program. For additional questions, please contact Leigh Hines at &lt;a href="mailto:leigh.hines@aasa.org"&gt;leigh.hines@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.

 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support
        and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Sourcewell&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sourcewell partners with K-12 schools across North America to deliver streamlined procurement solutions that support student success. With access to hundreds of competitively awarded contracts, schools can efficiently purchase technology, classroom supplies, transportation, and professional development resources while saving time and money. Our trusted cooperative purchasing process ensures compliance and transparency, with contracts delivered through local dealers to strengthen communities. From modernizing classrooms to enhancing student well-being, Sourcewell empowers schools to create enriching learning environments. Focus on what matters most&amp;mdash;empowering students&amp;mdash;while we handle the procurement process with care and expertise. Learn more at &lt;a href="https://sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying" target="_blank"&gt;sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:c7737adc-5c96-45c5-b3d4-13ea9c5a83c4</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/10/national-superintendent-of-the-year-finalists-discuss-top-priority-education-issues-during-panel-in-washington-d.c</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>National Superintendent of the Year® Finalists Discuss Top-Priority Education Issues During Panel in Washington, D.C.</title><description>School-to-career pipeline, political challenges, academic scores, school choice, the incoming administration, cell phones and the use of new tech and AI were among key topics covered by AASA’s 2025 National Superintendent of the Year® Finalists.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:34:02 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;(813) 833-1498 (cell)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jan. 10, 2025 - Washington, DC&lt;/strong&gt;-&amp;nbsp;School-to-career pipeline, political challenges, academic scores, school choice, the incoming administration, cell phones and the use of new tech and AI were among key topics covered by AASA&amp;rsquo;s
        2025 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; Finalists as they reflected on the dynamic roles of superintendents, upcoming opportunities and lessons learned.&amp;nbsp;
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:inherit;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Education Week&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;a href="https://www.edweek.org/by/olina-banerji" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Olina Banerji&lt;/a&gt;
 &lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt; moderated the panel which was held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. before a packed audience that included ������leadership and staff, local advocates of public education and education media.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The four finalists, &lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2024/12/16/finalists-named-for-aasa-s-2025-national-superintendent-of-the-year-award"&gt;announced December 16, 2024&lt;/a&gt; are:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/sharon-desmoulin-kherat"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Peoria Public School District 150, Ill.
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/walter-gonsoulin"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Jefferson County Schools, Ala.
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/debbie-jones"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Debbie Jones&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Bentonville School District, Ark.
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/david-moore"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David K. Moore&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 School District of Indian River County, Fla.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/awards/superintendent-of-the-year/soy-finalists-2025.png?sfvrsn=692123ff_1" alt="Debbie Jones, Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, David K. Moore" /&gt;&lt;figcaption style="text-align:center;"&gt;From L to R: Debbie Jones, Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, David K. Moore.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h6 role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;h6 role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;"Kids aren&amp;rsquo;t going to come to school just for math and literacy. They come for social relationships, culinary arts, PE, or to build a plane. As superintendents, we have to think beyond academics." - &lt;strong&gt;Debbie Jones, Bentonville School District, Ark.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;REALITIES OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;In Peoria, we reimagined education to address teacher shortages and inequity. Today, our middle schoolers have greater access to advanced coursework like Algebra 1." - &lt;strong&gt;Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, Peoria Public School District 150, Ill.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;LEADING IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;"I don&amp;rsquo;t have a particular problem with school choice. I have a problem that public schools have been left out of the conversation. For the previous two years, my school district put $4 million a year to provide that school choice.
