February 24, 2026

This is the last week to apply for AESA Global’s Summer 2026 Teach in China program—a fully supported, two-week international teaching experience for public school STEAM educators.

We’ve received a strong response from mathematics teachers and are now intentionally focused on recruiting Science, Technology, Engineering and Arts educators to round out the cohort.

Please help us recruit and encourage outstanding teachers in these content areas to apply and represent your region in this unique global opportunity. Here is a Teach In China Communications Toolkit to help in your efforts.

Application deadline: February 28, 2026 

Have you seen this inspiring CESA video? Watch how Cooperative Educational Service Agencies make a real difference in schools and communities. Across the country, ESAs support districts with leadership, collaboration, professional learning, and essential services. While the work may look different in every region, the mission is the same: empower educators and expand opportunities for students.

Does your ESA have a video that highlights the impact of your work? We would love to share it with the AESA community. Please send links to your agency’s videos to Claire Sowder at csowder@aesa.us so we can showcase and celebrate ESAs making a difference across the nation.

Photo courtesy of the Holland Sentenial

Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD) in Michigan is expanding its Career and Technical Education programs to meet growing employer demand for skilled workers. Through enhanced facilities and strong partnerships with local industry, OAISD is creating more hands-on pathways that lead to industry credentials, college credit, and high-wage careers — a strong example of how ESAs drive impact for students, schools, and communities.

Photo courtesy of KCSOS

We are proud to congratulate Dr. John Mendiburu, Kern County Superintendent of Schools and long-time educational leader, on his upcoming induction into the California State University, Bakersfield Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2026. His selection honors decades of commitment to students, educators, and communities—a legacy that aligns with AESA’s mission to elevate and support strong educational leadership.

Dr. Mendiburu’s work exemplifies the impact of visionary leadership in education, and AESA applauds this well-deserved recognition of his service and contributions to the field.

Eaton RESA was recently highlighted on a local news program for its impactful early childhood work supporting young children and families. The feature showcased how their programs help build strong developmental foundations and connect families to essential services and resources. We’re proud to see ESAs recognized in their communities for the meaningful impact they make every day. 

The Orange County Department of Education (CA) has launched FutureCurrent, a new podcast hosted by Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean. Featuring candid conversations with educators, community partners, and industry leaders, the podcast explores today’s most pressing education challenges and the collaborative solutions strengthening Orange County communities.

The U.S. Department of Education recently released two Dear Colleague letters that have significant implications for educators and education service agencies nationwide. One provides updated guidance on Title I schoolwide program funding flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), encouraging districts and states to leverage existing flexibilities to better support student achievement. The other offers renewed guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in schools, emphasizing individual rights while reaffirming the importance of compliance with federal law. These letters highlight evolving federal priorities and offer important context for ESA leaders engaged in policy and operational decisions.

K-12 Dive explores how schools have reacted to the E-rate expansion cuts, leading to program terminations and the restriction of device availability, particularly for low-income urban school districts.

As enforcement actions by ICE expand across states and increasingly near school campuses, this article explores how legal experts and school leaders are responding to mounting uncertainty. (Relatedly, click here for an overview of the recent lawsuit by two Minnesota districts objecting to ICE enforcement in or near schools.)

Education Week examines how staff turnover is straining districts and highlights conditions beyond pay, such as smaller class sizes, greater autonomy, and additional planning time that leaders say are critical to retaining educators.

This Education Week story explores developments in multiple states that are considering eliminating property taxes, a major source of funding for public education.

The 2025 State of Our Schools report, released this week by the 21st Century School Fund, International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), and the National Council on School Facilities (NCSF), shows that the U.S. still faces an $85 billion shortfall in school facility funding every single year, despite significant progress that local school districts have made to ramp up their investments because of an infusion of federal funding that was used for facility improvements. Read the report here.

From Marsh McLennan:

During the past several days we at Marsh McLennan Agency through our partnership with AESA, reached out to our valued education leaders via email. We appreciate how valuable your time can be, but we also know how you appreciate the limited valuable resources your agencies and the districts you serve have.

With that in mind, we want you take advantage of this impactful resource. We are offering a free Benchmarking report and a full Benefit Plan evaluation.

There is no cost and no commitment.

The money you save today can be turned into classroom resources tomorrow.

We look forward to connecting with you and beginning what we hope will be a lasting business relationship!

We couldn’t resist sharing this video featuring AESA’s Director of Business, Chris Rooney, as he reflects on his experience working with Amergis Educational Staffing during his time as a school administrator. In the video, Chris discusses the importance of having a reliable staffing partner who understands the needs of schools and can deliver qualified professionals when it matters most.

Amergis Educational Staffing is a trusted AESA Business Partner, supporting ESAs and schools nationwide through the recruitment, training, and placement of highly qualified educators and support staff.

Chris’s perspective underscores the value of strong, mission-aligned partnerships. As AESA continues to connect educational service agencies with trusted partners, collaborations like the one with Amergis demonstrate how strategic relationships can strengthen staffing pipelines, support local schools, and ultimately benefit students and communities.

The primary focus of this month's article is on the recently released CoSN 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report: Hurdles, Accelerators & Tech Enablers. We have also included information about the CoSN edLeader Panel broadcasts (with links to register for past and upcoming broadcasts) and information about the CoSN 2026 Annual Conference and CoSN Membership.