April 21, 2026

Before joining AESA for Mindset Over Machines, Dr. Eric Solomon posed a powerful question in his TED Talk, Robots Are Here. Are We? In a world shaped by rapidly advancing technology, his message shifts the focus away from tools and back to us, our awareness, our judgment, and our ability to think clearly as everything accelerates.

In this upcoming AESA Roundtable, Dr. Solomon will build on that idea, offering practical principles to help leaders and educators stay intentional, apply context, and lead with clarity in a constantly changing landscape.

Mindset Over Machines Roundtable
May 12, 2026
3:00-4:00 PM ET
Virtual | $79

The current AESA Leadership Academy cohort has returned from their international experience, and we’re giving them time to reflect before sharing more.

Now, we’re building the 2026–27 cohort.

Next year, the Academy will expand to include cabinet-level leaders alongside ESA CEOs, strengthening the experience through broader perspectives and deeper collaboration.

The program includes in-person and virtual sessions, along with an international experience in April 2027 to Austria and Hungary.

Past Participants: Reach out to strong leaders in your agency and invite them to apply!

We sincerely thank you for helping spread the word last week about the 2026 Global Research & Education Project.

Background: The Global Research & Education Project is a May–November 2026 international STEM research experience for high school students through AESA Global, partnering with South Korea’s KOSAC and global schools. Schools may register one or more teams (up to 10 students each) with a supervising educator, and an optional Korea exchange is available in November 2026.

Due to the short timeline, interested schools should contact Meimei Zou, AESA Global Director of Projects, to coordinate participation.

The world needs leaders who can operate globally with confidence, clarity, and integrity. To support that vision, AESA is offering a series of “Ask Jason” live webinar discussions with Jason Hiruo, Chief Global Officer.

Join the conversation and learn how AESA Global Coordinator Training prepares leaders to build meaningful international partnerships and expand opportunities for students and educators.

Upcoming sessions:

• May 29, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET
• June 24, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET

With just under three months until AESA’s Summer Leadership Conference—July 14–16, 2026, in Riverside, CA—now is the time to start planning!

This year’s conference will bring ESA leaders together around Systems in Sync: Leading Coherence & Connection, with focused strands on building aligned systems, designing high-impact learning supports, strengthening operations, and deepening community partnerships. Attendees will also hear from keynote speaker Marlon Styles and take part in a unique learning tour highlighting innovation and real-world, career-connected learning.

Overnight accommodations will be at the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, offering a one-of-a-kind setting in the heart of downtown Riverside.

From the opening welcome reception to two full days of sessions, this is an opportunity to connect, learn, and strengthen the systems that drive impact across ESAs.

Ottawa Area ISD, an AESA member, was recently highlighted by a local news outlet for its innovative work creating early pathways for students to explore the teaching profession. Through hands-on classroom experiences, high school students are gaining valuable exposure to careers in education and developing a deeper interest in becoming future educators.

Programs like this are taking root across the country, with many AESA members leading similar efforts—and doing them well. These initiatives are helping address educator shortages while connecting students to meaningful, career-focused opportunities that build the future workforce.

AESA submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) ahead of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations cycle. In our testimony, we outlined the importance of key formula programs and urged the Committee to reject proposals that consolidate, eliminate, or destabilize education investment. K–12 formula programs like Title I, IDEA, Title II-A, Title III-A, Title IV-A, and REAP are proven investments that allow public schools to meet federal obligations, respond to local needs, and support student success.

On April 17 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule modifying the compliance timeline for its ADA Title II website accessibility requirements. The rule extends the original deadlines by one year. Under the revised schedule, larger public entities—defined as municipalities serving populations of 50,000 or more—now have until April 26, 2027 to comply. All other public entities, including smaller municipalities, have until April 26, 2028. 

A group of 21 states has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), challenging grant terms that would require grantees to align with administration policies on gender, immigration, and diversity. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, could have significant implications for other agencies that attempt to integrate executive orders and similar terms into federal grants.

Urban Institute released Understanding Emerging Education Policy Changes and Their Impacts, a project working to answer questions by offering data-driven analyses to  inform communities, advocates, and policymakers about what proposed policies could mean for them and the people they care about and to equip partners with the information they need to engage in the debate.

A new report spotlights "outcomes-based contracting" for education technology, a model that ties company payments partly to student outcomes and requires districts to ensure students use the tools at levels needed to produce positive results.

A new Gallup survey finds that AI adoption is slowing among Gen Z students, with 74 percent believing AI will make learning more difficult in the future and a growing share reporting that the technology makes them feel angry instead of excited. 

The Hechinger Report examines the financial savings districts can achieve by investing in green school buildings and the funding sources available to support these projects amid significant cuts by the federal government.

The primary focus of this month's article is on the recently updated CoSN Resource Document titled, "SETTING CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS: Guidelines for Responsible Use of Technology for Schools".