                        And I challenged them to look at allowing us to compete for the money that funds school choice. All of us&amp;mdash;homeschool, charter schools, public schools&amp;mdash;should be in that competitive process, and then we have to show that
                        we&amp;rsquo;re sustaining it." - &lt;strong&gt;Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Jefferson County Schools, Ala.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;SCHOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p role="heading" aria-level="6" paraid="11368832" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{178}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;"Transformation in public education begins with a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't. To move forward, we have to stop doing what isn&amp;rsquo;t effective. This means eliminating programs that don&amp;rsquo;t lead
                                to high-paying, high-demand jobs, and focusing resources on areas that truly prepare students for the future. As we look at career pathways, we have to think about jobs that don&amp;rsquo;t even exist yet and ensure our students
                                are prepared for that uncertainty. Public education needs to be strategic in designing programs that lead to industry certifications, and we must be willing to change course when something isn&amp;rsquo;t working. This is the
                                bold, intentional work that is necessary for real transformation in our school systems." - &lt;strong&gt;David Moore, School District of Indian River County, Fla.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p paraid="621059703" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{210}"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p paraid="621059703" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{210}"&gt;This award, co-presented by AASA, &lt;a href="https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/employers/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Corebridge Financial&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="/about-aasa/partner/sourcewell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;Sourcewell&lt;/a&gt;, recognizes exceptional superintendents for their outstanding leadership and dedication to advancing public education in their communities. The 2025 National Superintendent of the Year&amp;reg; will be announced
        during AASA&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a href="http://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, March 6-8, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p paraid="621059703" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{210}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;You can access the complete list of the 2025 State Superintendents of the Year, awarded independently by each state association, &lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;a href="https://soy.aasa.org/winners-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p paraid="621059703" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{210}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;For more information about the program, visit &lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/national-superintendent-of-the-year" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s website&lt;/a&gt;
 &lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt; or contact Jennifer Rooney, ������senior director, meetings and awards, at &lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="mailto:jrooney@aasa.org" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;jrooney@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 paraid="621059703" paraeid="{3e4f1ed3-67ad-43aa-980c-a0aaa33fbd59}{210}"&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can watch the full briefing here:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;div data-sf-ec-immutable="" contenteditable="false" style="width:640px;height:360px;"&gt;&lt;div data-sf-disable-link-event=""&gt;&lt;div sf-youtube-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXRzmV8xnlI"&gt;&lt;iframe frameborder="0" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RXRzmV8xnlI?v=RXRzmV8xnlI&amp;amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aasa.org&amp;amp;widgetid=1"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support
    and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Corebridge Financial&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Corebridge Financial, Inc. (NYSE: CRBG) makes it possible for more people to take action in their financial lives. With more than $410 billion in assets under management and administration as of September
    30, 2024, Corebridge Financial is one of the largest providers of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States. We proudly partner with financial professionals and institutions to help individuals plan, save for and achieve secure
    financial futures. For more information, visit &lt;a href="http://www.corebridgefinancial.com/" target="_blank"&gt;corebridgefinancial.com&lt;/a&gt; and follow us on &lt;a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/corebridgefinancial/about/"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKS7ZPjX1nkdUi3pbolphA"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.instagram.com/corebridgefinancial/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Sourcewell&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sourcewell partners with K-12 schools across North America to deliver streamlined procurement solutions that support student success. With access to hundreds of competitively awarded contracts, schools can efficiently
    purchase technology, classroom supplies, transportation, and professional development resources while saving time and money. Our trusted cooperative purchasing process ensures compliance and transparency, with contracts delivered through local dealers
    to strengthen communities. From modernizing classrooms to enhancing student well-being, Sourcewell empowers schools to create enriching learning environments. Focus on what matters most&amp;mdash;empowering students&amp;mdash;while we handle the procurement
