Dear ISD/RESA Superintendents,

We're eagerly anticipating the MAISA Fall Membership Meeting happening November 7-8, where we'll focus on a collaborative, in-depth discussion of key priorities. Based on your feedback from the recent survey, our agenda will prioritize a deeper exploration of selected topics, allowing us to maximize the time we spend learning together while minimizing traditional update sessions. You'll also notice that recent communications have been streamlined to cover only three core areas, focusing our attention on strategic discussions rather than routine updates.

Our MAISA Members' perspectives and expertise are invaluable to our shared success. Please feel free to connect with me directly during the meeting if you have any questions or ideas. MAISA's strength lies in your diverse insights, and we want to ensure every voice is heard. As always, legislation will also be a big discussion point. We are hopeful to have more information in this area by next week.

Below are the three things that we'll cover during our membership meeting:

1 — MAISA Superintendent Survey

We'll review feedback from the survey and explore ways to align MAISA's direction and goals more closely with your evolving needs. Together, we'll address ongoing challenges and opportunities, ensuring our shared efforts remain relevant and effective.

2 — Early Childhood Summit

Feedback from the summit will be shared, highlighting actionable themes and next steps that align with ISD's needs. ECAN will provide resources and best practices, allowing us to collaboratively support early childhood initiatives that are already making strides statewide. We'll also review ECAN's current focus areas to maximize alignment with your priorities.

3 — Seclusion and Restraint in Special Education

Recognizing this as a critical area from the survey responses, we'll dedicate Friday morning to an in-depth session on seclusion and restraint. This will be an opportunity for professional development, peer exchange, and enhanced understanding of the Seclusion and Restraint Law, data analysis, areas for improvement, and public relations in the current news environment.

Thank you for your commitment and collaboration. I look forward to learning and working together to strengthen our collective impact.

We are Better Together,

j

Dr. John Severson

MAISA Executive Director

In this edition of the InSiDe Update:

• MAISA 2024 Early Childhood Summit Toolkit
• MAISA Fall Meetings
• Statewide Early Literacy Media Campaign
• MASA Small & Rural Conference
• 35i MiFamily Engagement Centers Lunch and Learn Webinar
• AESA Annual Conference
• Stories From the Field - Valuing Math in the Early Childhood Setting
• MiDataHub's Tom Johnson receives Don Dailey Award
• News from Michigan Virtual
• Special Education Instructional Leadership Network (SEILN) Update
• Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) October 2024 Updates

Know:

We are pleased to share with you the Early Childhood Summit Toolkit to support your ISDs with continuing the conversations that were initiated at the Summit on October 10, 2024. The toolkit includes video recordings of every speaker at the event, event photos, links to the slide deck, program, activities, and more.

Do:

Please share this toolkit with your relevant ISD staff and take the time to review its contents.

Know:

ECAN members were provided a brief survey on Wednesday, October 29 to be completed by Tuesday, November 5. The survey asks members to identify the top five early childhood priorities for your ISD.

Do:

Please connect with your ECAN representative(s) and ensure your ISD has responded by Tuesday, November 5, as responses will be reviewed at the November MAISA General Membership Meeting at The Graduate Hotel on November 7.

View the full document, here.

MAISA is excited to bring ISD Superintendents together on November 7 and 8 in East Lansing, Michigan, to collaborate with their peers and leaders in seclusion and restraint at the 2024 MAISA Fall Meetings. 

One item to note: The November 7 and 8 agenda will be structured differently than usual. We will have the MAISA network/committee and legislative updates on Thursday, November 7, and will host a special Seclusion & Restraint Professional Learning opportunity on Friday, November 8.

An overview of the agenda is below: 

November 7, 2024

MAISA Board of Directors meeting: 9:30 am to 11:30 am (Lemon Tree Room)

Administrative Committee meeting: 10:00 am to 11:00 am (Kedzie Ballroom)

General Membership Session: 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm (Kedzie Ballroom)

• Early Childhood Themes and Commitments 
• Early Literacy/Early Math Legislative Report
• Legislative Conversation and Next Steps

Reception: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm (Kedzie Ballroom)

Friday, November 8, 2024

Breakfast: 7:30 am to 8:30 am (Outside Kedzie Ballroom)

General Membership Session: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm (Kedzie Ballroom)

• Seclusion & Restraint Professional Learning Opportunity

Location: The Graduate Hotel at 133 Evergreen Avenue, East Lansing, MI 48823

To register for the Fall conference, click here.

