March 17, 2026

The AESA Foundation’s Spring Auction launches today, and there’s no better time to try your luck! As it's St. Patrick’s, it feels especially fitting that one of the featured packages includes an unforgettable trip to Ireland, but that’s only the beginning!

The auction is filled with exciting adventures and travel experiences, offering something for every kind of explorer. Whether you’re dreaming of an international getaway, a unique destination experience, or a relaxing escape, now is the perfect time to browse the options, talk with your travel partner, and consider placing a bid.

Even better—you do not have to be an AESA member to participate. We encourage you to share this opportunity with friends, family, and colleagues who might enjoy bidding on these incredible experiences.

Every bid supports the important work of the AESA Foundation, helping expand opportunities and initiatives that benefit the education service agency community nationwide.

So channel a little luck o' the Irish and see where your next adventure could take you!

Bidding is open now and will close March 31, 2026, at 7:00 pm ET.

We opened registration on Friday the 13th, but there’s nothing unlucky about the response. In fact, the conference saw a strong wave of registrations on the very first day! The early momentum is a great sign—but there’s still plenty of room for more ESA leaders to join us in Southern California July 14-16, 2026.

Join colleagues from across the country for the 2026 AESA Summer Leadership Conference — Systems in Sync: Leading Coherence & Connection, an energizing experience designed to strengthen leadership, deepen connections, and build coherence across the systems that matter most.

Do you have a promising practice, innovative program, or leadership strategy others could learn from? Share it with your colleagues at the 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo!

Breakout sessions are one of the most valuable parts of the conference experience—giving attendees practical ideas, real-world examples, and strategies they can bring back to their ESAs.

We invite ESA leaders and staff to submit breakout session proposals that highlight impactful work happening across our network. Sessions should align with one of the conference strands, including leadership, innovation, sustainability, governance, student-centered solutions, and administrative excellence.

Proposal deadline: April 30, 2026

Notification of acceptance: May 15, 2026

Proposals must be submitted through the Whova conference app, and each account may submit up to three proposals.

Submit your proposal: 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo Breakout Session Proposal

If you have questions about the submission process, please contact Ann Fiene, AESA Chief of Staff.

We look forward to showcasing the outstanding work happening across ESAs!

Photo credit: ACES

AESA proudly congratulates Dr. William A. Rice, a graduate of the Executives in Residence (EIR) Program, on his appointment as Executive Director of Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) in Connecticut. Dr. Rice will succeed Dr. Tom Danehy, who has served as Executive Director since 2014 and previously served as President of the AESA Executive Council.

We extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Rice on this well-deserved appointment and are proud that the EIR program helped support his leadership journey.

Interested in the AESA Executives in Residence (EIR) Program?

Although the original deadline has passed, Jessica Huizenga, Chief Program Officer, is continuing to accept EIR applications on a rolling basis. Completed applications and letters of recommendation should be sent directly to her.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon took office last year proclaiming a new era in state authority over K-12 policy and encouraging states to seek flexibility from “burdensome” federal requirements through waivers from the Every Student Succeeds Act. Now, a handful of states have responded to that invitation. Some seek never-before-tried approaches to funding, assessment, and school accountability that test just how far the U.S. Department of Education is willing to go in offering leeway from the law’s bedrock requirements. Coverage on EdWeek.

Education leaders today face a fast-moving marketplace. With districts accessing thousands of digital applications each year, the rapid pace of product development—accelerated by artificial intelligence (AI)—can make it difficult to determine which technologies truly support learning and which may add burden to teachers, carry risks to students, or cause staff confusion. To tackle this issue, the EdTech Quality Collaborative established the Five EdTech Quality Indicators (FEQI) to provide a common framework for evaluating classroom-level digital tools. Building upon the K-12 EdTech Procurement Guide released last year, this new toolkit encourages the use of the FEQI outside of direct procurement processes, expanding its application into communication strategy, professional learning, and product marketing. The attached toolkit aims to assist education leaders and vendors in aligning on high-quality edtech solutions by providing adaptable resources, including a “Dear Vendor” letter, training agendas, and an alignment template for companies.

In an EducationWeek interview, Aldine ISD Superintendent and AASA President-Elect LaTonya Goffney shares lessons from three consecutive years of school closures, advising districts to overcommunicate with their communities, only share closure scenarios under serious consideration, and bring board and community members into affected schools to inform the decision-making process.

Education Week examines the impact of Congress’s approved level funding for English learners in the FY26 budget, raising concerns about its inadequacy amid a growing student population and rising education costs.

This article reports on the pros and cons of Yondr pouches as a common strategy for implementing cell-phone bans during the school day.