�ܲ�AV��ƵNews and Press Releases

  ﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss xmlns:a10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵNews 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>Finance &amp; Budgets</category><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Leadership Development</category><category>Technology &amp; AI</category><category>ed-tech</category><category>education technology</category><category>edtech</category><category>ai</category><category>ed tech</category><category>tech</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><category>Community &amp; Family Engagement</category><category>District &amp; School Operations</category><category>Public Education Promise</category><category>Education Funding</category><category>Access &amp; Opportunity</category><category>access</category><category>opportunity</category><category>equity</category><category>inclusion</category><category>diversity</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:25c28b79-8eb0-4094-af74-40823768e430</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/26/aasa-releases-2025-26-superintendent-salary-benefits-study</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Finance &amp; Budgets</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵReleases 2025-26 Superintendent Salary &amp; Benefits Study</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶreleases the 2025-26 Superintendent Salary &amp; Benefits Study.</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:03 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director of Communications&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;March&amp;nbsp;26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;mdash;&amp;nbsp;A significantly higher percentage of superintendents reported declining economic conditions this year (38%) compared to last year (30%),&amp;nbsp;according to&amp;nbsp;the 14th annual superintendent salary study released today by AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ.&amp;nbsp;Higher percentages of superintendents in districts with enrollments of 1,000 or more students reported stable or growing economic conditions,&amp;nbsp;whereas&amp;nbsp;higher percentages of superintendents leading districts with fewer than 1,000 students reported declining economic conditions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The report,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/resources/resource/superintendent-salary-benefits-study"&gt;2025-26 �ܲ�AV��ƵSuperintendent Salary &amp;amp; Benefits Study&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;is used to gauge school district leadership compensation and&amp;nbsp;benefits,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;is released in two versions&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;a full version for �ܲ�AV��Ƶmembers and an abridged version for wider/public circulation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;2025-26&amp;nbsp;survey received&amp;nbsp;1,951&amp;nbsp;responses from superintendents in 49&amp;nbsp;states,&amp;nbsp;and the sample is&amp;nbsp;generally representative&amp;nbsp;of the larger population of superintendents. The&amp;nbsp;annually revised&amp;nbsp;and updated survey tracks the demographics, salary, benefits,&amp;nbsp;and other elements of the employment agreements of school superintendents throughout the country.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;�ܲ�AV��Ƶhas collected superintendent salary information&amp;nbsp;annually&amp;nbsp;since 2012 to provide critical insight into the conditions of the superintendency,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, �ܲ�AV��Ƶexecutive 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;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Additional&amp;nbsp;demographics and key findings include:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Respondents reported having an average of 7.3 years of experience as&amp;nbsp;a superintendent. Contrary to the often-cited statistic of average tenure of a superintendent being less than 3 years, respondents reported an average time in the current position as 5.4 years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Similar to&amp;nbsp;findings over the last three years, almost 9/10 (88.88%) of respondents intend to&amp;nbsp;remain as&amp;nbsp;superintendent in their current district for the upcoming 2026&amp;ndash;2027 school year.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pay ratios are more&amp;nbsp;equitable&amp;nbsp;in public education than in the corporate world. The average ratio of superintendent salary to starting teacher salary was 3.53:1,&amp;nbsp;compared to approximately 285:1 in the S&amp;amp;P 500 group of for-profit corporations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Base salary correlated strongly with enrollment. Salaries increased as district enrollment increased.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="5" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Female superintendents earned approximately 98% of what males earned in 2025&amp;ndash;2026.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Higher percentages of superintendents who identified as Black or African American (80.41%) held a doctorate compared to those who identified as White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (57.7%).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="7" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;A noticeably higher percentage of females held a doctorate (50.63%) compared to males (40.52%).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Schuler&amp;nbsp;stated,&amp;nbsp;&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;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/resources/resource/superintendent-salary-benefits-study" target="_blank"&gt;Click here&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to access a copy of the 2025-2026&amp;nbsp;�ܲ�AV��ƵSuperintendent Salary &amp;amp; Benefits Study. For specific questions about the report&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;long-term&amp;nbsp;trends, contact Tara Thomas, �ܲ�AV��ƵGovernment Affairs Manager, at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:tthomas@aasa.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;tthomas@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, founded in 1865, is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill. A professional community of more than 10,000 educational leaders, �ܲ�AV��Ƶand its members are committed to providing high-quality public education to all students. For more information, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="http://aasa.org/"&gt;aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:bfdb331c-15cb-49ea-a835-1958f8af805d</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/23/nce-2027-call-for-proposals-open</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>NCE 2027 Call for Proposals Now Open</title><description>The 2027 National Conference on Education call for proposals is open now through May 29, 2026.</description><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:00:07 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/nce/2027/nce27-save-the-date-header.png?sfvrsn=d01dd3b8_0" alt="NCE 2027" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5 style="text-align:center;"&gt;The 2027 National Conference on Education Call for Proposals is Now Open&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶis calling on education's most visionary leaders and practitioners to bring their best thinking to the 2027 National Conference on Education in Atlanta, Ga.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenting at the 2027 conference is a chance to be part of something bigger &amp;mdash; sharing bold ideas, building leadership capacity, and seizing the extraordinary opportunity we have right now to reimagine what public education can and should be for every child.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus Zones for 2027 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, Well-Being and Mental Health&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Future-Ready Systems: 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 29, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education/call-for-proposals" target="_blank"&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 AASA's NCE team at&amp;nbsp;&lt;a target="_blank" data-fontcolor="6" href="mailto:aasance@aasa.org"&gt;aasance@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:96caf3d6-dccf-4e54-9a3f-e5288c1b85c9</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/19/aasa-and-day-of-ai-launch-national-fellowship</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Technology &amp; AI</category><category>ed-tech</category><category>education technology</category><category>edtech</category><category>ai</category><category>ed tech</category><category>tech</category><title>�ܲ�AV��Ƶand Day of AI Launch National Leadership &amp; Innovation Fellowship Focused on AI and the Future of Learning</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶlaunches the 2026 Leadership &amp; Innovation Fellowship with MIT RAISE &amp; Day of AI to prepare school leaders for AI in K-12 education.</description><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:24 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;School superintendents will mentor high-school students from across the country at a three-day workshop in Boston, MA in July to create a National AI Policy for the responsible, productive, and ethical use of AI in public schools.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alexandria, VA &amp;mdash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/a&gt;, in partnership with&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://dayofai.org/"&gt;Day of AI&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;and MIT RAISE born out of the MIT Media Lab, is launching the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;2026 Leadership &amp;amp; Innovation Fellowship&lt;/strong&gt;, a new national professional learning opportunity designed to support school leaders and K-12 students as they navigate the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in public education.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Fellowship brings together 50 superintendents and 100 high-school-aged student leaders from across the country for an immersive experience taking place in Boston, Massachusetts in July 2026 focused on ethical AI use, systems-level leadership, policy, and the future of AI teaching and learning.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every state will have a designated superintendent who will attend the event, and they will each select and send two high-school &amp;ldquo;student senators&amp;rdquo; who will debate&amp;nbsp;different aspects&amp;nbsp;of AI. All 50 states will be represented, ensuring broad geographic participation and diverse district perspectives from across the country. School districts were chosen by AASA&amp;rsquo;s Governing Board in February 2026, during the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(NCE).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;AI is changing education, and it&amp;rsquo;s essential that leaders and students help shape what comes next, together,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, Executive Director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;This Fellowship creates the space to engage thoughtfully with emerging technologies while staying grounded in learning, ethics, and community.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;AI is impacting every field and area of society, and nowhere is the potential for disruption greater than in education,&amp;rdquo; said Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Director of MIT RAISE and a member of the Time 100 AI 2025 list of the 100 most important people in AI. &amp;ldquo;Our teams at MIT RAISE and Day of AI are grateful to have a collaborator and thought leader such as �ܲ�AV��Ƶworking with us to convene a one-of-a-kind gathering of leading educator and student voices in Cambridge and Boston this upcoming July.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boston Residency: AI and the Future of Learning&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the core of the Fellowship is a fully funded,&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;three-day leadership residency in Boston, Massachusetts, taking place from July 17&amp;ndash;19, 2026,&amp;nbsp;alongside the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.dayofaiusa.org/festival"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;America&amp;rsquo;s Youth AI Festival&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.dayofaiusa.org/festival"&gt;,&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;during the nation&amp;rsquo;s 250th anniversary celebration.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The residency is structured as a workgroup convening&amp;mdash;not a traditional conference&amp;mdash;bringing together superintendents, researchers, policymakers, and students to explore how AI can be integrated responsibly and equitably into K&amp;ndash;12 systems.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participants will:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Engage directly with researchers from MIT RAISE to examine how AI is being applied in innovative school systems.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Participate in policy-focused sessions at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Massachusetts to explore the connection between classroom innovation and national decision-making. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute includes an exact replica of the U.S. Senate chamber.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-list-defn-props="{" data-listid="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" aria-setsize="-1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elevate the student voice with two high school &amp;ldquo;Student Senators&amp;rdquo; from every state who will take part in a legislative simulation at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, with the goal of creating a comprehensive National AI Policy for K-12 students that will outline principles for the responsible, productive and ethical use of AI in public schools.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The next revolution in education will be shaped by artificial intelligence, and our students must help lead it,&amp;rdquo; said Jeffrey Riley, former Massachusetts Education Commissioner and Executive Director of Day of AI.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ldquo;Ensuring they are AI literate and equipped to use these tools safely and productively isn&amp;rsquo;t optional - it&amp;rsquo;s essential.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;All travel, lodging, and meals for participating leaders and student delegates are fully covered, and the&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;National AI Policy will be shared with AASA&amp;rsquo;s 10,000+ members, following the event.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leadership, Ethics, and Student Voice&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Fellowship is grounded in the belief that the future of AI in education must be shaped by educators and students&amp;mdash;not technology alone. By pairing district leaders with students in meaningful civic and policy experiences, the program emphasizes ethical leadership, real-world learning, and long-term system impact.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additional&amp;nbsp;details, including participation information, will be released in the coming months.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, founded in 1865, is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill. A professional community of more than 10,000 educational leaders, �ܲ�AV��Ƶand its members are committed to providing high-quality public education to all students. For more information, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="http://aasa.org/"&gt;aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Day of AI&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Started in 2021 through MIT&amp;rsquo;s RAISE (&amp;ldquo;Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education&amp;rdquo;) initiative, Day of AI enables K-12 students, families, and educators to thrive in the age of AI. Day of AI became a stand-alone nonprofit in 2024, while still working closely with MIT&amp;rsquo;s best-in-class team of researchers. Day of AI&amp;rsquo;s mission is to equip educators around the world with the knowledge and tools to integrate AI responsibly into their classrooms, through a free curriculum available at&amp;nbsp;dayofai.org.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contacts:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, The School Superintendent Association &amp;ndash; Lara Wade, Director of Communications&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;(813) 833-1498,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Day of AI&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; Dan Rea, Head of Strategy and Development&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;(508) 451-0193,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:dan@dayofai.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;dan@dayofai.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:1bcb109f-5351-4800-9393-56dd78815834</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/19/aasa-and-acsa-launch-new-leadership-academy-women-superintendents</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>�ܲ�AV��Ƶand ACSA Launch New Leadership Academy to Grow the Next Generation of Women Superintendents</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶand ACSA partner to launch the Aspiring Superintendent Academy® for Women Leaders, expanding leadership development across the western U.S.