October 27, 2026

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Who would you bring along for an international learning experience?

AESA Global is offering a special opportunity: register eight paying participants and receive complimentary tuition for one additional person.

You can participate individually, travel with colleagues, or organize a group through your ESA and the districts you serve.

Interested in exploring your ESA's options? Contact either of the following:

Jason Hiruo Chief Global Officer

Meimei Zou Director of Projects

Join us TOMORROW, October 28, at 2:00 pm ET for You Belong Here: Connecting with AESA, a free, virtual orientation designed to help you make the most of your membership.

Here's what we'll cover:

• Who AESA is and how we support ESAs nationwide

• Professional learning, networking, and leadership opportunities

• Member benefits, resources, and services you might not know about

• How to make the most of your AESA Member Portal

• Simple ways to get connected and involved

Whether you're new to AESA or have been a member for years, there's something for you to discover.

It's free, and everyone at your ESA is welcome!

The initial comment period has closed, but reply comments are open through November 12. Let’s keep building a strong record of support for E-Rate and the connectivity it provides to schools and libraries.

Funds For Learning’s analysis of comments submitted so far shows broad support for keeping the program, with only a small number calling for its elimination. Your voice can help reinforce that message.

Submit a reply comment and encourage your member districts to participate. Find the tools and instructions you need at erate.aasa.org.

The Supreme Court announced that it would revisit the issue of race and school admissions, three years after it sharply restricted affirmative action in higher education. The case involves four selective public middle schools in Montgomery County, MD, just outside the nation’s capital. A group of mostly Asian American parents sued the school system after it changed its admissions criteria, saying that the new rules unconstitutionally discriminated against Asian American students.

This 74Million article covers CRPE’s annual State of the American Student report, which finds recovery efforts faltering, with both red and blue states falling short of what’s needed. In its fifth annual iteration of the report, CRPE’s analysis cites poor attendance rates, low test scores and a lack of consistent state-level instruction policies that are evidence-based and enforceable.

K-12 Dive analysis finds that many districts recently released from federal desegregation oversight remain racially segregated, with nearly half located in areas more segregated today than in the 1990s.

EducationWeek summarizes its latest special report (which includes a collection of related articles) as follows: “Fewer children are reading for pleasure, and their teachers report difficulty engaging them in reading in school and getting them to read at home. Research links the volume of text kids consume with their overall reading ability. Our newest report looks both at classroom strategies and other tactics educators have found to boost engagement in reading. A mix of modeling, teacher guidance, incentives, and parent involvement seems most likely to move the needle.”