May 9, 2023

Last week, over 25 women leaders from ESAs around the country attended the Women's Leadership Network for the end-of-year meeting. The group spent time reflecting on the conference theme, "My Story is My Power" and harvested the wisdom of the group to address their own leadership challenges. We think it is safe to say that we had a great time hearing each other's stories and growing in leadership acumen, all while enjoying beautiful San Antonio. If you would like to join the next cohort of the Women's Leadership Network, please watch for a call for participants coming out soon!

If you or someone you know is deserving of national recognition, we want to hear from you. Check out the award categories and the selection criteria on the AESA website. Nominations are due June 12, 2023.

How Districts are Addressing the Stress and

Enhancing the Resiliency of Their Staff

May 23, 2023 3 pm Eastern

(2 pm Central; 1 pm Mountain; 12 noon Pacific; 11 am Alaska)

The levels of stress among school employees match those of emergency room nurses. 

Districts who report high levels of employee stress also have higher turnover, greater

workplace expenditures, and poorer school outcomes. 

Traditionally, efforts to improve workplace employee resiliency and lower distress have not been successful. However, the advent of cloud-based technologies and empirically-guided frameworks have demonstrated how workplaces can promote resiliency with ease, confidentiality, and a high return on investment. 

This webinar will be led by Dr. Kathleen Chard, an an internationally renowned expert on stress and its effects on personal, social, and workplace outcomes. Using the Terrace Metrics system as an example, Dr. Chard will discuss how administrators can improve the workplace functioning and overall well- being of their employees.

A robust learning program is planned at this year's Summer Leadership Conference!

Here is a closer view of just a small portion of what you'll be discussing with your colleagues:

ESAs Leaders of Transformation Within Their School Districts:

Real-Time Data May Not Be Fast Enough

Rory Peacock, Deputy Executive Director, Technology Services, ESC Region 11 (Texas)

Data is driving decisions in our ESAs and school districts more and more every day. Real-time dashboards can provide a wealth of information, but there is more than just having the data at your fingertips.

Escaping the Student Data Trap: Using Implementation & Systems Data to

Drive Equitable Services

Wanda Cook-Robinson, Superintendent, Oakland Schools (Michigan); AESA Foundation Board Trustee; and Past-President AESA Executive Council.

Being responsive to trends in student data is a popular strategy, but far too many times these strategies fail to produce the intended results. Shifting focus to systems and

implementation data positions ESAs to deliver the equitable services our schools

need.

There is much, much more! Networking, thought leadership, problem-solving! Join us this summer in Cincinnati!

The Affordable Connectivity Program is now reaching over 17 million households! Make sure you help all households in your ESA have an internet connection!

The FCC released a public notice announcing a new Affordable Connectivity Program application landing page available at GetInternet.gov to make the application and enrollment process easier for consumers.

Overview of Recent Enhancements

• Transitioning the URL for the online application from nv.fcc.gov to GetInternet.gov
• Providing a new Affordable Connectivity Program application landing page with key information on the program and how to sign up
• Improving the responsiveness of the header and site navigation for mobile device users (released April 18)

These changes incorporate feedback from navigators and other stakeholders, and USAC and the FCC will continue making improvements to the ACP system based on future feedback.

Training & Resources

On May 9 at 3 p.m. ET, USAC will host office hours on the upcoming enhancements to the ACP application in the consumer portal. Register here to attend.

Find upcoming training and other resources on the ACP Learn page on USAC’s website.

To make sure you are receiving the latest information, please sign up for USAC’s newsletter, and, if you would like to be an outreach partner, sign up at fcc.gov/acp.

USED Releases Updated FAQs on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

On April 12, USED released an update to a FAQ document on the grant funding made available through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and administered by the Department. 

This Changes Everything: AI Is About to Upend Teaching and Learning

Robin Lake from the Center on Reinventing Public Education recaps the ASU-GSV edtech summit for The74, outlining why and how AI is about to massively shift teaching and learning. The piece highlights how innovative staffing models, like the team teaching models from Mesa, can be combined with AI to increase teacher specialization in schools.