</description><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 05:00:03 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;Press Contacts:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Director of Communications, AASA&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&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;Naj Alikhan&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, ACSA&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mobile: (916) 832-2818&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:nalikhan@acsa.org"&gt;nalikhan@acsa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. / Sacramento, Calif&lt;/strong&gt; - AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) today announced a new partnership to launch the  &lt;a href="https://acsa.org/professional-learning/academies?_gl=1*160ld52*_ga*MTc4NjQwMDE1OC4xNzU1MDE1ODMx*_ga_XQ38JQDC1G*czE3NzE1Mzk1MDckbzE2NiRnMCR0MTc3MTUzOTUwNyRqNjAkbDAkaDA.#tab4" target="_blank"&gt;ACSA-�ܲ�AV��ƵAspiring Superintendent Academy&amp;reg; for Women Leaders&lt;/a&gt;, a cohort-based leadership development program designed to expand and strengthen the pipeline of women pursuing the superintendency across California and the western United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Nationwide, women remain significantly underrepresented in superintendent roles. This new Academy responds directly to that challenge by creating a pathway aligned with AASA&amp;rsquo;s nationally recognized leadership development work, extending the impact of Aspiring Superintendent Academy&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; for Women Leaders through a regional partnership with ACSA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;ldquo;This partnership between �ܲ�AV��Ƶand ACSA represents a powerful commitment to building the next generation of women leaders in public education. The Aspiring Superintendent Academy&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; for Women Leaders is more than a professional development program &amp;mdash; it is an investment in equity, excellence, and the future of our schools,&amp;rdquo; said Dr. Edgar Zazueta, ACSA Executive Director. &amp;ldquo;Women have long been the backbone of education, yet remain underrepresented in the superintendency. Together, we are changing that, and we are doing it with the urgency our students and communities deserve.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;ldquo;This Academy reflects what we&amp;rsquo;ve heard from leaders across the country - that trusted professional networks matter,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re excited to partner with ACSA to offer an experience that not only prepares women to pursue the superintendency, but supports them in excelling once they get there.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Designed by Women, Led by Women&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;What sets the Academy apart is its design and delivery. The program is created and led exclusively by women superintendents, current and retired, who serve as faculty, mentors, and coaches. Participants receive candid, practical guidance from leaders who have navigated the realities of district leadership and bring lived experience to every aspect of the program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Women lead best when they are deeply supported, well-prepared, and connected to a powerful professional network,&amp;rdquo; said Candy Singh, co-lead of the ACSA-�ܲ�AV��ƵAspiring Superintendent Academy&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; for Women Leaders. &amp;ldquo;This Academy was intentionally designed to reflect those conditions while centering access and opportunity for students and communities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Comprehensive, Cohort-Based Experience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The Academy blends multiple learning modalities across four multi-day, in-person convenings, including sessions hosted at ACSA offices in Sacramento, participation in the ACSA Leadership Summit, and engagement at AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education. Participants will benefit from embedded mentorship and ongoing virtual coaching between convenings, ensuring continuity and sustained support throughout the experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The curriculum addresses the full scope of superintendent leadership, including governance and board relations, equity-driven systems leadership, navigating political and community complexity, leading change, and sustaining leadership through resilience and professional support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;ldquo;This partnership represents a meaningful investment in the future of district leadership,&amp;rdquo; said Valerie Truesdale, senior vice president of AASA's Leadership Network. &amp;ldquo;By combining authentic mentorship with rigorous preparation, we&amp;rsquo;re strengthening the pipeline of women superintendents and supporting their long-term success.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Launching Fall 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The ACSA-�ܲ�AV��ƵAspiring Superintendent Academy&amp;reg; for Women Leaders will launch in Fall 2026, welcoming an inaugural cohort of women educational leaders from California and across the western United States. Additional details, including application information and program timelines, can be found on  &lt;a href="https://acsa.org/professional-learning/academies?_gl=1*160ld52*_ga*MTc4NjQwMDE1OC4xNzU1MDE1ODMx*_ga_XQ38JQDC1G*czE3NzE1Mzk1MDckbzE2NiRnMCR0MTc3MTUzOTUwNyRqNjAkbDAkaDA.#tab4" target="_blank"&gt;ACSA&amp;rsquo;s website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;For women leaders considering the superintendency, or seeking clarity about their next leadership step, the Academy offers a rare opportunity: to learn directly from women who have walked the path before them, supported by two organizations deeply committed to advancing equity-driven leadership in public education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About ACSA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Founded in 1971, the &lt;a href="https://acsa.org/" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;"&gt;Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)&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; is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the United States, serving more than 17,000 California educators. Its top priority is advocating for public school students in kindergarten through grade 12, as well as adult learners. ACSA is the only association in the nation that encompasses the full spectrum of the management and leadership team, serving school administrators across 19 regions throughout California, each comprised of local charters.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:91e8cc05-f95a-4a18-a49b-aea8f5d99c4a</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/10/illinois-superintendent-jennifer-kelsall-named-aasa-president-elect</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>Illinois Superintendent Jennifer Kelsall Named �ܲ�AV��ƵPresident-Elect</title><description>Jennifer Kelsall, Superintendent of Ridgewood High School District 234 in Norridge, IL was voted as the 2026-27 president-elect of AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ.</description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:42:55 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director of Communications&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;March&amp;nbsp;10, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;Jennifer Kelsall, Superintendent of Ridgewood High School District 234&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;Norridge, IL&amp;nbsp;was voted as the 2026-27&amp;nbsp;president-elect of AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ,&amp;nbsp;which&amp;nbsp;represents&amp;nbsp;more than 13,000&amp;nbsp;school system leaders&amp;nbsp;nationwide&amp;nbsp;and serves&amp;nbsp;as the&amp;nbsp;voice for education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.&amp;nbsp; &lt;span class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/advocacy/jennifer-kelsall.png?sfvrsn=419e564_1" style="margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kelsall has&amp;nbsp;been the&amp;nbsp;superintendent of Ridgewood High School District 234 since&amp;nbsp;2014,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;she&amp;nbsp;previously served as principal in the district from 2008 to 2014. Throughout her career, she has focused on strengthening school-community partnerships, supporting innovative learning opportunities, and ensuring that all students have access to meaningful educational experiences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;nbsp;am honored and humbled to have been&amp;nbsp;elected&amp;nbsp;by my peers to serve as the next President-Elect of AASA. I am incredibly excited to begin this work alongside such dedicated leaders from across the country,&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;Kelsall&amp;nbsp;said. &amp;ldquo;As �ܲ�AV��Ƶpresident-elect,&amp;nbsp;I will ensure that our association&amp;nbsp;remains&amp;nbsp;a steadfast, credible advocate for every superintendent in every context. Leadership is earned through doing the work. &amp;nbsp;I look forward to serving those in the organization and the students we represent by elevating our collective voice and amplifying the&amp;nbsp;Public&amp;nbsp;Education&amp;nbsp;Promise.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Thank you for your trust; I am ready to get to work.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kelsall was selected through AASA&amp;rsquo;s national election process and will work alongside the association&amp;rsquo;s leadership&amp;nbsp;and governing boards&amp;nbsp;to advance AASA&amp;rsquo;s mission of supporting and developing effective school system leaders,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;advocate for the students and communities they serve.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;As an&amp;nbsp;�ܲ�AV��Ƶmember since 2014, Kelsall has played an active role in the association&amp;rsquo;s leadership and professional initiatives. She served on the �ܲ�AV��ƵGoverning Board from 2018&amp;ndash;2024,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;she&amp;nbsp;currently serves on the AASA&amp;nbsp;Executive Committee. She has also contributed to the organization as a conference presenter and mentor in AASA&amp;rsquo;s Aspiring Superintendent Cohort.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;"Superintendent&amp;nbsp;Kelsall&amp;nbsp;has been an integral part of �ܲ�AV��Ƶfor more than decade&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; and&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;her role&amp;nbsp;as Superintendent of Ridgewood High School District 234, she has provided&amp;nbsp;strong,&amp;nbsp;transformative&amp;nbsp;leadership for&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;students,&amp;nbsp;families&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;community&amp;nbsp;she serves&amp;nbsp;by&amp;nbsp;building strong partnerships and&amp;nbsp;supporting innovation in teaching and learning,&amp;rdquo; David R. Schuler, executive director, �ܲ�AV��Ƶsaid. "I look forward to working closely with&amp;nbsp;Jennifer&amp;nbsp;in her new role as president-elect to&amp;nbsp;help&amp;nbsp;create&amp;nbsp;brighter futures for district leaders and&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;ensure&amp;nbsp;that&amp;nbsp;students across the country&amp;nbsp;are&amp;nbsp;prepared&amp;nbsp;to thrive and succeed&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;a&amp;nbsp;future&amp;nbsp;we have yet to imagine."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kelsall holds a Ph.D. from Illinois State University, a master&amp;rsquo;s degree from Governors State University,&amp;nbsp;and a bachelor&amp;rsquo;s degree from Illinois State University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about �ܲ�AV��Ƶand its leadership initiatives, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;www.aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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&amp;nbsp;equitable&amp;nbsp;access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit&amp;nbsp;&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:3a9583a9-d849-481b-89d1-295208324aad</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/03/07/aasa-wins-gold-trendy-award-for-best-advocacy-campaign</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵWins Gold TRENDY Award for Best Advocacy Campaign</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶhonored with the gold TRENDY Award for Best Advocacy Campaign by Association Trends.</description><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:04:00 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, has been honored with the gold TRENDY Award for Best Advocacy Campaign by&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.associationtrends.com/"&gt;Association Trends&lt;/a&gt;, one of the association management community&amp;rsquo;s most respected honors. The award recognizes AASA&amp;rsquo;s&amp;nbsp;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2025/07/22/fy25-funding-freeze-impact"&gt;FY25 Funding Freeze on Students Across America&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;campaign, a rapid-response advocacy initiative that mobilized school system leaders nationwide and helped secure the release of approximately&amp;nbsp;$7 billion&amp;nbsp;in federally appropriated education funds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;figure class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/awards/aasa-trendy-group-picture-2026.jpg?sfvrsn=27042d3d_1" alt="5 �ܲ�AV��ƵStaff pose for group picture at the 2026 Salute to Association Excellence Luncheon" /&gt;&lt;figcaption&gt;From L to R: Amiela Arcellana, �ܲ�AV��ƵMarketing Coordinator; Meghan Moran, �ܲ�AV��ƵSenior Director of Marketing and Communications;&amp;nbsp;Kat Sturdevant, AASA&amp;nbsp;Advocacy &amp;amp; Governance Manager; Sasha Pudelski, �ܲ�AV��ƵAdvocacy Director; and Jay Goldman, �ܲ�AV��ƵEditor of School Administrator. Staff receive the award at the 2026 Salute to Association Excellence ceremony in Washington, D.C.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campaign generated extraordinary media impact, earning �ܲ�AV��Ƶ1,885 media stories in July&amp;nbsp;2025.&amp;nbsp;Coverage spanned the Associated Press,&amp;nbsp;The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR&amp;rsquo;s All Things Considered, Good Morning America, CNN, Newsweek, The Atlantic, and dozens of national and local education outlets. AASA&amp;rsquo;s social media engagement during the campaign reached an 8.7% engagement rate &amp;mdash; more than triple the association&amp;rsquo;s typical average and the nonprofit industry benchmark.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By transforming superintendent voices into compelling testimonials and&amp;nbsp;maintaining&amp;nbsp;sustained pressure on decision-makers, �ܲ�AV��Ƶwas instrumental in securing the full release of FY25 education funds&amp;nbsp;and helped protect essential services and programs for millions of America&amp;rsquo;s children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The TRENDY Awards, presented by Association Trends, celebrate the most innovative and effective work in association communications, marketing, and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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&amp;nbsp;equitable&amp;nbsp;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:95621f92-6172-49d4-aaf6-6f10b9a8a5bf</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/02/14/miami-superintendent-receives-21st-annual-save-the-music-foundation-award-for-distinguished-support-of-music-education</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Leadership Development</category><title>Miami Superintendent Receives 21st Annual Save The Music Foundation Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education</title><description>Dr. Jose L. Dotres of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami, FL, is the 2026 recipient of the Save The Music Foundation’s (STM) 21st Annual Administrator Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education.</description><pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2026 17:00:09 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 href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6 style="text-align:center;"&gt;Award Presented During AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education &lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nashville, TN&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; February 14, 2026 &amp;ndash; Dr. Jose L. Dotres of &lt;a href="https://www3.dadeschools.net/home" target="_blank"&gt;Miami-Dade County Public Schools&lt;/a&gt; in Miami, FL, is the 2026 recipient of the &lt;a href="http://savethemusic.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Save The Music Foundation&lt;/a&gt;&amp;rsquo;s (STM) 21st Annual Administrator Award for Distinguished Support of Music Education.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This prestigious award was presented at the &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, hosted by AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ.

