July 28, 2026

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Strong Career & Technical Education doesn't happen through individual programs alone. It happens when K-12 schools, higher education, workforce partners, economic development organizations, business and industry, and community organizations work together toward a shared vision.

AESA's new Career & Technical Education (CTE) Online Learning Lab is designed to help ESA leaders and staff build those connections.

This yearlong learning experience focuses on thinking strategically, strengthening partnerships, and creating the conditions for lasting systems change. Participants will collaborate with peers from across the country, tackle real-world challenges, and leave with practical strategies they can apply in their own regions.

The experience is even more impactful when partners learn together. AESA encourages participants to invite their K-12 district colleagues and community partners to join the cohort, creating a shared language and stronger relationships that lead to greater regional impact.

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 leaders in educational service agencies wear many hats. They oversee infrastructure, navigate cybersecurity challenges, evaluate emerging technologies, support AI implementation, and help districts make informed decisions in a rapidly changing landscape. It's a role that rarely comes with simple answers.

The AESA Technology Leaders Network brings together ESA technology leaders from across the country to connect, learn, and tackle challenges alongside peers who understand the unique demands of the work.

Throughout the year, members participate in interactive virtual sessions focused on the issues that matter most, including cybersecurity, data privacy, artificial intelligence, technology planning, leadership, and emerging trends. Just as valuable are the conversations between sessions, where members exchange ideas, share resources, and learn from one another's experiences.

If you lead technology strategy, manage technology services, or support school districts through your ESA, the Technology Leaders Network offers a trusted community to build connections, gain new ideas, and stay ahead of what's next.

Earlier this month, we shared highlights from Michigan State University's literacy research forum. The university's Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC), a nonpartisan research center that studies education policy and practice, has now released one of the featured studies, The Impact of Coaching on K-3 Literacy Instruction in Michigan.

The report found that K-3 teachers who received literacy coaching through Michigan's Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) demonstrated greater instructional growth than teachers who did not receive coaching. The findings offer valuable insights into how Michigan's statewide investment in literacy coaching is strengthening early literacy instruction.

Project Tomorrow's 2026 K–12 Cybersecurity Survey is now open, and AESA members are encouraged to participate and share the survey with district and school technology leaders across their service areas.

Using AESA's dedicated survey link will help ensure that ESAs and the districts they support are represented in this important national research effort. AESA will receive aggregated findings specific to our network, and participants will gain access to the Project Tomorrow K–12 Cybersecurity Working Group.

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

The survey closes August 31, 2026.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) has released three new publications that provide an updated look at educator shortages:

• State Teacher Shortages 2026 Update [tool]: An updated scan of state-level shortages which found that, nationally, over 425,000 positions nationwide—or 1 in 8 positions—have been left vacant or filled by teachers who were not fully certified for their assignments.
• How Federal Actions Could Deepen Teacher Shortages—and What States Can Do [blog]: A new blog that examines how federal actions impacting student financial aid, loan repayment, and forgiveness program eligibility affect efforts to address teacher shortages, as well as what actions states can take to mitigate the negative federal impacts.
• An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2026 [fact sheet]: highlights key 2026 findings, root causes of teacher shortages, subjects with the most widespread shortages, and the research-based policy levers that can address shortages.

As schools prepare for the 2026-2027 academic year, district leaders face a rapidly evolving compliance environment. Recent developments involving the U.S. Department of Education, changes in federal enforcement priorities, and ongoing questions about the future of civil rights oversight have created uncertainty. ICS's annual Back-to-School Webinar has helped K-12 leaders and compliance professionals move beyond the headlines and focus on what matters most: the practical steps districts can take to strengthen compliance efforts before students return to campus. Join ICS on August 4 at 11:00 am ET. Register here!

Last week, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government until December 4 on FY 2026 levels. The measure passed the floor with some bipartisan support but it is unlikely to move in the Senate as Majority Leader Thune has indicated that the chamber will draft its own version. Congress only has 68 days to figure out how to fund FY 2027 and almost half of that time will be taken up by the August recess. Further delaying the process, the Senate seems unable to reach consensus and develop bipartisan, full year funding bills like they usually do.

On July 23, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be removing regulations that had been in place for over 60 years that recognized discrimination can occur through the effects of a policy, not just intent. This policy, relying on what is called a disparate impact analysis, aligns with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last year calling for the elimination of disparate-impact liability “in all contexts to the maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federal civil rights laws, and basic American ideals.”

ED asserts that the regulations will clarify that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act “prohibits intentional discrimination and does not prohibit conduct or activities that have an unintentional disparate impact, and that accordingly, the Department will not pursue Title VI disparate-impact liability against its Federal funding recipients.” On July 22, the Department also rescinded a separate set of regulations governing how states monitor discrimination in CTE programs.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a final regulation on public charge that could penalize noncitizens who use income-based public benefit programs such as school meals, SNAP, and Medicaid. Under the “public charge rule”, immigration officials can deny applications for permanent residency or visa extensions if it is determined they are likely to become a “public charge,” meaning that the individual has received or could be expected to receive means-tested federal benefits. Read More.

Earlier this month, ED approved Arkansas for a Sec. 8401 waiver under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, becoming the 5th state to receive one. The waiver provides some flexibility that other States have not yet received, as well as Ed-Flex authority. Read more.

Earlier this month, the House Education and Workforce Committee passed a series of bills meant to codify many of the Inter Agency Agreements (IAAs) announced by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) over the past year. The ‘Less Bureaucracy, Better Education’ Legislative Package would do more than make the interagency agreements permanent. It would shift nearly all federal K-12 responsibilities from the ED to the Department of Labor, significantly reducing the Secretary of Education's authority and diminishing ED's role in overseeing elementary and secondary education. Read more.

In April, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that the 50 states and Washington, D.C., took in $1 trillion in federal, state and local revenue for K-12 public education in the 2023-24 school year.

That’s a remarkable milestone. And while it doesn’t tell the whole story — it represents only revenues, not expenditures — it speaks to five trends that help explain where K-12 finance stands today. Read more

Most district leaders report civics education being part of a required course in their school system, but opportunities for students to put that knowledge into practice through volunteering or other forms of community engagement are fewer and further between, according to research from Rand Corp. and the Center for Reinventing Public Education. Read more

Absenteeism rates, which spiked during the pandemic, still haven’t fallen back to previous levels. A new study from the testing group NWEA adds to the evidence base that suggests these absences are a persistent barrier to growing students’ reading and math scores. Read more