    process with care and expertise. Learn more at &lt;a href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/k-12-education" target="_blank"&gt;sourcewell-mn.gov/k-12-education&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:d610de3f-7f35-4b0f-9868-022680956944</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/01/09/aasa-issues-statement-on-passage-of-the-social-security-fairness-act</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>������Issues Statement on Passage of Social Security Fairness Act</title><description>������applauds Congress for the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA).</description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:58:44 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lara Wade&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Director, Communications&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; January 9, 2025&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt;
 &lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;������applauds Congress for the passage of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/82" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Social Security Fairness Act&lt;/a&gt;
 &lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt; (SSFA) which was signed by President Biden on January 6.&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;This legislation reversed longstanding, unfair provisions that impacted our nation&amp;rsquo;s public servants by reducing their ability to receive the Social Security benefits that they worked for. SSFA eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) which reduces earned Social Security benefits of individuals who also receive a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. WEP impacts teachers in 15 states, adding further challenges to teacher recruitment and dissuading mid-career changers to consider education at a time when school districts need highly qualified educators more than ever.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;In addition, SFFA repealed the Government Pension Offset (GPO) which affects the spousal benefits of people who work as federal, state, or local government employees &amp;mdash; including police officers, firefighters, and educators &amp;mdash; if the job was not covered by Social Security.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&amp;ldquo;The passage of the Social Security Fairness Act means that hardworking educators across the country who have dedicated their lives to supporting the students and schools in their communities are able to receive the benefits and income that they have earned. We are so grateful for the dedicated leadership of Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, and Representative Garret Graves of Louisiana in making this possible.&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, AASA&amp;rsquo;s executive director. &amp;ldquo;We appreciate their commitment and diligence and understand the huge undertaking this legislation required &amp;ndash; we welcome and celebrate the New Year with this extraordinary achievement on behalf of 10,000 school district leaders that we represent.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title="AASA, ������" href="https://aasa.org/home/"&gt;AASA, ������&lt;/a&gt;, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for
        more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public
        education. For more information, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a title="www.aasa.org" href="https://aasa.org/home/"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:c085f6ce-5e5a-47fb-b7d1-15e4ea10b65d</guid><link>/news-media/news/2024/12/19/aasa-executive-director-david-r.-schuler-named-to-usac-board</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>E-Rate</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>������Executive Director David R. Schuler Named to USAC Board</title><description>Schuler will represent schools nationwide as the board oversees Universal Service programs, including E-Rate, which connects students and educators to essential broadband access.</description><pubDate>Thu, 19 Dec 2024 05:00:00 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Erin McCallum&lt;br /&gt;Associate Executive Director, Strategy &amp;amp; Communications&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:emccallum@aasa.org"&gt;emccallum@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; Dec. 19, 2024 &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel named &lt;a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairwoman-rosenworcel-names-8-members-usac-board-directors" target="_blank"&gt;������Executive Director David R. Schuler, Ph.D.&lt;/a&gt; to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) Board of Directors. 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this critical role, Dr. Schuler will represent schools nationwide as the board oversees Universal Service programs, including E-Rate, which connects students and educators to essential broadband access.  

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Schuler will serve a three-year term through December 2027, continuing AASA&amp;rsquo;s service on the USAC board, which dates back to 2021. ������has supported and championed the Universal Service Program, since its creation in the late 1990s. E-Rate is the only federal program supporting technology and connectivity in the nation&amp;rsquo;s schools and has played a huge part in the nearly universal presence of internet in classrooms across the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote"&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m excited to work with my fellow board members to ensure programs like E-Rate continue to empower students and educators.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m honored to have been appointed to the Universal Service Administrative Company Board of Directors. Access to broadband connectivity is essential for teaching, learning, and equity in today&amp;rsquo;s world, and I&amp;rsquo;m excited to work with my fellow board members to ensure programs like E-Rate continue to empower students and educators. Thank you to the FCC and Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for this opportunity to serve at such an important time for public education.&amp;rdquo; 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Schuler&amp;rsquo;s role on the USAC Board is distinct from the advocacy efforts of ������as it relates to working with the Hill and the FCC to support and strengthen the E-Rate and its sister USF programs. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About AASA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, ������, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission is to support
    and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit &lt;a target="_blank" href="/home"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item></channel></rss>