November 10, 2026

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AESA’s first Western Region Symposium brought together ESA colleagues from Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming to learn, share ideas, and build connections. Modeled after the successful Central Region Symposium, the gathering expanded opportunities for regional collaboration. Thank you to our participants and sponsor, Cambium Learning, for helping make this inaugural event a success!

Eastern and Southern Region members: Want to bring a symposium to your region? Contact Joan Wade to explore hosting a gathering for ESA colleagues to connect, learn, and share ideas.

As states prepare to implement the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, what could it mean for public schools, families, and education leaders?

Join AESA’s Tina Viletto and fellow panelists for a Strategic Funding and Finance Center conversation on November 11, from 2:00-3:00 pm ET. The discussion will go beyond policy mechanics to explore questions about access, accountability, partnerships, and the implications for state and local leaders and scholarship-granting organizations.

New leaders bring new priorities and opportunities to make your ESA’s voice heard. AESA’s special edition State Examiner breaks down the 2026 midterm election results, implications for school funding, governance, and school choice, and key issues to watch heading into the 2027 legislative sessions.

There’s more time to take your learning abroad! Registration is extended to December 15, 2026, for AESA Global’s 2027 experiences: the Global Leadership Institute in Vienna–Budapest and Educators Field Studies in Portugal and South Korea. Dr. Joan Wade will be joining the Global Leadership Institute, and she invites you to come along!

Participate individually or bring colleagues. With our 8 + 1 promotion, register eight paying participants and receive complimentary tuition for one additional person. Our communications toolkit makes it easy to invite ESA and district colleagues, and Jason Hiruo can help you assemble a group.

Join us December 2-4 in Orlando for the AESA Annual Conference & Expo, where 130+ sessions, more than 80 exhibitors, and conversations with ESA colleagues will give you plenty to bring home. Closing keynote speaker Erik Therwanger will help you put those ideas and connections to work. Watch this short video for a preview of the energy he’ll bring as we wrap up our time together! Still making travel plans? The Hilton Orlando is full, but you’ll find nearby hotel options on the conference webpage and in your registration confirmation email.

Congratulations to Northeast Colorado BOCES on receiving an Opportunity Now Performance Award from the State of Colorado! Its work building career pathways in health care, education, technology, and the trades across 12 rural school districts highlights how ESAs connect education with regional workforce needs.

Read more about the recognition.

The deadline to submit E-Rate reply comments is Thursday, November 12. Help protect the connectivity schools and libraries depend on by submitting a reply comment and encouraging the districts you serve to participate. Find tools and instructions at erate.aasa.org.

AESA joined a coalition of national education organizations in submitting comments urging the U.S. Census Bureau to reconsider proposed changes to the 2030 Census that could compromise the accuracy and completeness of population and demographic data. Read more information.

Slightly over half of schools or districts said they grappled with a cybersecurity incident in the last year, and about a third reported a cyber incident that impacted school operations, according to a report released last week and led by the Center for Internet Security, a nonprofit that runs the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center. Read the brief on K-12 Dive.

The nation’s public schools today are undergoing a sustained decline in student enrollment. Education Next explores lessons learned from the enrollment decline and how to look to the future.