    &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 school district. Dr. Dotres was chosen for his unwavering devotion to providing students across the community of Miami-Dade County with a well-rounded education that includes music.

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Music education is not an extracurricular&amp;mdash;it is an essential part of a well-rounded education,&amp;rdquo; said Dr. Jose L. Dotres. &amp;ldquo;Through our committed partnership with Save The Music Foundation, we have expanded comprehensive music education in a deliberate, scaled approach&amp;mdash;ensuring that students, particularly those with limited resources, have access to high-quality music instruction taught by qualified educators and musicians during the regular school day. I am grateful for a partnership that helps us bring the power of music to more students across our community.&amp;rdquo; Over the past 9 years, STM has supported Miami-Dade County&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 $2.75M to date. This project is fueled by a strategic partnership with Dr. Dotres, 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 Dotres&amp;rsquo;s leadership, all students across Miami-Dade County Public Schools have the opportunity to express themselves through music making in school,&amp;rdquo; said Chiho Feindler, Chief Program Officer for Save The Music Foundation. &amp;ldquo;We are thrilled to celebrate him with this national honor and look forward to our continued partnership.&amp;rdquo;

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Save The Music Foundation grants, 57 Miami-Dade County 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. Adrienne Battle, superintendent, Metro Nashville School District (TN); Dr. Amy J Carter, superintendent, Meridian Public School District (MS); Christopher Downing, superintendent, Anaheim Elementary School District (CA); Elizabeth Lolli, superintendent, Dayton Public Schools (OH); Leon Rogers, superintendent, Newark Public Schools (NJ); Keely Roberts, superintendent, Zion Elementary District 6 (IL); Francisco Escobedo, superintendent, Chula Vista Elementary School District (CA.); Nancy Sarra, superintendent, Consolidated School District of New Britain (CT); Kevin George, superintendent, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools (LA); Russell Freitas, superintendent, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District (CA); Kristi Wilson, superintendent, Buckeye Elementary School District (AZ); Reginald Mayo, retired superintendent, New Haven Public Schools (CT); Rita Bishop, superintendent, Roanoke City Public Schools (VA); Kathy L. Kelly, superintendent, Columbia Heights Public Schools (MN); Duncan N. P. &amp;ldquo;Pat&amp;rdquo; Pritchett Jr., former superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools (IN); John Lange, former superintendent, Adams County School District 14 (CO); Carol Johnson, former superintendent, Memphis City Schools (TN) and current superintendent, Boston Public Schools (MA); Richard Kaplan, superintendent, New Brunswick Public Schools (NJ); Eugene White, retired superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools (IN); and James A. Williams, former superintendent, Buffalo Public Schools (NY).

    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Conference on Education is the premier national event for superintendents and K&amp;ndash;12 school system leaders, hosted by AASA. It offers professional development, leadership insights, and networking to support student achievement and district excellence. NCE is one of the largest national gatherings of superintendents, attracting over 4,000 education leaders from all 50 states. 
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About Save The Music Foundation:&lt;/strong&gt; 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Save The Music Foundation (STM) is an independent 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to helping students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music.  Since 1997, STM has worked to address systemic inequities in music education by investing in culturally rich American communities - supporting music teachers and donating musical instruments, equipment and technology to public schools. Numerous studies show students who receive music education demonstrate improved math and verbal performance.* To date, the organization has donated over $78 million worth of instruments, equipment and technology to over 2,900 schools across hundreds of school districts, impacting the lives of millions of students nationwide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="note"&gt;*National Library of Medicine, Harvard, University of the Pacific&lt;/span&gt; 

 

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STM Press Contacts:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lisa Gottheil (Grandstand), &lt;a href="mailto:lisag@grandstandhq.com"&gt;lisag@grandstandhq.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Kate Jackson (Grandstand); &lt;a href="mailto:katej@grandstandhq.com"&gt;katej@grandstandhq.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hallie Cross (Save The Music), &lt;a href="mailto:hallie.cross@savethemusic.org"&gt;hallie.cross@savethemusic.org&lt;/a&gt; 
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&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&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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:8cc4b02e-2f6b-4434-9702-5dda77ed7cd2</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/02/13/aasa-announces-2026-women-in-school-leadership-award-winners</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Leadership Development</category><category>Press Release</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵAnnounces 2026 Women in School Leadership Award Winners</title><description>Two outstanding women educational leaders from Pennsylvania and Maryland were honored today.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:03:25 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;Lara Wade&lt;br /&gt;Director of Communications&lt;br /&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a 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; February 13, 2026 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Women in School Leadership Awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img alt="2026 Womens Award finalists" src="/images/default-source/awards/women-in-school-leadership/2026-womens-award-finalists.png?sfvrsn=c80c1d99_1" sf-size="357105" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of a long-standing tradition to create more pathways for women who wish to enter the field of education administration, AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵWomen 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 our nation&amp;rsquo;s public schools. Today&amp;rsquo;s announcement was made at &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt; in Nashville, Tennessee.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The winners for each category are: &lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Central Office/Principal Category&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/janeen-peretin"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Janeen Peretin&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, assistant to the superintendent, Baldwin-Whitehall School District (Pa.)
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent Category&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/myriam-rogers"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Myriam Rogers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools (Md.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Horace Mann is proud to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶto celebrate these exceptional women leaders in education,&amp;rdquo; said Marita Zuraitis, president of Horace Mann Educators Corporation. &amp;ldquo;Their passion and leadership make a meaningful difference in the communities they serve and inspire students and educators alike. We&amp;rsquo;re honored to recognize their lasting impact and continued excellence.&amp;rdquo;



&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The �ܲ�AV��ƵWomen in School Leadership Awards were created for amazing leaders like our honorees and winners today,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. &amp;ldquo;They have a wealth of knowledge and an unwavering dedication to student success, staff development, and innovation in K-12 education. We are proud to recognize these educators and showcase their outstanding achievements and successes. We thank Horace Mann for supporting this important program.&amp;rdquo;



&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2025/11/20/aasa-announces-2026-women-in-school-leadership-award-finalists"&gt;Award finalists were announced November 20, 2025&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 Women in School Leadership Awards, please visit the �ܲ�AV��Ƶwebsite or contact Jennifer Rooney, �ܲ�AV��Ƶsenior director of meetings and awards, at jrooney@aasa.org.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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 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;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:300e58a6-ddec-447b-94cb-0bae331c1d80</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/02/12/roosevelt-nivens-of-texas-named-2026-aasa-national-superintendent-of-the-year</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>Roosevelt Nivens of Texas Named 2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Superintendent of the Year®</title><description>Dr. Roosevelt Nivens of Lamar Consolidated Independent School District named 2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Superintendent of the Year®.</description><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 23:11:56 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;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span class="img-right"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/news/roosevelt-nivens-wins-nsoy-2026.jpg?sfvrsn=47b11495_1" alt="Roosevelt Nivens wins NSOY 2026" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; February 12, 2026 &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ndash; &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/roosevelt-nivens"&gt;Roosevelt Nivens&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent of Lamar Consolidated Independent School District in Texas, has been named the 2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt;. Today&amp;rsquo;s announcement came at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now in its 39th year, the National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; program is co-sponsored by AASA, Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell, 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 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; finalists, named December 15, 2025, are:&lt;/strong&gt;


 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/demetrus-liggins"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Demetrus Liggins&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Superintendent, Fayette County Public Schools, Ky.

        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/heather-perry"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heather Perry&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Superintendent of Schools, Gorham School Department, Maine

        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/sonia-santelises"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sonja Santelises&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Chief Executive Officer, Baltimore City Schools, Md.
        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Congratulations to Dr. Roosevelt Nivens on this well-deserved honor. Dr. Nivens commitment to creating a high-quality learning environment that drives the short- and long-term success of the students, educators and staff of Lamar Consolidated exemplifies life-changing leadership,&amp;rdquo; said Terri Fiedler, president of Retirement Services at Corebridge Financial. &amp;ldquo;Corebridge is honored to support this long-standing program, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Nivens, this year&amp;rsquo;s finalists, and all the State Superintendents of the Year for their shared passion of making a positive impact on the lives of students across the country.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re thrilled to congratulate Dr. Roosevelt Nivens, the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt;,&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 Nivens and the three other finalists selected for this recognition represent education excellence. Sourcewell is honored to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶin celebrating these finalists whose leadership demonstrates the vital role of superintendents nationwide and drive meaningful change now and into the future.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;It is an honor to congratulate Dr. Roosevelt Nivens of Texas as the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt;,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. Dr. Nivens, as well as our three other finalists, are committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunities, experiences, and education that prepares them for college, career, and real life in the real world &amp;ndash; and can lead us into the future. I thank Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell for continuing to support this important and impactful program.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&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. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The nominees were then measured against the following criteria:&lt;/strong&gt;



