August 11, 2026

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

The next leadership challenge isn't choosing the right AI tool. It's exercising good judgment when the tools, expectations, and rules keep changing.

That's the focus of AESA's Ascend Academy—an advanced leadership experience designed for experienced ESA leaders navigating a rapidly changing environment.

Led by Dr. Eric Solomon, a cognitive psychologist and former executive at YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, and Google, Ascend goes beyond the latest AI tools to focus on what matters most: judgment, clarity, trust, and responsible leadership.

The 2026-27 Ascend Academy begins with an in-person gathering in Dallas, September 14-16, followed by virtual leadership labs and a second in-person experience.

If you're asking how AI changes the way you lead—not simply which tools to use—Ascend Academy is for you!

Throughout the coming weeks, we'll be taking a closer look at each of AESA's professional learning networks launching this fall. Discover what makes each network unique, meet the facilitators, and find the community that's right for you.

Technology leadership is constantly evolving, and having a trusted network of peers can make all the difference. The AESA Technology Leaders Network brings together ESA technology professionals to share ideas, discuss emerging trends, and collaborate on the challenges facing educational service agencies.

The network is designed for ESA professionals serving in roles such as:

• Chief Technology Officer
• Technology Director
• Director of Information Services
• IT Manager
• Technology Coordinator
• Digital Learning Leader

Meet the facilitator:

The Technology Leaders Network kicks off its new year on August 27. If you're responsible for leading technology initiatives at your ESA, we invite you to join this growing community of professionals committed to supporting one another and advancing technology leadership in service of schools and students.

Broken Shells, a 12-minute documentary produced by CIESC Media Services, has earned Best Indiana Documentary at the Torchlight Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Loveland Film Festival.

Filmed in Indiana, the documentary shares the powerful story of three longtime educators diagnosed with colorectal cancer within 10 months of one another. The film is a moving tribute to friendship, resilience, and Indiana’s education community—and a great example of the incredible talent within the AESA community.

August 26 | 2:00 p.m. ET | Live Webinar

How much time are students actually spending on school-issued devices—and how can districts turn that information into better decisions?

Join education leaders and Lightspeed Systems on August 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET for a live panel discussion exploring student screen time, the data behind it, and the questions increasingly being raised by parents, school boards, and state leaders.

Panelists will share how districts are using aggregate data to:

• Understand screen time by grade level, both during and after school
• Identify the campuses and applications driving usage
• Distinguish between approved and non-approved apps
• Track screen-time trends throughout the school year
• Compare usage with national and similar-sized district benchmarks

The discussion will also explore parent-facing reports available through the Lightspeed Parent Portal and practical strategies for communicating screen-time findings with families and other stakeholders.

Hear candid perspectives on the challenges districts are facing, the decisions they’re making, and lessons learned along the way. You’ll leave with actionable ideas for shaping policy, supporting student well-being, and replacing assumptions about screen time with clear, reliable evidence.

As school districts navigate an expanding landscape of educational technology, assistive technology, accessibility requirements, and AI-enabled tools, educational service agencies are uniquely positioned to help bring these efforts together.

Join AESA on September 8 at 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET for a webinar featuring our collaborating partner, the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES). CITES leaders will share practical strategies ESAs can use to help districts move beyond isolated initiatives and build cohesive, inclusive technology ecosystems that improve access, participation, and outcomes for all learners.

Attendees will leave with practical resources, tools, and examples they can use to help district teams connect leadership, infrastructure, teaching and learning, assessment, and family engagement around a shared vision for inclusive technology.

AESA’s advocacy partner, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is continuing its webinar series focused on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program and Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). The second session, Building Your Donor Strategy — Assessing Community Capacity and Quantifying Your Opportunity, will be held August 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET. AESA members interested in learning more about the program and its potential opportunities are encouraged to participate.

Returning to school can be especially challenging for students who are grieving a loss. The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB) has created free back-to-school resources to help schools and districts support grieving students during this transition.

The toolkit includes practical guidance, ready-to-use social media graphics and captions, editable Canva resources, and sample messaging for educators and school leaders.

Access the resources:

• Social Media Tool Kit
• Guidance Document

Please share these resources with the schools and districts you serve to help ensure grieving students feel supported as they return to school.

There’s still time to participate in Project Tomorrow’s 2026 K-12 Cybersecurity Survey. Help ensure ESAs and the districts they serve are represented in the national findings.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CyberAESA

The survey closes August 31, 2026.

A resource developed by AESA member Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) to demonstrate the local impact of E-Rate funding has gone national! As the FCC considers changes that could significantly affect the future of E-Rate, the Keep Schools Connected: Protect E-Rate webpage gives education leaders access to district- and county-specific E-Rate funding data to show just how important the program is to schools and communities. Explore the resource, share it with your networks, and help make the case for protecting E-Rate.

Join AESA for a free Federal Advocacy Update webinar on Wednesday, August 19, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. AESA Senior Government Affairs Manager Tara Thomas will break down the latest developments from Washington, D.C., provide an AESA perspective on what they mean for ESAs, and highlight the key federal policy and advocacy issues to watch in the weeks ahead.

The Senate Commerce Committee recently advanced several bipartisan bills aimed at strengthening online safety and privacy protections for children, including measures addressing social media, AI chatbots, and AI-enabled technologies. AESA supports efforts to establish meaningful safeguards for students while preserving the important role of state and local education leaders in technology and privacy decisions. Read more about the proposals and what they could mean for schools and students.

The Senate HELP Committee recently held its first significant markup of K-12 legislation this Congress, considering several bills with implications for public education. The proposals address the administration of federal education programs, evidence-based literacy instruction, and how schools identify and support students with dyslexia. Read more about the legislation, AESA’s perspective, and what could happen next.

AESA joined a coalition of national public education organizations in submitting recommendations to the U.S. Department of Treasury as it develops proposed regulations and guidance for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) program.

The letter urges the Department to incorporate five key provisions into any forthcoming regulations and guidance. We believe these recommendations reflect both the strongest reading of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and congressional intent, while maximizing the ability of public school systems and students in participating states to benefit from the program.

According to fwd.us, an estimated 20,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders work in education services. Since last year, the Trump Administration has moved to formally terminate TPS designations for 13 countries. Following court challenges, nine terminations have been allowed (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen). Terminations for Burma, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan are still pending but expected to be fully implemented soon. Without TPS, individuals will lose legal immigration status and work authorization, which means many school districts may lose critical staff.