Call The Graduate Hotel at (517) 348-0900 if you need to book a hotel room.

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP) needs your assistance! Through the MiFamily Engagement Centers grant (Section 35i), MiLEAP is developing a statewide media campaign designed to help parents and guardians improve their awareness of literacy practices and increase participation in literacy development activities. Berrien RESA was awarded the grant and is overseeing the project.

The first step of the campaign focuses on research. Now through November 15, parents and guardians of children ages 0-10 across the state are invited to participate in an online survey. The data collected will be used to develop appropriate messaging for the campaign (launching this spring).

To help you share the survey with your contacts and constituents, a toolkit has been developed to walk you through the survey distribution process. The toolkit includes step-by-step instructions and suggestions on how to share the survey, as well as examples of social media posts and emails that can be copied and pasted into your communication platforms. Additionally, a video was created to provide a quick overview of the toolkit. Note - the survey and all promotional materials in the toolkit are offered in three languages - Arabic, English, and Spanish.

Additionally, a Request for Proposals has been issued to develop campaign materials and purchase ad space. If you know of a company that may be interested in this work, please share the opportunity!

Again, on behalf of MiLEAP, thank you for your support! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at karen.heath@berrienresa.org.

The Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) will host its annual Small & Rural Conference, November 25-26, in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Over the course of two days, there will be opportunities for networking and professional learning to help leaders of Michigan's small and or rural districts.

When: November 25-26, 2024

Where: Inn at Bay Harbor: 3600 Village Harbor Dr, Bay Harbor, MI 49770

Cost: $400 

To register and to view the conference agenda, click here. 

To receive MASA's special hotel room rates at the Inn at Bay Harbor, please book by October 31. Reserve your hotel room here.

After October 31, call (800) 462-6963 to book a room.

On Tuesday, November 26, from noon-12:45 pm, a lunch and learn webinar will be hosted at MiFamily Engagement Centers throughout the state.

The webinar will feature presentations and a brief Q&A with the following presenters:



• Dr. Rawlan Lillard II, Deputy Director of Education Partnerships, MiLEAP
• Eric Hoppstock, Superintendent, Berrien RESA
• Jonnie Taton, Director, Division of Family Partnerships, MiLEAP
• The MiLEAP Family Engagement Team:
• Tewonia Alamu
• Shanon Everett
• Melissa Manko
• Al Thomas

The webinar was announced at the October 10 Summit with a save-the-date flyer. 

Invitations will be sent to ISD Superintendents, GELN, and ECAN members. Be sure to forward the flyer to all staff ISD and external partners who support the 35i Family Engagement Centers (formerly the Birth to Five Literacy Support Network Hubs).

We are less than two months away from the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) 2024 Annual Conference. The conference will occur on December 4-6, 2024, in Orlando, Florida!

The annual conference brings together thought leaders and ESA professionals from across the country to tackle current critical issues that include:

• Leadership Matters
• AI & Innovation
• Collaborative/Collective Impact
• Student Engagement
• ESA Board Member Governance

To register, click here.

Tom Johnson from MiDataHub was awarded the Don Dailey Exemplary Award for advancing data interoperability standards within Michigan's public education.

The award "recognizes persons or collaborations that demonstrate humility, compassion, innovation, dedication, and commitment to the furthering of data interoperability standards in Michigan's public education community," Don Dailey Exemplary Award officials said. "He is a true visionary focused on data that follows the whole child and truly informs educators about the students they serve."

Tom has been instrumental in aligning more than $250 million in funding to create statewide solutions for all of Michigan's K-12 public schools. 

On behalf of MAISA, our networks, and partners, we congratulate Tom Johnson for receiving this prestigious award!