 &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 2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; 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 2026 State Superintendents of the Year, awarded independently by each state association, &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://soy.aasa.org/winners-2026"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;View Dr. Niven's &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/conference-daily-online/2026-nsoy-profile/" target="_blank"&gt;profile in AASA's Conference Daily Online here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the program, contact Jennifer Rooney, �ܲ�AV��Ƶsenior director, 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;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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 $385 billion in assets under management and administration as of December 31, 2025, 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 target="_blank" href="http://www.corebridgefinancial.com/"&gt;corebridgefinancial.com&lt;/a&gt; and follow us on &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/corebridgefinancial/about/"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;,
 &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKS7ZPjX1nkdUi3pbolphA"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a target="_blank" 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 target="_blank" href="http://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying"&gt;www.sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:422efd61-27ee-4cb9-93b7-01db00dedac3</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/01/21/aasa-and-national-pta-honor-nashville-superintendent-with-family-engagement-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Community &amp; Family Engagement</category><title>�ܲ�AV��Ƶand National PTA Honor Nashville Superintendent with Excellence in Family Engagement Award</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶand National PTA announce Dr. Adrienne Battle as the 2026 Excellence in Family Engagement Award recipient.</description><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:00:04 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;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 href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. (Jan. 21, 2026) &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, and National PTA are pleased to announce the winner of this year&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/excellence-in-family-engagement-award"&gt;Excellence in Family Engagement Award&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;Dr.&amp;nbsp;Adrienne Battle, superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools (Tennessee).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;In its second year, the award celebrates excellence in family-school partnerships and recognizes superintendents who have implemented exemplary best practices to integrate family engagement across strategic plans,&amp;nbsp;budgets&amp;nbsp;and district infrastructure.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Excellence in Family Engagement Award serves as a symbol to encourage other school system leaders to intentionally engage families and contribute to national efforts that sustain public and private funding for family-school partnerships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the award,&amp;nbsp;Dr.&amp;nbsp;Battle&amp;rsquo;s school district will receive $5,000 to support family engagement initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Superintendent Battle has&amp;nbsp;demonstrated&amp;nbsp;exceptional leadership in advancing family engagement as a cornerstone of student success. She has helped create lasting connections between schools, families, and the communities they serve,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;Her work reflects a core tenet of public education: that strong relationships, trust, and shared responsibility between schools and families create better outcomes for students and stronger communities.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;At PTA, we strongly believe that every strategy to accelerate learning must include families, and we are thrilled to join �ܲ�AV��Ƶin honoring Superintendent Battle with the Excellence in Family Engagement Award,&amp;rdquo; said Yvonne Johnson, president of National PTA. &amp;ldquo;Superintendent Battle's commitment to family engagement and understanding of the power of school-community partnerships exemplify the amazing things that can be achieved when schools and families unite to accomplish common goals.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Battle will be recognized during AASA&amp;rsquo;s 2026 &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;National Conference on&amp;nbsp;Education&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;February 12 in Nashville. The award was made possible by funding from&amp;nbsp;Overdeck&amp;nbsp;Family Foundation.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Winner&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/headshots/adrienne-battle.png?sfvrsn=9850c6a_1" alt="Adrienne Battle" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dr. Adrienne Battle, superintendent, Metro Nashville Public Schools (Tennessee)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Adrienne Battle has served as Superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools since 2019, making history as the first woman and first MNPS graduate to lead Tennessee&amp;rsquo;s second-largest school district. A Nashville native, she is a graduate of the district&amp;rsquo;s John Overton High School, Missouri State University, and Tennessee State University.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;MNPS has achieved historic outcomes under Dr. Battle, including four consecutive years of Level 5 TVAAS growth &amp;ndash; the highest possible rating &amp;ndash; in the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and the highest graduation rate in district history for the 2023-2024 school year. The district recently received national recognition for the second year in a row in the Education Recovery Scorecard for its work on post-pandemic academic recovery, with Top 10 rankings among large urban districts for growth in both reading and math from 2022 to 2023 and again from 2023 to 2024.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Battle's tenure reflects a relentless commitment to ensuring that every student is known, supported, and prepared for success in college, career, and life. As an MNPS parent, she understands the power of partnerships with all stakeholders, families, and the community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;"&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, founded in 1865, is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill. A professional community of more than 10,000 educational leaders, �ܲ�AV��Ƶand its members are committed to providing high-quality public education to all students. For more information, visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://aasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:e3a87bf9-918e-4fa0-832a-d4699cb1a861</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/01/16/k-12-leaders-to-gather-in-nashville-for-aasa-2026-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 to Gather in Nashville for AASA’s  

2026 National Conference on Education</title><description>More than 5,000 school leaders will gather in Nashville for NCE 2026 to discuss future-ready practices and innovative approaches to student-centered learning.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 19:39:29 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 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, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ndash; More than 5,000 K-12 public school superintendents, district administrators and advocates from across the country are set to gather in Nashville, Tennessee from February 12-14 for the &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;2026 National Conference on Education (NCE),&lt;/a&gt; hosted by &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Future is Ready&amp;rdquo; is the theme of this year's conference, because the future isn&amp;rsquo;t waiting &amp;ndash; it's already here. The duty of educators and school system leaders is to ensure every child in every community is prepared to find success on a path of their choosing. That means embracing innovation and equipping students, staff, and community with the tools and essential skills they need to thrive in a fast-changing world. AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education unites leaders to fulfill the &amp;ldquo;Public Education Promise&amp;rdquo; for every student across the nation &amp;ndash; and to help shape what&amp;rsquo;s next.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Conference keynote speakers include:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Joe Sanfelippo, Leadership Coach, Joseph M Sanfelippo LLC, Fall Creek, WI (February 12)
        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Marcus Whitney, Co-Founder and Minority Owner of MLS team, Nashville Soccer Club; Founding Partner of Jumpstart Health Investors, Nashville, TN (February 13)
        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Marcelle Haddix, Dean, Karen A. Falk Distinguished Chair of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, Madison, WI (February 14)
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NCE will hold various &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/thought-leader-sessions/"&gt;Thought Leader Sessions&lt;/a&gt; as well as &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/education-sessions/"&gt;Educational&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/roundtable-sessions/"&gt;Roundtable Sessions&lt;/a&gt; on topics such as:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Building Capacity for Political Leadership&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Summer Learning and Student Success: Lessons from the Field&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why Rural Matters: From Data to Advocacy for Your District&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grow Your Own, Keep Your Own: A Proven Strategy to Cultivate and Retain High-Impact Educators&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;People First: A Superintendent Panel on Boosting Morale, Retention and Pride in Public Education&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Using Lessons from the NFL Draft Board to Address the Teacher Shortage&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Happiness Advantage in Education: A Proven Path to Thriving Schools&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;AI in HR: Transforming School District Personnel Management.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/schedule/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can see the full education schedule here.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conference includes an &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/nce-exhibit-hall/" target="_blank"&gt;Exhibit Hall&lt;/a&gt; that houses an Advocacy Action Center and a &lt;a href="https://nce.aasa.org/health-wellness-center/"&gt;Health &amp;amp; Wellness Center&lt;/a&gt; where conference goers can relax and recharge with yoga and meditation, drink fruit-infused water, enjoy meeting friendly pups in the dog-petting lounge, and learn about sleep hygiene for better rest.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/social-media-lounge/"&gt;Social Media Lounge&lt;/a&gt; is also located in the Exhibit Hall, where superintendents and school administrators can enhance their communication skills and attend sessions such as &amp;ldquo;Centering Student Voice: Storytelling on Social Media that Builds Trust&amp;rdquo; and &amp;ldquo;Investing in People: Social Media That Strengthens Your Educator Pipeline.&amp;rdquo;



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2025/12/15/finalists-named-for-aasa-s-2026-national-superintendent-of-the-year--award"&gt;2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;/a&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; winner will be announced on the first day of the conference. Recipients of the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2026/01/14/champions-for-education-to-receive-aasa-humanitarian-award"&gt;2026 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award&lt;/a&gt; as well as the winners of the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/news-media/news/2025/11/20/aasa-announces-2026-women-in-school-leadership-award-finalists"&gt;Women in School Leadership Award&lt;/a&gt; will also be recognized at NCE.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attendees and those interested in the conference can follow &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://nce.aasa.org/conference-daily-online/"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s 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 �ܲ�AV��Ƶgovernance activities, along with photos, video clips and blog postings.



