Call for Proposals: 2025 Summer Leadership Conference
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The 2025 Summer Leadership Conference will take place July 15–17 in Austin, Texas. AESA invites members to submit proposals for 50-minute presentations that align with this year’s theme: ESAs Shaping the Future of Education.
This theme highlights the critical role ESAs play in driving innovation, advancing visionary leadership, and fostering entrepreneurial efforts to enhance educational services. We welcome proposals addressing one or more of the following focus areas:
Presentation Topics:
- Visionary Leadership – Shaping the future of education through strategic leadership.
- Innovation – Implementing transformative solutions to improve learning outcomes.
- ESA Entrepreneurial Efforts – Expanding organizational impact and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Proposal Submission:
To submit a proposal, please complete the required information using the online form.
Submission Deadline: March 10, 2025
For questions or assistance with the submission process, please contact Ann Fiene, AESA Chief of Staff.
We look forward to your contributions and the opportunity to highlight the expertise within the ESA community.
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Federal Funding Cuts: Share Your Story
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Recent federal funding cuts are impacting our community, affecting essential programs and services. We believe it is crucial to highlight the real-world impact of these funding changes. If you have been affected by these cuts, we encourage you to share your story with us. Your insights and personal accounts will help us better understand the full scope of the impact and strengthen our case when advocating for necessary support and resources.
Additionally, we ask that you forward your information to your members of Congress. Your voice can make a significant difference in ensuring that our concerns are heard at the highest levels.
Please feel free to reach out to Joan Wade, Executive Director, or Noelle Ellerson Ng, Associate Executive Director for Governmental Affairs, with your stories or any questions you may have.
Your voice matters, and by working together, we can strive for positive change!
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Participate in Project Tomorrow’s Snapshot Survey
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Project Tomorrow’s Closing the Learning Gap Snapshot Survey provides valuable insights from students, teachers, administrators and parents on how schools and districts can meet this challenge. The survey will help you discover the specific learning gaps among students, understand how technology can help close the gaps and identify strategies to increase student engagement. Please consider pushing this survey out to the schools in your region! Preview the questions and register to take the Closing the Learning Gap survey.
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ED Terminates Contracts and Grants
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Over the course of the last week, ED immediately terminated a large number of contracts with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as well as some grants awarded by ED’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). These terminations span a range of federal education programs, including:
- program evaluation and data collection—at least 89 IES contracts,
- state and local technical assistance—all ten Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) and all four Equity Assistance Centers (EACs), and
- teacher and leader preparation and pipeline grants—all Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) and some of the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants.
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ED Announces Policy Shift in Dispersing Late COVID-Relief Dollars
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Last week, the Department of Education announced that going forward states will need to pay first for any activities covered by COVID-relief funding and then ask the Department for reimbursement. Previously, “states could draw down on existing awards to pay for approved services without proof that the funds were used for authorized services,” according to the press release. AESA and AASA anticipate the immediate impact of this policy shift will be on LEAs that are seeking late liquidation flexibility for their ARP funds. We are unsure how this will affect other funding streams where LEAs need reimbursement from states. It is also unclear if it will influence states' willingness or ability to reimburse districts, as not all states can advance funds to LEAs without being certain of federal reimbursement.
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E-Rate Funding Year (FY) 2025 FCC Form 471 Filing Window Countdown
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The Funding Year (FY) 2025 FCC Form 471 application filing window is now open. The application filing window closes on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 11:59:59 p.m. E.T. Submit your application today!
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Public Schools Week is this week! February 24 - 28
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As a reminder, Public Schools Week is THIS WEEK and a great and easy opportunity to talk about the importance of public education. LFA has a number of resources including a one-pager and a toolkit with social media options, etc.
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Update on the REL Program and Canceled Webinar
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Earlier this month, the Department of Education announced the conclusion of the 10 Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) contracts. As a result, we regret to inform you that the AESA member/REL webinar originally scheduled for March 13 has been canceled.
Although the program has ended, AESA members can still access a wealth of valuable free resources developed through the REL initiative. These materials remain available at: IES Regional Educational Laboratories.
We encourage you to explore these resources and continue leveraging their insights to support your work.
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Department of Education Halts Thousands of Investigations Under Trump
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ProPublica reports that since Inauguration Day, OCR has opened only about 20 new investigations, primarily focused on the Trump administration’s priorities, such as gender-neutral bathrooms, transgender athletes, and alleged antisemitism, while pausing investigations into complaints regarding disability access and sexual and racial harassment.
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Districts Recovering from an Achievement Slide Have This in Common
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Findings from the latest release by the Education Recovery Scorecard showcase a number of districts who are outperforming the latest NAEP scores, and suggests that ESSER funding did prevent larger learning loss in low-income districts. The findings also suggest that there would have been more academic recovery if other districts spent more on academic interventions.
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ESA Podcast of the Week: On the Road with Carla
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Each week, we'll spotlight a podcast that highlights the voices and insights of our members. Check out AESA’s curated list of ESA podcasts. Is yours missing? Contact Claire Sowder to add it.
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At our most recent Annual Conference, several members recognized a familiar face—Carla Kersey, known for both her positive attitude and deep commitment to Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC).
This week, we feature On the Road with Carla vlog. This series provides an unique opportunity to highlight the incredible work happening daily in the KEDC region. Tune in to hear inspiring stories and insights from the field!
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Have we missed one of your ESA’s stories? Send submissions to csowder@aesa.us to be included in future editions of Online News.
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