Dear ISD Superintendents,

Since February, the Statewide AI Work Group has united leaders from 14 key organizations, inclusive of MASA, MEA, MDE, MASB, MAISA, MEMSPA, MASSP, AFT-Michigan, MACUL, MSBO, Michigan ASCD, MAPSA, MANS, REMC Association of Michigan, and Michigan Virtual. While ISD representation through MAISA and REMC has been valuable, we recognize the opportunity to strengthen our impact by expanding participation to include the Michigan Educational Technology Leaders (METL) and General Education Leadership Network (GELN).

Building on Michigan Virtual's AI Lab foundation, this workgroup has already accomplished several key milestones through effective collaboration:

• Co-published the AI Integration Framework for School Districts (Fall 2023)
• Released the Planning Guide for AI (Fall 2023)
• Developed Sample Guidance on Staff Use of Generative AI for K-12 School Districts (Spring 2024)
• Completed our first large-scale statewide survey reaching over 1,000 educators (Spring 2024)



The survey results clearly demonstrate that more work is needed to raise awareness, advance research, expand training, and address concerns within the field. In coordination with MAISA, we can better leverage ISD expertise and regional networks to address these challenges. As we’ve seen through Michigan Virtual’s work with ISDs, there’s an opportunity to reach as many educators as possible to go deeper into the conversation around AI use in K-12 education. The Michigan Virtual AI Lab has been able to partner with Berrien RESA, COOR ISD, Delta-Schoolcraft ISD, Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD, Gratiot-Isabella RESD, Heritage Southwest ISD, Huron ISD, Kalamazoo RESA, Livingston ISD, and Tuscola ISD, among others to support their local districts AI awareness campaigns, educator professional development programming, and strategic planning efforts.

Looking ahead, our continued ISD collaborations will strengthen several upcoming initiatives:

• November 2024: Release of the AI Teacher’s Guide featuring an embedded generative AI sandbox tool
• December 17, 2024: Second Annual AI Summit in Lansing, expecting approximately 1,000 attendees
• Early 2025:
• Recommendations to MDE regarding AI-related updates to MITECS
• Release of additional AI guides for administrators, school board members, and students/parents
• During 2025: Planning and implementation of a student-facing AI event

By expanding our collaboration to include more MAISA participation through METL, GELN, and other ISD-affiliated groups alongside the statewide workgroup members, we can better ensure our AI initiatives reflect regional needs and leverage ISDs' crucial role in supporting district implementation and professional development. These enhanced partnerships through the AI Statewide Work Group will help us collectively address the growing needs of Michigan educators while maintaining the momentum of our current successful initiatives.

To this end, beginning in January, the Statewide AI Work Group will likely establish a subcommittee structure to tackle multiple topics simultaneously while also broadening subcommittee membership with leaders from the field. As a relatively new member of the Michigan Virtual Board of Directors, I have learned about Michigan Virtual’s strong interest in working closely with ISDs as part of this statewide capacity-building effort. I plan to nominate individuals from the MAISA membership to serve on subcommittees related to 1) Leadership, Policy, Ethical, and Legal Considerations, 2) Instructional Frameworks and Assessments, 3) Professional Development and Student Use, 4) Technology Operations, and 5) Community Outreach. Please let me know if you or one of your team members is interested in serving on one of these subcommittees.

I am encouraged by the level of collaboration and information sharing around AI in Michigan, and I look forward to helping all of our ISDs play an expanded leadership role with their local districts in this area of rapid change. 

Sincerely,

Jamey Fitzpatrick

President and CEO

Michigan Virtual

What's New:

• SEILN will present to the MAISA General Membership on November 8 about the Reduction of Emergency Seclusion & Restraint in Michigan Schools.
• Both the MiSERC Advisory & MiSERC Connect Development Team have been meeting regularly since August. The advisory committee is providing direction to the development team for the MiSERC Connect Tool in terms of prioritization of programming as development proceeds. The advisory is also developing structures for content curation and implementation planning.
• GELN & SEILN will co-facilitate a group designed to help ISDs and LEAs respond to and be prepared to implement the newly signed Dyslexia Law.
• Advocacy: The SEILN Finance Committee has recommended moving forward with language in support of uncapping special education millages up to not less than the statewide average of 3 mills.