    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the 2026 National Conference on Education, visit the &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;NCE website&lt;/a&gt;.
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&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&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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:0832ee8a-5989-4f29-922f-4bf59bf1db14</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/01/14/champions-for-education-to-receive-aasa-humanitarian-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>Champions for Education to Receive �ܲ�AV��ƵHumanitarian Award</title><description>Leaders from Virginia, New York, and Minnesota receive the �ܲ�AV��Ƶ2026 Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award.</description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:02:31 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;/div&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Public education leaders to be recognized at AASA&amp;rsquo;s 2026 National Conference on Education.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. (January 14, 2026)&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/effie-h-jones-humanitarian-award#0"&gt;Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award&lt;/a&gt;, an annual recognition of education leaders committed to the advancement and mentorship of women and underrepresented groups in our nation&amp;rsquo;s public schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The 2026 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 �ܲ�AV��Ƶassociate executive director. The 2026 recipients are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monique Darrisaw-Akil&lt;/strong&gt;, superintendent, Uniondale Union Free School District (Long Island, New York)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aaron Spence&lt;/strong&gt;, superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools (Ashburn, Virginia)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stacie Stanley&lt;/strong&gt;, superintendent, Saint Paul Public Schools (Saint Paul, Minnesota)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;"These honorees represent the very best of public education leadership. Through their commitment to mentorship, access, and opportunity, they are creating lasting impact for the students and communities they serve," said David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA. "Dr. Jones dedicated her career to opening doors for others, and her legacy lives on in leaders like these, whose service, generosity, and conviction continue to move public education forward."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Darrisaw-Akil, Spence, and Stanley will receive their awards during the second general session at AASA&amp;rsquo;s 2026 &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, Feb. 12, in Nashville.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;On the second day of the conference, the awardees will be honored at the Dr. Effie Hall Jones Memorial Luncheon, an event co-hosted by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and the National Alliance of Black School Educators, and graciously sponsored by the Institute for Educational Innovation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Honorees&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/headshots/monique-darrisaw-akil336ae5ab-cba7-4286-a078-037c8e489ef2.png?sfvrsn=95f32afc_1" alt="Monique Darrisaw-Akil" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monique Darrisaw-Akil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent, Uniondale Union Free School District (Uniondale, New York)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil is a transformative educational leader who believes that within every child resides a unique "genius" waiting to be affirmed. As the Superintendent of the Uniondale Union Free School District, she oversees the success of over 6,000 students through a leadership framework of equity, academic excellence, culturally responsive education, and authentic leadership. Under her stewardship, the Uniondale school district has achieved national acclaim for dramatic increases in the high school graduation rate, being named one of only 27 "My Brother&amp;rsquo;s Keeper" communities by the Obama Foundation and receiving the College Board&amp;rsquo;s AP Spotlight for remarkable increases in advanced placement participation, particularly for young men of color.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;An active leader at the local and national levels, Dr. Darrisaw-Akil currently serves on the Governing Board of AASA, the Diversity and Equity Commission of the New York State Council of School Superintendents and was recently recognized as a "Superintendent to Watch" and the Uniondale Herald&amp;rsquo;s 2023 Person of the Year.&amp;nbsp; A sought-after speaker and mentor, she serves as a lead faculty member for the AASA/Howard University Aspiring Superintendents&amp;rsquo; Academy, where she cultivates the next generation of diverse executive leaders.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/headshots/aaron-spenceda63d9cc-2dfb-466c-97f7-659845954edf.png?sfvrsn=c6f57bdc_1" alt="Aaron Spence" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aaron Spence&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools (Loudoun, Virginia)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;A passionate and visionary leader in public education for over three decades, Dr. Aaron Spence is dedicated to ensuring all students have access to rigorous coursework, innovative learning opportunities, and resources they need to succeed. Known for fostering a culture where differences are celebrated and where student and staff voices are valued, Dr. Spence is committed to creating an inclusive and empowering environment for all.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;As Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Dr. Spence oversees the instructional leadership and administrative operation of 100 schools and centers serving nearly 83,000 students. He leads LCPS with the belief that every student deserves opportunities to thrive academically, socially and emotionally, preparing them to excel in an ever-changing world.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/headshots/stacie-stanley.png?sfvrsn=a34039ef_1" alt="Stacie Stanley" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stacie Stanley&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent, Saint Paul Public Schools (Saint Paul, Minnesota)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Dr. Stacie L. Stanley serves as Superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota's second-largest district, where she began her tenure in May 2025. She previously served as Superintendent of Edina Public Schools, a first ring suburb of Minneapolis, for four years. Throughout her career spanning mathematics teacher, director of equity, school principal, director of curriculum and instruction, and associate superintendent, Dr. Stanley has championed equity and access for all students. She is a systems thinker who has led efforts across several districts to eliminate tracked systems and open doors to rigorous and culturally responsive learning for historically marginalized students.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;A fierce advocate for youth voice and equitable learning environments, Dr. Stanley centers her leadership on dignity and belonging for all students and staff. She currently serves as President of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) where she facilitates its monthly Women In Leadership affinity group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align:center;" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, founded in 1865, is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill. A professional community of more than 10,000 educational leaders, �ܲ�AV��Ƶand its members are committed to providing high-quality public education to all students. For more information, visit &lt;a href="http://aasa.org"&gt;aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:e0c8f6b6-b3db-4b61-b4ab-1d9a0ac2b607</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/01/12/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>�ܲ�AV��ƵAwards Grants to School Districts Across the Nation</title><description>Twenty three districts awarded funds to improve infrastructure and increase student success from the �ܲ�AV��Ƶ| Sourcewell Helping Kids Mini Grants program.</description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:39:22 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 12, 2026 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="/home"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/a&gt;,
 has announced the recipients of the 2026 &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 target="_blank" href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/"&gt;Sourcewell&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year, $80,500 in funds have been distributed to 23 school districts across the nation to improve infrastructure and increase student success.
    &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;�ܲ�AV��Ƶis proud to support public school districts through the Helping Kids Mini Grants program,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;As the national organization representing and serving school system leaders, it is central to our mission to invest in practical solutions that strengthen learning environments and improve outcomes for students. These grants empower districts to address real needs in their communities, and we are grateful to Sourcewell for their continued partnership and shared commitment to helping schools succeed throughout the U.S.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;For 2026, the following school districts were chosen to receive the �ܲ�AV��Ƶ| Sourcewell Helping Kids Mini Grants:&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adair.kyschools.us/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adair County Schools&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &amp;ndash; Kentucky&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Jason Faulkner

 &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ajoschools.org/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ajo Unified School District #15&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &amp;ndash; Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Roman Soltero

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bowieschools.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Bowie Unified School District #14&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Richard Arkanoff

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.center.k12.mo.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Center School District #58&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Missouri&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Troy S. Hogg

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Duneland School Corporation&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Indiana&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Chip Pettit 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.fcps.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;Fairfax County Public Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Virginia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Michelle C. Reid

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.floridaufsd.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Florida Union Free School District&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; New York&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Lisamarie Spindler 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.gilboa-conesville.k12.ny.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Gilboa-Conesville Central School &lt;/a&gt;&amp;ndash; New York&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Bonnie Johnson 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.hcboe.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Hamblen County Department of Education&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Tennessee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Arnold W. Bunch

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.hellgate.k12.mt.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Hellgate Elementary School District #4&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Montana&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Molly Blakely

&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; &amp;ndash; Minnesota&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Andy Almos

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.lancasterisd.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Lancaster Independent School District&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Texas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, A. Katrise Perera

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://southcarolina.legacytraditional.org/columbia/" target="_blank"&gt;Legacy Traditional Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; South Carolina&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Jennifer Turney  

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mpark.net/" target="_blank"&gt;Manassas Park City Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Virginia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Melissa Saunders

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.multnomahesd.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Multnomah Education Service District&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Oregon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Paul E. Coakley

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.pineriver.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Pine River Area Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Michigan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Michelle Gill

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.prsd1435.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Posen-Robbins School District 143-5&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Illinois&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Anthony Edison

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.scec.k12.in.us/" target="_blank"&gt;School City of East Chicago&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Indiana&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Stephen Bournes

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.scs.k12.al.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Sheffield City Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Alabama&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Carlos Nelson

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://uttc.edu/theodore-jamerson-elementary-school/" target="_blank"&gt;Theodore Jamerson Elementary School&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; North Dakota&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Amy DeWitt 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.d214.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Township High School District 214&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Illinois&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Scott Rowe 

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.memphis.edu/universityschools/index.php" target="_blank"&gt;University Schools&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Tennessee&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Sally Gates Parish

&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://wtc.k12.mn.us/" target="_blank"&gt;Wright Technical Center ISD 966&lt;/a&gt; &amp;ndash; Minnesota&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Superintendent, Brian Nutter

        &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2012, �ܲ�AV��Ƶand 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;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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 the United States and Canada 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 efficiency 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 help to streamline the procurement process. Learn more at &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://sourcewell-mn.gov/aasa-k12-buying"&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:cd826a56-51a9-473e-9247-5d801d4ee6d4</guid><link>/news-media/news/2026/01/02/applications-now-open-aasa-leadership-academies</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><title>Applications Now Open: �ܲ�AV��ƵLeadership Academies</title><description>Applications now open for AASA's 2026-27 professional learning academies for district leaders and superintendents.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:02:16 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h6&gt;Building the leadership pipeline that transforms student outcomes&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The leaders shaping public education's future need more than credentials &amp;mdash; they need the skills to navigate unprecedented change while keeping students front and center. That's why we're excited to share applications for AASA's 2026-27 leadership academies and National Superintendent Certification Program&amp;reg; are now open!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These academies are designed to strengthen the pipeline from school leadership to the superintendency.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;National Principal Supervisor Academy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transform how districts support principals at scale through this partnership with the University of Washington's Center for Educational Leadership. Move from evaluation to coaching excellence with standards-based training, individual coaching, peer learning communities, and real problems of practice.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Choose in-person or virtual format | September 2025 - May 2026 | Applications due September 1, 2026&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/professional-learning/event/2026/09/15/default-calendar/aasa-national-principal-supervisor-academy"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Learn More&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Aspiring Superintendents Academies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Year-long programs preparing the next generation of district leaders to fulfill the Public Education Promise. Multiple pathways designed for diverse leaders:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Aspiring Superintendents Academy&amp;reg;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Aspiring Superintendents Academy&amp;reg; Academy for Women Leaders&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Aspiring Superintendents Academy&amp;reg; for Latino/a Leaders&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Urban Superintendents Academy (partnership with Howard University and USC Rossier)&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/professional-learning/Aspiring-Superintendents-Academies"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Learn More&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;National Superintendent Certification Program&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA's National Superintendent Certification Program&amp;reg; supports early-career and experienced superintendents as they navigate the essential work of preparing students to graduate not only as good students but as good citizens, ready to succeed in college, career, or whatever path they choose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Applications due September 18, 2026.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/professional-learning/event/2026/09/23/default-calendar/national-superintendent-certification-program-east" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Learn More&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="content-box"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;Ready to Invest in Leadership That Changes Lives?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;America's children get one shot at K-12 education. The leaders guiding them need to be prepared to make it count. Whether you're coaching principals to instructional excellence, aspiring to lead an entire district, or a superintendent new to the role, these opportunities will equip you with the skills, networks, and vision to lead schools where every student is known, supported, and prepared for real life in the real world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Questions? &lt;/strong&gt;Contact Valerie Truesdale at &lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:vtruesdale@aasa.org"&gt;vtruesdale@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:73e45314-4f76-4746-b99b-84770f637bea</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/12/15/finalists-named-for-aasa-s-2026-national-superintendent-of-the-year--award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Leadership Development</category><category>Press Release</category><title>Finalists Named for AASA’s 2026 National Superintendent of the Year® Award</title><description>Honorees include superintendents from Kentucky, Texas, Maine and Maryland.</description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 19:00:09 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;Lara Wade&lt;br /&gt;Director of Communications&lt;br /&gt;Mobile: 813-833-1498&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h5&gt;Honorees include superintendents from Kentucky, Texas, Maine and Maryland&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; Dec. 15, 2025 &amp;ndash;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, is proud to announce the four finalists for the prestigious 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; Award.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This award, co-presented by AASA, &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/employers/about-us"&gt;Corebridge Financial&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/partner/sourcewell"&gt;Sourcewell&lt;/a&gt;, recognizes exceptional superintendents for their outstanding leadership and dedication to advancing public education in their communities.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The finalists for the 2026 award are:
&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/demetrus-liggins" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Demetrus Liggins&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Superintendent, Fayette County Public Schools, Ky.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/roosevelt-nivens" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Roosevelt Nivens&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Superintendent, Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, Texas&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/heather-perry" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heather Perry&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Superintendent of Schools, Gorham School Department, Maine&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/person/sonia-santelises" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sonja Santelises&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,
 Chief Executive Officer, Baltimore City Schools, Md.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/awards/superintendent-of-the-year/2026-nsoy-finalists.png?sfvrsn=9f89fd01_1" alt="2026 NSOY Finalists" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;These extraordinary leaders embody the transformative power of public education,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, AASA&amp;rsquo;s executive director. &amp;ldquo;Their visionary leadership uplifts students and demonstrates our continued commitment to providing every child with the opportunities, experiences, and education that prepares them for college, career, and real life in the real world. We are honored to celebrate their incredible success and accomplishments.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&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;&amp;ldquo;Strong leadership in our school systems is critical to the success of students, families, educators and communities,&amp;rdquo; said Terri Fiedler, president of Retirement Services at Corebridge Financial. &amp;ldquo;We are proud to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶin honoring these outstanding superintendents and their tireless work. They exemplify what it means to be an effective leader, positively impacting the lives of so many and helping shape the future of our nation.&amp;rdquo;

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We recognize the critical role superintendents play in driving meaningful change now and in the future,&amp;rdquo; said Dr. Chad Coauette, CEO of Sourcewell. &amp;ldquo;We are honored to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶin celebrating these finalists, whose leadership shows the very best of public education and the vital roles of superintendents nationwide.&amp;rdquo;

