April 28, 2026

At the close of many of our leadership programs, we often hear the question, “What’s next?” That question has stayed with us.

As leaders navigate an increasingly complex, AI-enabled environment, your commitment to continued growth is what led to the creation of Ascend Academy. This program is designed to help you keep moving forward with intention.

Ascend Academy is a new, year-long, cohort-based experience designed for ESA leaders who want to continue developing their leadership practice alongside peers.

This is not a one-time event. It is a sustained space for leaders to:

• Strengthen judgment in complex environments
• Expand perspective through peer dialogue
• Apply new thinking to real leadership challenges

The experience is facilitated by Dr. Eric Solomon, a cognitive psychologist and former executive at YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, and Google, who will also be leading the Mindset Over Machines Roundtable next month. 

▶️ Watch Dr. Solomon share more about the Roundtable and Ascend Academy (CC available):

Start with the Conversation: Mindset Over Machines

For many leaders, this roundtable will be a valuable starting point. Dr. Solomon will introduce practical principles to help leaders move from reactive to intentional thinking and better navigate leadership in an AI-enabled world.

If you’re looking for a focused, high-quality conversation, you can join the roundtable as a standalone experience.

If you’re looking to go further, the roundtable is included as part of Ascend Academy, where this work continues over time.

Join Ascend Academy

Work and learn in a small, cohort-based setting designed for leaders navigating complex challenges.

To preserve the quality of the experience, participation is intentionally limited and the cohort is now forming. To experience the Ascend Academy in full, we encourage you to join before the May 12, 2026 Roundtable. 

Join ESA leaders from across the country in Southern California for the 2026 AESA Summer Leadership Conference, Systems in Sync: Leading Coherence & Connection. Hosted in partnership with the San Bernardino County and Riverside County Offices of Education, this energizing two-day event brings together learning, networking, and inspiration in a setting that blends historic charm with West Coast sunshine.

Focused on ESA leadership, the conference explores four key strands—coherent systems, high-impact support, sustainable stewardship, and community connection—through engaging sessions, inspiring speakers, and valuable peer connections.

Conference attendees will stay at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in the heart of historic downtown Riverside. This iconic National Historic Landmark blends beautiful Spanish Mission–style architecture with modern comfort, offering peaceful courtyards, excellent dining, and a unique atmosphere just steps from local shops and restaurants.

Given the unique appeal of the Mission Inn, rooms fill quickly.
Register early and reserve your hotel room as soon as possible.

We look forward to learning, connecting, and syncing systems together!

We’ve received several strong breakout proposals for the 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo, but we don’t want to miss yours!

Breakout sessions are where ESAs share scalable solutions, promising practices, and forward-thinking approaches that strengthen our work nationwide. If your team is making an impact, this is your opportunity to contribute and inspire others.

Not sure where your idea fits? Review the strand overview attachment for more details on this year’s focus areas: 

• Leadership in Action
• Innovation & Technology
• Entrepreneurship & Sustainability
• Student-Centered Solutions
• Governance / ESA Board
• Administrative Excellence (NEW)

The proposal deadline is this Thursday, April 30, but if you need a little extra time, please reach out to Ann Fiene.

Don’t sit this one out—your idea could be exactly what someone else needs.

Region 12 in Texas is hosting a Business Strategy Framework 1.0 Workshop at their facility and has generously opened it to ESA teams from across the country. This is a great opportunity to participate in the foundational BSF experience this spring!

May 18-19, 2026 | Waco, TX

BSF 1.0 Workshop

We have the dates of our BSF Line-Up so you can plan accordingly for your team members (two of which registration is now available.)

July 14, 2026 | Riverside, CA

Prior to the AESA Summer Leadership Conference
Strategic Pricing and Experimentation in Action
A one-day workshop equipping teams with practical tools to make smarter pricing decisions, test ideas before scaling, and capture new opportunities for growth.

October 26–27, 2026 | St. Petersburg, FL

Business Strategy Framework 2.0
Advance your strategy with deeper tools and real-world applications.

NOTE: Completion of the Business Strategy Framework 1.0 Workshop preferred.

December 4–5, 2026 | Orlando, FL

Immediately following the AESA Annual Conference & Expo
Business Strategy Framework 1.0 (Additional AESA-hosted session)
The foundational course for aligning mission, strategy, and operations.
Registration opens next month

Join us for a live, interactive Q&A on Thursday, May 21 at 2:00 pm ET to explore how myPlanMember™ helps education leaders better support and engage their workforce—at no cost.*

myPlanMember™ is a comprehensive platform that delivers trusted financial, wellness, and lifestyle resources through videos, articles, and interactive tools. Employees can estimate their retirement readiness (including pensions), access exclusive discounts, and stay informed with relevant, personalized content.

For employers, the platform serves as a centralized communication hub—making it easy to share updates, benefits information, and custom content, while automated notifications help keep staff informed and engaged.

Built to help attract, retain, and support employees, myPlanMember™ connects with staff in meaningful, practical ways.

Bring your questions and see how districts are using myPlanMember™ to strengthen employee well-being and engagement.

*for employers where PlanMember is an approved retirement plan provider

On April 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will be delaying plans to release FY26 formula funding such as Title I and REAP through a new grant management and payment portal at the Department of Labor and instead funnel these dollars through the existing G5 platform. Superintendents should not anticipate any delays in accessing funding for the 26-27 year on July 1 as funds as they will go through the existing G5 system. 

Read the update here. State legislative activity continues this week. Last week, there was activity in VT on bill H650; this week they monitor hearings in VT on H650, where supporters are testifying, and in California. Currently, 28 states are in regular session. Twenty-one states have adjourned. North Carolina convenes today.  We continue to watch bills in California, Vermont, and Illinois. Reminder: These updates of the regular session exclude Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas, which do not meet in even-numbered years. 

Los Angeles' education board has voted to restrict student screen time in classrooms, making it the first major US school system to do so. The resolution requires staff to develop screen-time policies based on grade level and bans first-grade and younger students from using devices. It comes as the district, which serves about half a million students, sought to reduce its reliance on tablets and laptops, which was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The74 highlights stark disparities between state graduation rates and math proficiency rates, suggesting that in some states students may be leaving high school unprepared for college coursework or workplace training and suggesting that schools pay more attention to children who struggle with math early in their schooling. 

K-12 Dive examines the impacts of declining enrollment across districts including staff hiring freezes and proposed increased layoffs as annual budgets are finalized and layoff notice deadlines approach.

District Administration interviews superintendents on how they build ecosystems of learning, trust, and opportunity through strategies such as operationalizing empathy, revising curriculum, and forming partnerships that expose students to new learning experiences.

EdWeek’s latest “Special Report” focuses on technology, with multiple articles that explore “how schools are struggling to find the right balance” between leveraging its potential (including but not limited to generative AI tools) and safeguarding against its risks (including but not limited to recent pushback on screens-in-schools).