Gathering Together:

• SEILN General Membership met face-to-face at the Ionia (September) and Macomb (October) ISDs this school year. Each meeting has a robust learning, networking, and collaborative problem-solving agenda. We practiced positive storytelling regarding our programs and services. During the October visit, we also visited ISD programs and heard from Vickie Coe of Clark Hill about ensuring Least Restrictive Environments. Thanks to our ISD hosts for making your wonderful spaces available!
• SEILN has launched a bi-weekly new Director group to provide a supportive space to help grow our collective capacity.
• SEILN has confirmed that we will hold our annual retreat 2025 in Frankenmuth, Michigan, May 19-20, 2025!

Standing and Ad Hoc Committees for 24-25:

• MiSERC Advisory (with MAASE)
• Emergency Seclusion & Restraint
• Special Education Finance
• Proportionate Share & Auxiliary Services Act (with MDE & MANS)

Here's the October 2024 update regarding MAISA's partnership with the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) that brings the Literacy Essentials to life through the literacy broadcast series Read, Write, ROAR!

Here are a few highlights:

• Staff from Marquette-Alger RESA, Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), Michigan Learning Channel (MLC), and WMNU-TV visited a Gwinn Area Community school (MARESA) for professional learning and a special screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary "Building the Reading Brain." The film delves into elementary educators' role in supporting literacy development beyond the first five years through collaboration with families.
• Literacy Essentials are now represented in Read, Write, ROAR! Upper Elementary (Grades 4-5). 
• Lesson Plan Guides are now available to support learning in and out of school
• Available now: Read, Write, ROAR! Prekindergarten through grades K-3 booklist

Click here to read the full update via Smore!

Rolling Out Limitless Potential Statewide Campaign

Many of you heard about Limitless Potential: A Practical Toolkit to Influence Public Perception of Special Education at the September MASA Fall Conference in Traverse City. This new statewide tool to aid communication and build support for special education throughout Michigan is ready to use. 

Here's how you can unlock its potential:

• Use this link to access Canva. Select the "Projects" tab to access the materials under the Limitless Potential Campaign.
• Meet and share the campaign with your ISD and local school district's special education leaders, as many are already aware of it. Include your school communicator. 
• Discuss ways to use the tool in your region. Ask what areas of need this could address, i.e., increased awareness, better understanding, positive coverage, supportive attitudes/actions.
• Identify who will take the lead and who else will be involved. 
• Make a communication plan with goals/objectives/strategies/tactics, and follow it. 
• Customize the tools in the toolkit, as needed, to help spread the good word about special education.
• Evaluate the campaign's impact. How/did it address your identified areas of need?

Note: Copper Country ISD and Oakland Schools have already begun this work. If you have questions, please contact Micki O'Neil at moneil@inghamisd.org.

The toolkit is a collaboration of the ISD PR Network, the Special Education Instructional Leaders Network (SEILN), the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education (MAASE), and the Michigan School Public Relations Association (MSPRA). If you missed this at the MASA Fall Conference, it will also be discussed at the Fall 2024 MAISA meeting.

ISD PR Network Visits the Aviation Careers Institute  

Thanks to our host, Eaton RESA, the ISD PR Network met in person along with a virtual connection on October 25 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm at the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, home to the Aviation Careers Institute of Eaton RESA. This collaborative program also includes students from Ingham ISD and Clinton County RESA. The meeting featured an overview of and visit to the aviation class, a legislative update, an update on the Limitless Potential Campaign, robust discussions on hot topics, simmering subjects, the latest AI uses, preferred management software, a tour of the airport, and a buy-your-own networking dinner the evening before. Please take a look at the schedule below if you'd like to attend ISD PR Network Meetings.

Connecting Throughout the Year

The remaining 2024-25 ISD PR Network meeting schedule is:

• Friday, January 24: Virtual (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
• Friday, April 11: In person with remote connect (10:00 am to 2:30 pm) with buy-your-own-dinner the evening before. Host site: Washtenaw ISD in Ann Arbor
• Friday, June 13: Virtual (8:00 am to 10:00 am)

To have a staff member placed on the ISD PR Network listserv, please get in touch with Gerri Allen at gallen48@juno.com.

Visit the MAISA Event Site to view monthly calendars and upcoming meetings and events.