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;These extraordinary leaders embody the transformative power of public education.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;The four finalists will have an opportunity to meet the national education community during a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, which will be livestreamed for journalists, public education advocates, and the finalist&amp;rsquo;s supporters throughout the U.S.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; will be announced live during &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://nce.aasa.org/"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s National Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, February 12-14 in Nashville, Tennessee.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year&lt;sup&gt;&amp;reg;&lt;/sup&gt; to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated or the school now serving the same area.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the program, visit &lt;a href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/national-superintendent-of-the-year" target="_blank"&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s website&lt;/a&gt; or contact Jennifer Rooney, �ܲ�AV��Ƶsenior director, meetings and awards, at &lt;a href="mailto:jrooney@aasa.org"&gt;jrooney@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Access a complete list of the 2026 State Superintendents of the Year, awarded independently by each state association,  &lt;a href="https://soy.aasa.org/winners-2026-preview-239483234" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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;/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 $380 billion in assets under management and administration as of September 30, 2025, 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 target="_blank" href="http://www.corebridgefinancial.com/"&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 is proud to serve as AASA&amp;rsquo;s government cooperative procurement partner, supporting K&amp;ndash;12 school districts across the United States and Canada in their mission to improve student success. Through Sourcewell&amp;rsquo;s cooperative purchasing program, districts gain access to hundreds of competitively solicited contracts across key categories like education technology, transportation, facilities, food service, professional development, and more. Contracts are delivered through a network of trusted suppliers and local dealers, making procurement easier while supporting local communities. Acting as a force multiplier, Sourcewell helps education leaders save time, stretch resources, and stay focused on what matters most.&amp;nbsp;Learn more at &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/k-12-education"&gt;sourcewell-mn.gov/k-12-education&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:1ac11132-d856-4770-9a8f-64d18a9b5131</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/12/04/aasa-releases-2025-american-superintendent-study</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵReleases “The 2025 American Superintendent Study, Mid-Decade Update”</title><description>AASA's mid-decade superintendent research uncovers workforce trends, political pressures, and community support data critical to education leadership.</description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:23:42 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director of Communications&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va. &amp;ndash; Dec. 4, 2025&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/a&gt; is pleased to release comprehensive findings from  &lt;a href="/resources/resource/2025-american-superintendent-study--mid-decade-update" target="_blank"&gt;The 2025 American Superintendent Study, Mid-Decade Update&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶhas conducted this member survey since 1971, to provide key insights into superintendent demographics, priorities, and trends across the nation - and how their work shapes public education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some of the key 2025 findings include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&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 modal superintendent was a married, White (64%) male, who was 52.7 years old, prior experience as a principal, with two to eight years of experience being a superintendent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The percentage of female superintendents increased from just 13.1% in 2000 to approximately 30% in 2025. The percentage of women in the top leadership positions in education is well above the roughly 9% of the publicly traded companies that make up the Russell 3000 companies that have a woman in the top position.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Top five issues that inhibited the overall effectiveness of superintendents were inadequate financing of schools (62%) federal mandates (52%), insignificant demands on time (47%), social media (38.7%), and state politics (38%).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;89.4% of superintendents were satisfied or very satisfied in their job, slightly less than the 92% in 2020.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;91% of superintendents felt somewhat or very supported by their communities, a modest decline from 95% in the 2020 study.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;More than two-thirds (67%) of all superintendents now engage their communities in advisory or planning activities on at least a monthly basis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Political polarization has intensified pressures on superintendents, particularly around issues of CRT, DEI, SEL, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Although almost two-thirds of superintendents reported at least considerable stress in their role, close to 90% expressed job satisfaction - nearly half would choose to be a superintendent if they were starting over.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;Leaders are navigating unprecedented pressures around finance, staffing, safety, and politics, all while remaining steadfast in their commitment to the growth and well-being of every student. The work has never been easy, but it has never been more important.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;The final study sample included 1,095 complete responses from 49 states. The majority of respondents worked in rural districts, 56%, and suburban districts, 25% and approximately 70% of the respondents worked in districts with fewer than 3,000 students. Approximately 60% of respondents worked in districts with between 300-2,999 students, similar to national demographics related to enrollments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The data from 2025 confirms what many of us have seen firsthand - the role of superintendent has grown more complex, demanding, and multifaceted than ever before. Leaders are navigating unprecedented pressures around finance, staffing, safety, and politics, all while remaining steadfast in their commitment to the growth and well-being of every student. The work has never been easy, but it has never been more important,&amp;rdquo; said Executive Director of AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, David R. Schuler.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Researchers Sonya Douglass, Courtney Gibbs, Shawn Joseph, Nicoisa Jones, Ann LoBue, Jennifer Timmer, Christopher Tienken, and Rachel White worked on  &lt;a href="/resources/resource/2025-american-superintendent-study--mid-decade-update" target="_blank"&gt;The 2025 American Superintendent Study, Mid-Decade Update&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For further information, or to schedule an interview with one of the researchers or a superintendent about the study, contact Lara Wade at (813) 833-1498 or via email at &lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;###&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:dcbe3d86-71c0-4e23-b636-1ab0e0905e03</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/12/04/aasa-launches-customizable-district-services-portfolio--expanding-direct-support-for-school-systems-nationwide</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Public Education Promise</category><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>District &amp; School Operations</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵLaunches Customizable District Services Portfolio, Expanding Direct Support for School Systems Nationwide</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶnow offers hands-on consulting and strategy services, including Portrait of a Graduate, strategic planning, and more.</description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:00:08 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h6&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶnow offers hands-on consulting and strategy services, including Portrait of a Graduate, strategic planning, and more.&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, today announced the launch of its new &lt;a target="_blank" href="/district-services"&gt;District Services&lt;/a&gt;, a comprehensive and customizable portfolio designed to help public school systems bring their community&amp;rsquo;s vision for student success to life.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This marks the first time in AASA&amp;rsquo;s history that the association will offer a full suite of direct, hands-on consulting and design services to school districts &amp;mdash; a milestone made possible through its recent &lt;a target="_blank" href="/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"&gt;strategic integration with Battelle for Kids&lt;/a&gt;, a nonprofit known for its innovative work in Portrait of a Graduate design and community engagement.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;For nearly 160 years, �ܲ�AV��Ƶhas supported school system leaders through professional learning, advocacy and thought leadership,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA. &amp;ldquo;Now we can now go even further&amp;mdash;helping districts and communities design, align, and implement the systems that create greater opportunities and pathways for every student, in every community.&amp;rdquo;

