September 1, 2026

🔊 Audio Overview of this edition. Give us your feedback!

The 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo is bringing ESAs from across the country together in Orlando, December 2-4, for three days of learning, connection, and ideas you can take home.

And there’s a lot to explore.

• 130+ breakout sessions featuring the work, ideas, and expertise of ESAs
• 6 conference strands to help you find sessions that fit your role and interests
• 3 keynote speakers bringing fresh perspectives on leadership, learning, and resilience
• 80+ industry partners showcasing solutions and resources for ESAs and the districts they serve
• ESA colleagues from across the country ready to connect, share, and learn alongside you

Come ready to discover programs you can adapt, hear how other ESAs are tackling common challenges, find new partners and solutions, and make connections you can turn to long after the conference ends.

Early bird registration ends September 30.

AI. Accessibility. Assistive technology. Instructional tools. Districts are making decisions across all of these areas, but those decisions don’t always happen as part of the same conversation. ESAs can help connect the pieces.

On Tuesday, September 8 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET, join leaders from the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) for a practical look at how districts can build a more coordinated approach to technology that supports all learners.

Christine Fox and Mia Laudato will explore how leadership, infrastructure, instruction, accessibility, assessment, and family engagement fit together, and share tools, resources, and examples you can bring back to the districts you serve.

This webinar is free and open to AESA members.

If you work with districts on technology, special education, accessibility, instruction, or leadership, this conversation is for you. 

Strong Career and Technical Education (CTE) takes more than great programs. It takes the right leadership, systems, partnerships, and conditions to help those programs thrive.

On September 10 at 3:00 pm ET, join National CTE Leadership Strategist Kristy Volesky for a free conversation about the system-level conditions that shape CTE outcomes and what it takes to build high-impact CTE.

You’ll also get a firsthand look at the year-long AESA CTE Online Learning Lab. Meet Kristy, experience the kind of conversations we’ll be having, ask questions, and see whether the Lab is right for you.

No commitment required. Come for the CTE conversation and see what the Learning Lab has to offer.

K-12 and community partners are welcome, too. If you’d like to invite a partner who isn’t an AESA member, please have them contact Ann Fiene, and she’ll be happy to help them join us.

Many ESAs are focused on delivering high-quality professional learning to the schools and districts they serve. But finding the time and resources to invest in the professional learning of your own team can be a challenge.

AESA’s Professional Learning Networks could be your answer.

For 2026–27, AESA is offering two national networks designed around the distinct roles of the people who lead and deliver professional learning at ESAs:

For those who deliver the work.

Designed for consultants, instructional coaches, specialists, and others who work directly with educators and districts. Strengthen your consulting skills, expand your toolkit, share ideas, and learn alongside colleagues doing similar work across the country.

The first meeting is Tuesday, September 15!

For those who lead the work.

Designed for directors and leaders responsible for professional learning teams, services, strategy, budgets, contracts, and agency-level decisions. Connect with peers who understand the complexities of leading people and programs while responding to the changing needs of schools and districts.

The first meeting is Thursday, September 17!

Meet the Facilitator:

Both networks offer role-specific learning, practical resources, and a national community of ESA peers who can become resources to one another throughout the year.

AESA Global creates international experiences that help educators see education through a broader lens and bring new ideas home.

Grounded in our local-to-global and global-to-local philosophy, these experiences are built around two-way learning. Educators explore new approaches, cultures, and perspectives abroad, then bring those insights back to strengthen their schools, classrooms, and communities.

Choose Your Adventure!

Since launching You Belong Here, more than 600 ESA employees have claimed their AESA membership!

Thank you for helping us spread the word. Now, help us reach the next 600.

Use the You Belong Here Toolkit to share AESA membership with your colleagues and remind them: If your organization is an AESA member, they are members, too.

Who on your team should be connected to AESA?

Project Unicorn's School System Data Survey takes a broad look at K-12 data and technology infrastructure, including interoperability, privacy, cybersecurity and digital access.

Responses help shape Project Unicorn's annual State of the Sector Report and provide policymakers, EdTech providers and education leaders with a clearer picture of school system needs.

Why participate? Participants have access to free 1:1 technical assistance with a Project Unicorn expert and early insights from the State of the Sector Report.

Survey Link: https://www.projectunicorn.org/ssds 

The third session of our Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) series titled Approaches to Implementing the Federal Tax Credit — Deciding What Would Work for You is being held on September 2 at 3:00 pm ET. You can register for this session as well as Session 4 by clicking this link. Please share with your school districts. 

As the E-Rate conversation continues at the FCC, AASA, AESA’s advocacy partner, is inviting AESA members to join its E-Rate Town Hall on September 9.

Hear directly from superintendents, library leaders, and policy experts about the latest developments, what they’re watching, and how education leaders can help protect E-Rate.

September 9 | 2:00 pm ET | Free

For AESA members already following this issue closely, the town hall is an opportunity to get the latest perspective, hear from others in the field, and prepare for the advocacy ahead.

The Keep Schools Connected: Help Protect E-Rate webpage has everything you and your members need to respond to the FCC’s proposal is live, and now UPDATED with an easy-to-use letter writer.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is holding a listening session focused on screen-based instruction in K-12 schools and the FCC’s E-Rate and screen use proposal.

September 15 | 7:00 pm ET

AESA members are encouraged to register, listen in, and help ensure the perspectives of education leaders are represented in this important conversation.

Last week USED proposed regulations to amend the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), which will be officially published in the Federal Register on Monday, August 24th. The proposed changes are largely focused in Part 75 of EDGAR, which governs direct grant programs, not State-administered grants.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Harvest to Hallways Initiative to provide new investments and technical assistance for school meal programs. The announcement is the latest step in a broader federal effort to change federal nutrition programs. USDA is also expected to release new school meal regulations in the coming months. Read more.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a proposed rule to implement a $103,265 fee for H-1B visa petitions. This move comes after a Federal court blocked the original fee that was announced in September 2025. Read more.

The U.S. Department of Education recently released new guidance on the use of education technology in schools, along with its annual update on FERPA and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). The updates address responsible technology use, student privacy, and parental consent requirements. Read more.

EdWeek explores a number of issues related to students’ access to and engagement with technology, including summaries of the state of research on technology’s effect on student well-being.

This Hechinger Report article provides an overview of the new federal scholarship tax credit and some of the challenges facing its implementation in the public school context.