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AASA&amp;rsquo;s District Services team meets districts where they are &amp;mdash; from defining a shared vision to implementing strategy and measuring impact. Solutions and services include:
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Portrait of a Graduate
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Community Compass
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Strategic Planning
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Branding &amp;amp; Communications
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Roadmap
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Portraits of Educators
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Frameworks for Learning
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Learning Experience Accelerator for Teachers
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Measure What matters
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Impact Showcases
&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each service is designed around AASA&amp;rsquo;s belief that public education is a public promise &amp;mdash; one that requires local collaboration, courageous leadership, and strategic alignment.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interested districts can &lt;a target="_blank" href="/district-services"&gt;learn more about �ܲ�AV��ƵDistrict Services here&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://calendly.com/jkorchinski-aasa/initial-discovery-meeting" target="_blank"&gt;schedule a call with �ܲ�AV��Ƶhere&lt;/a&gt;.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:de5c45d1-3146-4cf9-a790-9f10c449ba29</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/12/03/call-to-action--advocate-for-fy26-funds</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Education Funding</category><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><category>Finance &amp; Budgets</category><title>Call to Action: Advocate for FY26 Funds</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶneeds you to urge each member of your Congressional delegation to support the bipartisan Senate proposal that maintains education funding for vital programs.</description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:00:03 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h5&gt;The Nation's Children Need You - Urge Congress to Maintain Education Funding for Vital Programs Now&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congress is back to work on Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding, and &lt;strong&gt;it&amp;rsquo;s critical they hear directly from superintendents&lt;/strong&gt; about the importance of federal funding for the public schools and students in their districts. As a school system leader, you are the only one who can ensure members of Congress fully understand how crucial federal education funding is for their district.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In September, the House Appropriations Committee advanced an FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services Education and Related Services proposal that &lt;strong&gt;cut Title I by almost $4 billion and eliminated other critical formula programs&lt;/strong&gt; like Title II and Title III.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶneeds you to contact Congress&lt;/strong&gt; to share how your district relies on federal funding and urge each member of your Congressional delegation to support the bipartisan Senate proposal that maintains education funding for vital formula programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;button data-toggle-target="next" class="button space-b-2" type="button"&gt;Customize This Template Letter&lt;/button&gt;&lt;p class="toggle-target"&gt;Dear &lt;span class="warn"&gt;XXXXX&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As superintendent of &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[school district]&lt;/span&gt; in &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[city, state]&lt;/span&gt;, serving &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[describe your students]&lt;/span&gt;, I am reaching out to urge &lt;span class="warn"&gt;Representative/Senator [last name]&lt;/span&gt; to protect federal investments in education and oppose any measure that cuts critical resources for our schools. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am deeply concerned by the drastic cuts the House Appropriations Committee approved in September. H.R.5304 slashes Title I funding by $3.78 billion and eliminates entire programs critical to ensuring a quality education for every child across the nation. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[school district]&lt;/span&gt;, we rely on &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[include information on how you use Title I and Title II funds &amp;ndash; what would a 20% decrease in Title I funding mean for your district? A complete loss of Title II? What services does Title III make possible?]&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In contrast to the House, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bipartisan FY26 proposal which demonstrates that it is possible to preserve critical investments in education, while honoring fiscal responsibility. The Senate bill ensures that K&amp;ndash;12 funding will be disbursed on July 1, preserving a decades-long schedule. This past July, as districts prepared for the upcoming school year, superintendents faced extreme financial uncertainty as we waited to see if essential federal funding&amp;mdash;already incorporated into our budgets&amp;mdash;would be released by the Administration. This key provision gives districts the confidence to plan for access to federal funding on July 1, thanks to Congress&amp;rsquo;s added directive. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As FY26 appropriations negotiations continue, I urge your boss to support the funding levels and policy language in the bipartisan Senate appropriations bill, ensuring that any final FY26 spending bill invests in K-12 education and the future of America&amp;rsquo;s children. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sincerely, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;XXXXXXX&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Don't Know Who to Contact?&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class="more" target="_blank" href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative"&gt;Find your members of Congress here &lt;em class="fas fa-arrow-right"&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Access staffer email addresses in the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/aasa-apps"&gt;�ܲ�AV��ƵAdvocacy App&lt;/a&gt;, or contact Tara Thomas at &lt;a href="mailto:tthomas@aasa.org"&gt;tthomas@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;FY26 Proposals by Program&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;table style="border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;width:100%;"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;House FY26 Proposal&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Senate FY26 Proposal&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title I, Part A&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$14.626 billion (-$3.78 b)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$18.457 billion (+$50 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;IDEA, Part B&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$14.234 billion (+$20 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$14.264 billion (+$50 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title I, Part C (Migrant Education)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$0 (-$376 million)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$376 million (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title I, Part D (Neglected and Delinquent)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$0 (-$49 million)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$49 million (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title II, Part A&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$0 (-$2.19 billion)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$2.19 billion (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title III, Part A &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$0 (-$890 million)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$890 million (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Title IV, Part A&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$1.385 billion (+$5 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$1.380 billion (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;REAP&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$225 million (+$5 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$225 million (+$5 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Impact Aid&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$1.630 billion (+$5 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$1.625 billion (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Head Start&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$12.272 billion (level)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;$12.357 (+$50 m)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height:16.666666666666668%;"&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Other Provisions of Note &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Rescinds $2.628 billion of FY26 advance funding ($938 million from Title I-A and $1.7 billion from Title II-A). Funds expected on Oct. 1 &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="width:33%;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:#002b5c;padding:5px;"&gt;Includes language requiring funds be allocated by the date they are available for obligation (avoiding a future withholding).&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Sample Letter to the Editor &amp;amp; Op-Ed&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To personalize your submission - whether it&amp;rsquo;s a Letter to the Editor (LTE) or an op-ed &amp;ndash; you can make it &amp;ldquo;your own&amp;rdquo; by including some of the following information:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Your district size, demographics, or unique needs
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Specific Title I programs that you would lose or reduce under the House proposal
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A short anecdote about a student, teacher, or program impacted by federal funding
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Any recent local news story the op-ed/LTE responds to
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The importance of receiving funds by July 1 for budget stability
    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div class="accordion"&gt;&lt;div class="accordion__label" data-toggle-target="next"&gt;Template: Letter to the Editor&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="accordion__content"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose:&lt;/strong&gt; Typically in response to a story the publication has recently published.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Length:&lt;/strong&gt; Approximately 200&amp;ndash;250 words.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Title (optional):&lt;/strong&gt; Congress Must Protect Education Funding in FY26&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dear Editor,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a public-school superintendent in &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[Your District/Community]&lt;/span&gt;, I was concerned to read your recent coverage of federal budget negotiations. This story [link the piece here] highlighted uncertainty for the coming fiscal year&amp;mdash;uncertainty that directly impacts our students, educators, and families.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The U.S. House FY26 proposal would cut Title I by nearly $4 billion and eliminate Title II and Title III entirely&amp;mdash;programs our district relies on to support high-need students, strengthen teacher quality, and provide essential services for English learners. If enacted, these cuts would mean &lt;span class="warn"&gt;[describe specific impact: reduced reading specialists, fewer afterschool programs, larger class sizes, loss of professional development, etc.]&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fortunately, the Senate has advanced a bipartisan FY26 bill that maintains funding for core K&amp;ndash;12 programs and protects the decades-long schedule that ensures school districts receive these federal dollars by July 1. This guarantee matters: last summer, districts nationwide were forced to finalize budgets without knowing when or even if federal funds that had been appropriated by Congress would arrive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I urge our congressional delegation to support the Senate&amp;rsquo;s responsible, bipartisan approach that sustains essential federal investments in education. Our students cannot afford damaging cuts&amp;mdash;and our schools cannot plan effectively when funding is delayed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our community&amp;rsquo;s future depends on these crucial federal dollars. Congress should adopt the Senate&amp;rsquo;s FY26 proposal and maintain our nation&amp;rsquo;s commitment to public education and, most importantly, to our children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sincerely,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;[Name, Title, School District]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="accordion__label" data-toggle-target="next"&gt;Template: Op-Ed (Long-Form)&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="accordion__content"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose &amp;amp; Length:&lt;/strong&gt; Approximately 600&amp;ndash;750 words, which is adaptable depending on specific publication requirements.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Title (optional):&lt;/strong&gt; Schools Need Stability, Not Cuts: Congress Must Protect FY26 Education Funding&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recent reporting about the federal budget process underscores something those of us in public education know all too well: national debates in Washington have real consequences in our classrooms. As superintendent of [School District], serving [brief description of student population], I see the direct impact federal funding has on our students every day&amp;mdash;and how harmful proposed cuts would be to our community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This year, the stakes are unusually high. Competing FY26 funding proposals in Congress would take our schools in dramatically different directions. The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that slashes Title I by nearly $4 billion and eliminates foundational formula programs like Title II and Title III altogether. These are not abstract numbers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In [Your District], Title I supports [examples: literacy coaches, interventionists, classroom aides, reading/math specialists, tutoring programs, evidence-based interventions]. Title II makes it possible for us to [examples: provide teacher training, strengthen recruitment and retention, support new teachers]. Title III ensures high-quality services for our multilingual learners&amp;mdash;students who bring incredible strengths and deserve the tools to succeed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A cut of this magnitude would require school leaders to make painful decisions. It could mean [larger class sizes, reduced instructional time, cuts to arts or STEM programs, fewer counselors, loss of summer programming, etc.]. At a moment when students are working hard to recover academically and emotionally from the disruptions of recent years, these types of reductions could undermine the progress that has been made.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contrast this with the bipartisan proposal from the Senate, which takes a far more responsible approach: maintaining funding for core K&amp;ndash;12 programs and directing the Administration to ensure these funds reach districts by July 1. This detail may seem technical, but its impact is enormous.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last summer, districts across the country&amp;mdash;including ours&amp;mdash;built budgets based on federal funds that have historically arrived every July. When that schedule was disrupted, school systems were left wondering if dollars that had been appropriated by Congress would ever materialize. No business, nonprofit, or local government could responsibly operate amid that level of instability&amp;mdash;and neither can public schools. The Senate bill restores predictability, ensuring the decades-long Congressional schedule of funds being delivered on time, by July 1.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our community knows that student success is not accidental. It requires investment by teachers and staff, strong parental engagement, and financial resources for all our students.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Federal dollars make up a relatively small share of our budget, but they are often the most targeted, supporting students with the greatest needs. That&amp;rsquo;s why maintaining Title I, II, and III funding is not merely beneficial; it is essential.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is not a partisan issue. It&amp;rsquo;s about ensuring that every child in every community has access to an excellent education and the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I urge our elected officials in Congress to support the Senate&amp;rsquo;s bipartisan FY26 proposal and reject cuts that would harm students in [State/Region]. Our educators are working harder than ever. Our families depend on the services that our schools provide. And our children deserve a stable, well-funded education system so they can develop real skills for real life, enabling them to reach their full potential.
            &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The decisions made in Washington will shape what is possible in classrooms here at home next fall. I hope our representatives choose to invest in the future of our community&amp;mdash;and most importantly in the future of our children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="warn"&gt;[Name, Title, School District]&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Thank you for helping to keep this critical funding in our public schools.&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/advocacy/key-issues/education-funding" class="more" target="_blank"&gt;See more federal education funding updates here &lt;em class="fas fa-arrow-right"&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:00b936c9-d168-4f20-91ce-bd51e30aac2c</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/12/02/50-years-of-the-individuals-with-disabilities-education-act</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><title>50 Years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: A Milestone &amp; Call to Action</title><description>As our nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ celebrates its transformative impact on education</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:42:16 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Director of Communications&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h6 aria-level="3"&gt;50 Years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: A Milestone &amp;amp; Call to Action&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alexandria, Va.&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; As our nation marks the 50th anniversary of the &lt;strong&gt;Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/a&gt; celebrates its transformative impact on education and renews our long-standing commitment for full funding and nationwide implementation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Signed into law in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and later renamed IDEA, this landmark federal statute guarantees that children with disabilities have the right to a &lt;strong&gt;Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)&lt;/strong&gt; in the &lt;strong&gt;Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)&lt;/strong&gt;, supported by individualized services and protections.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Over its five decades of service, IDEA has opened classrooms and opportunities to millions of children who once lacked access to public education. &lt;strong&gt;To honor IDEA&amp;rsquo;s 50th anniversary, Congress has issued a bipartisan resolution. You can read the press release and see the resolution about this historic milestone &lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-cassidy-huffman-thompson-scholten-james-introduce-bipartisan-bicameral-resolution-recognizing-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-individuals-with-disabilities-education-act"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. �ܲ�AV��Ƶhas also created an &lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="/resources/resource/idea-turns-50-tools-and-insights-for-district-leaders"&gt;IDEA resource page&lt;/a&gt; with commentary from superintendents and additional information about IDEA.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet, as �ܲ�AV��Ƶand Congress honor this important anniversary, IDEA is showing signs of strain - disputes and litigation have grown adversarial and costly, and more funds are being diverted from classrooms to courtrooms, as described in a &lt;a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="/resources/resource/rethinking-special-education-dispute-resolution-at-idea-s-50th-anniversary"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;recent whitepaper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; published in November. Parents and educators continue to grapple with a shortage of qualified special education teachers, as well as specialized instructional support personnel to ensure that students with disabilities meet their full academic potential. Most significantly, current resources do not fulfill the promise of IDEA.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;When IDEA was enacted, Congress pledged to cover up to 40 percent of the average per‐pupil cost for special education services. That promise has yet to be realized. In recent years, the federal share has dropped to almost 12 percent - leaving states and school districts to fill a multi-billion-dollar gap.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;IDEA&amp;rsquo;s promise has always been about more than access - it's about opportunity. But opportunity demands resources,&amp;rdquo; said &lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��ƵExecutive Director, David R. Schuler&lt;/strong&gt;. &amp;ldquo;As we reflect on 50 years of IDEA, our message is simple - we must fully fund this federal education law to support the education of students with disabilities. By honoring the commitment made in 1975, Congress will enable districts to use dollars to address crucial local needs.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This anniversary is more than a commemoration&amp;mdash;it is a moment to recommit to IDEA&amp;rsquo;s promise of equal education for every child, regardless of ability.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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:1cd372ad-e102-4713-9ff4-a879a2f8e4d2</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/11/20/aasa-announces-2026-women-in-school-leadership-award-finalists</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Leadership Development</category><category>Press Release</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵAnnounces 2026 Women in School Leadership Award Finalists</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶannounces the finalists for the 2026 Women in School Leadership Awards in the Superintendent and Central Office categories.</description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2025 05:00:09 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;Lara Wade&lt;br /&gt;Director of Communications&lt;br /&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a 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; Nov. 19, 2025 &amp;ndash;&lt;/strong&gt; AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Women in School Leadership Awards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The awards, presented by �ܲ�AV��Ƶin partnership with Horace Mann Educators Corporation, recognize outstanding female leaders who have made significant contributions to education in two key categories: Superintendent and Central Office/Principal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Horace Mann is proud to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶto recognize and congratulate the 2026 finalists for the �ܲ�AV��ƵWomen in School Leadership Awards,&amp;rdquo; said Marita Zuraitis, president, Horace Mann Educators Corporation. &amp;ldquo;Their unwavering dedication and vision inspire excellence, motivate educators and students, and strengthen the communities they serve.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;The 2026 Women in School Leadership Award finalists are:&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Central Office/ Principal Category&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/mary-decker"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mary Decker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, associate director of schools for teaching and learning, Franklin Special District (Tenn.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/janeen-peretin"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Janeen Peretin&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, assistant to the superintendent, Baldwin-Whitehall School District (Pa.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="large"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Superintendent Category&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/myriam-rogers"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Myriam Rogers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools (Md.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/person/crystal-turner"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Crystal Turner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, superintendent, Saddleback Valley Unified School District (Calif.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;blockquote class="pull-quote pull-quote--right"&gt;These accomplished leaders have demonstrated a deep commitment to student success, staff development, and innovation in education.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;These accomplished leaders have demonstrated a deep commitment to student success, staff development, and innovation in education. We are thrilled to honor their achievements and showcase their outstanding contributions to K-12 public education,&amp;rdquo; said David R. Schuler, Executive Director of AASA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finalists are 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;The final award recipients in each category will be announced during the  &lt;a href="/professional-learning/national-conference-on-education" target="_blank"&gt;2026 �ܲ�AV��ƵNational Conference on Education&lt;/a&gt;, February 12-14 in Nashville, Tennessee.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the Women in School Leadership Awards, please &lt;a href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/women-in-school-leadership-awards" target="_blank"&gt;visit the �ܲ�AV��Ƶwebsite&lt;/a&gt; or contact Jennifer Rooney, �ܲ�AV��Ƶsenior 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&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, 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;/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;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:4219bfc4-3019-4fb4-8d0e-06450d952115</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/11/18/aasa-statement-on-used-reorganization-announcement</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Education Funding</category><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>�ܲ�AV��ƵStatement on USED Reorganization Announcement</title><description>We urge the Administration to plan this reorganization carefully, engaging closely with state and local education leaders.</description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:07:01 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h6&gt;David Schuler, executive director of AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ, released the following statement today regarding the USED Reorganization Announcement.&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;"&lt;a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-six-new-agency-partnerships-break-federal-bureaucracy" target="_blank"&gt;Today&amp;rsquo;s announcement of a significant reorganization of the U.S. Department of Education&lt;/a&gt; raises important questions about how this change will affect school districts and the consistency of federal support for students. AASA&amp;rsquo;s top priority is that every child, in every community, maintains access to a high quality public education.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"While we share the goal of improving efficiency and effectiveness in federal education programs, it is difficult to see how transferring cornerstone programs, such as Title I and the Rural Education Achievement Program, out of the Department will result in streamlined operations especially for the nation&amp;rsquo;s small, rural, and low-capacity districts. Many districts already operate with limited administrative capacity, and adapting to new oversight structures, reporting protocols, and guidance could require resources that are better directed toward students.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"We are also concerned that, absent a substantial infusion of new federal funding, state education agencies (SEAs) will not have the capacity to execute the expanded responsibilities this reorganization places on them. SEAs are already stretched thin as they work to provide technical assistance, program monitoring, and support to districts. Under the proposed structure, those responsibilities expand across multiple new federal entities, increasing the risk that critical program activities&amp;mdash;and the funding that drives them&amp;mdash;could become fragmented or fall through the cracks.
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"A centralized federal agency plays a vital role in providing continuity across all states. It helps ensure that every child, in every community, benefits from fair access to federal programs and protections.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"We urge the Administration to plan this reorganization carefully, engaging closely with state and local education leaders. It&amp;rsquo;s critical to minimize disruption, preserve clarity in program delivery, and maintain the reliable support districts need to serve their students effectively.

&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"�ܲ�AV��Ƶwill continue to monitor developments closely and advocate for strong federal commitment to our nation&amp;rsquo;s public schools and the more than 50 million children they serve."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/resources/blog/ed-makes-further-moves-to-dismantle-the-department-of-education"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learn more on the �ܲ�AV��ƵLeading Edge Policy &amp;amp; Advocacy Blog&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For media inquiries, please contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lara Wade&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Director of Communications&lt;br /&gt;Mobile: (813) 833-1498&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:lwade@aasa.org"&gt;lwade@aasa.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:13b441aa-1467-4c3b-8596-582499ebe9b7</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/11/03/seeking-candidates-aasa-presidential-election</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><title>Seeking Candidates for AASA's Presidential Election</title><description>Now accepting applications for the next �ܲ�AV��Ƶpresident-elect.</description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:40:46 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h5&gt;Now accepting applications for �ܲ�AV��Ƶpresident-elect.&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶis accepting applications for the next �ܲ�AV��Ƶpresidential election (president-elect term 2026-27 and presidential term 2027-28).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be eligible to run for �ܲ�AV��ƵPresident-Elect, a member must have been:
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;an eligible �ܲ�AV��Ƶvoting member for at least three (3) immediately preceding years;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;a member in good standing of a chartered affiliate for at least the three (3) immediately preceding years and a current member of the Governing Board and/or Executive Committee; &lt;strong&gt;or&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;a former member of either the Governing Board or the Executive Committee, having served during at least one of the three (3) immediately preceding years.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interested candidates must complete and submit a Candidate Filing Package and a $500 filing fee no later than &lt;strong&gt;5:00pm ET on Friday, December 5&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/about-aasa/leadership-governance/aasa-elections"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Learn More&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:079e1488-03c9-4e9a-9910-dad2969d0702</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/10/01/lwv-announces-collaboration-with-aasa-to-support-student-voters</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>Press Release</category><category>Advocacy &amp; Policy</category><title>LWV Announces Collaboration with �ܲ�AV��Ƶto Support Student Voters</title><description>�ܲ�AV��Ƶpartners with The League of Women Voters to educate, equip and empower student voters in 2025 and beyond.</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:54:40 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;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;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WASHINGTON, DC &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash;&amp;nbsp;The League of Women Voters is pleased to announce a new partnership with the School Superintendents Association (AASA) aimed at educating, equipping, and empowering student voters in 2025 and beyond.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This fall, local elections are happening across the country that will determine things like funding, policy, and curriculum for schools. While many school districts already partner with local LWV chapters to conduct nonpartisan civic programming with students and educators, this national partnership will provide new support to expand these collaborations nationwide.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The League is thrilled to partner with �ܲ�AV��Ƶto expand our civic education programming in schools,&amp;rdquo; said&amp;nbsp;Jeanette Senecal, chief of civic learning and impact at the League of Women Voters. &amp;ldquo;When school administrators and leaders believe in the value of civic education and engagement, students are equipped with the tools they need to take full advantage of their rights as adults.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;School districts and state superintendent associations across the country work closely with their local chapters of League of Women Voters, making our new collaboration a natural extension of the important work already taking place to support and empower the next generation of voters,&amp;rdquo; said&amp;nbsp;Noelle Ellerson Ng, Chief Advocacy &amp;amp; Governance Officer at AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ. &amp;ldquo;We know elections occur every year, and to the extent that elections happening in 2025 will impact issues like funding, policy and curriculum for schools, it was an easy decision to partner with LWV to connect emerging voters with civic engagement.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The partnership includes a special page on VOTE411.org, the League's online election information resource:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.vote411.org/AASA"&gt;www.VOTE411.org/AASA&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="/resources/blog/aasa-announces-collaboration-with-league-of-women-voters-to-support-student-voters" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration:underline;"&gt;Learn more about the partnership here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color:initial;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="background-color:transparent;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 style="text-align:center;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;###&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶ&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="/home" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;AASA, �ܲ�AV��Ƶ&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 League of Women Voters&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.lwv.org/" target="_blank"&gt;The League of Women Voters&lt;/a&gt; Education Fund works to register and provide voters with election information through our election resource VOTE411.org, candidate forums, and debates.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:df2e50b9-7703-43ba-92f0-8ba60cd7efd4</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/09/02/nominations-open-excellence-in-family-engagement-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Community &amp; Family Engagement</category><title>Nominations Open: Excellence in Family Engagement Award</title><description>Nominations now open for the 2026 AASA-National PTA Excellence in Family Engagement Award.</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 05:00:12 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h5&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Celebrating Excellence in Family-School Partnerships and Honoring Leaders Dedicated to Student and Family Success!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/logos/aasa-2025-excellence-in-family-engagement-award-wordmark.jpg?sfvrsn=eb7aad8e_7" alt="Excellence in Family Engagement Award" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;We're excited to announce that nominations are now open for the &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/excellence-in-family-engagement-award"&gt;Excellence in Family Engagement Award&lt;/a&gt;, presented by �ܲ�AV��Ƶin partnership with the National PTA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This prestigious award recognizes superintendents who have demonstrated exceptional leadership by implementing exemplary best practices that integrate family engagement across their district's strategic plans, budgets, and infrastructure. We're looking for superintendents who have shown an unwavering commitment to driving equitable student outcomes through meaningful family engagement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Award Highlights&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Excellence in Family Engagement Award serves as  a symbol to inspire other school system leaders to intentionally engage families and contribute to national efforts that sustain  funding for vital family-school partnerships.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The recipient's district will receive $5,000 to further support their family engagement initiatives and continue their excellent work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;How to Nominate&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is there a superintendent in your community who has transformed family engagement in their district? We encourage you to submit nominations for leaders who have made family partnerships a cornerstone of their approach to education. Self-nominations are not accepted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nominations Due: November 7, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/excellence-in-family-engagement-award/family-engagement-award-form"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Submit a Nomination&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Together, let's celebrate the leaders who understand that strong family-school partnerships are essential to every student's success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</a10:content></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">urn:uuid:745ba7df-8659-449b-beda-4e9c004f4cde</guid><link>/news-media/news/2025/09/02/nominations-open-effie-jones-humanitarian-award</link><a10:author><a10:name> </a10:name></a10:author><category>�ܲ�AV��ƵUpdate</category><category>Access &amp; Opportunity</category><category>access</category><category>opportunity</category><category>equity</category><category>inclusion</category><category>diversity</category><title>Nominations Open: Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award</title><description>Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 05:00:12 Z</pubDate><a10:content type="text">&lt;h6&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Honoring Champions of Educational Equity and Leadership&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="img-left"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/default-source/awards/dr-effie-jones.jpg?sfvrsn=eb456fcf_1" alt="Old photo of Dr. Effie Jones" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
 &lt;p&gt;�ܲ�AV��Ƶis excited to share nominations are now open for the prestigious &lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/effie-h-jones-humanitarian-award/effie-award-nomination-form"&gt;Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award&lt;/a&gt;, which recognizes �ܲ�AV��Ƶmembers who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing women and underrepresented groups in educational leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This award honors the legacy of Dr. Effie H. Jones, a pioneering school administrator, teacher, and counselor who organized AASA's Office of Minority Affairs and championed equity throughout her career. Dr. Jones dedicated her life to closing academic, health, and social gaps for underserved children while creating pathways for women and minority educators to enter school leadership roles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h6&gt;Nominations&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;p&gt;The award is open to current �ܲ�AV��Ƶmembers who have made significant contributions through:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Equity&lt;/strong&gt;: Organizing networks and demonstrating courageous leadership to address social justice issues&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Support&lt;/strong&gt;: Providing leadership development through coaching, mentoring, and innovative programming&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mentoring&lt;/strong&gt;: Sharing knowledge and resources to advance women and people of color in education&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;: Achieving measurable success in advancing underrepresented educators and addressing achievement gaps&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nominees must demonstrate unwavering commitment to mentoring women and underrepresented educators in leadership positions and/or addressing social justice issues affecting children, youth, and adults in schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nomination Deadline: October 31, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="/about-aasa/awards-grants/effie-h-jones-humanitarian-award/effie-award-nomination-form"&gt;&lt;span class="button button--action"&gt;Nominate a Colleague&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&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 style="font-size:15px;font-family:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&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;/div&gt;</a10:content></item></channel></rss>