June 13, 2023

It's Not Too Late to Register!

Keynote: ESAs are Connecting the Dots!

Presenter: Shannon K. Buerk,

CEO of Engage2Learn

Join the conversation with our special guest, Shannon Buerk! School districts are in crisis trying to recruit, develop, and retain educators. The support from ESAs is more critical than ever, but how do you prove that investing in that support leads to the outcomes that school districts so desperately need? 

You need to connect the dots - connect the data from support to the data from outcomes to show the value and to create predictive analytics that informs the work. 

We hope to see you in Cincinnati!

It's a Magical Time of Year:

2023 Annual Conference Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2023

Registration is Open!

Yes, it's time to plan on attending AESA's Annual Conference, where you'll experience all the favorites: great keynotes; lots of networking; and full days of breakout sessions! Plus - a great location! You'll be just moments away from Disneyland, in warm and sunny Anaheim, California!

Our Keynote Line-up

Sir Bruno Serato

The Power of Pasta

From roots as an immigrant who barely spoke English, to the owner of the Anaheim White House restaurant. Chef Bruno Serato has earned international recognition for his humanitarian work. Chef Bruno will talk about what inspired him to launch Caterina’s Club, the birth of the Feeding the Kids program, Welcome Home, and Chef Bruno’s Hospitality Academy programs for youth who might otherwise head down a troubled path.

Trudy T. Arriaga, Ed.D.

Escorting Students Through Open Doors: Do our actions reflect our values? 

Dr. Trudy Arriaga will demonstrate how to reduce barriers and strengthen support factors that lead to belonging and achievement.  Join this inspirational session as we engage in a common vision and commitment to escort each and every student and their communities through open doors. 

Sponsored by:

Week of Action, June 14-22

in partnership with the

U.S. Department of Education

The awareness campaign launches this Wednesday. If your organization can help, there are resources at the link below!

Let's help close the digital divide!

Online For All is a new partnership between Civic Nation and the U.S. Department of Education to help close the digital divide by promoting high-speed internet access, affordability, and equity for students, their families, and all Americans. Online For All will bring together local community action and large-scale mobilization efforts to meet this moment and ensure that every household can get online.

The Online For All with an Affordable Connectivity Program Week of Action is June 14th to 22nd, 2023. Sign up to join this Week of Action at onlineforall.org.

Here is a PDF of a flyer you can share today! Many languages available too!

Entrepreneurial ESA Community of Practice – upcoming session!



Classroom to Career Partnerships: Elevating the Next Generation of

Educators and Expanding Exploration Opportunities for Students  

When: June 27, 2023

Time: 2 pm Eastern (1 pm Central; 12 noon Mountain; 11 am Pacific; 10

am Alaska)

Education Service Center Region 13 staff, Austin, Texas, will discuss how they have created and funded university and business/industry partnerships designed to increase the availability of qualified teaching staff and expand student access to academic and workplace skills by providing opportunities to earn college credits and industry

certifications based on employer needs.  

These partnerships include:

• A joint effort between ESC Region 13, Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT), and Abilene Christian University (ACU): 
• Classroom to Career Teaching Track: Students earn their associate degree, obtain their paraprofessional certification, and enter the workforce – immediately upon graduating high school. In as little as two additional years, they will be eligible to become a fully licensed teacher. 
• Level Up Program: Paraprofessionals earn their teacher certification through enrollment in the ACU’s online Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies program during their co-enrollment in ESC Region 13’s Educator Certificate Program.
• New Teacher Pathway: Responds to today’s industry challenges through an innovative solution to help individuals to become newly certified and licensed teachers for future employment at statewide ISDs.
• Grow Your Own Dual Credit Instructor: High school teachers may obtain the required credentials to serve as the teacher of record at a post-secondary institution offering academic dual credit courses in a district.  
• Mobile Labs – ESC Region #13 serves as the hub by partnering with regional businesses and industry to connect students to college and career skills through: 

o Providing a portable classroom outfitted with the equipment needed to

teach the skills necessary for students to maintain a competitive edge in a

global economy.

o Curriculum and materials to earn industry-designed certifications, in

conjunction with dual credit options and prepare to enroll in postsecondary education programs.

o The Mobile Lab is used with younger students as an opportunity for career

exploration.

Presenter: Dr. Rich Elsasser, Executive Director, ESC Region #13

Additional information on ESC Region #13 can be found at https://esc13.net

 If you aren't a member of this community and would like to attend this session, please contact AESA Executive Assistant Ann Fiene to register at the rate of $150.00

Revitalizing Education with

Out-of-School and Summer Enrichment Programs

HeyTutor is a leading provider of customized in-person and online tutoring solutions for

school districts across the country. We provide trained, passionate tutors to support

students with recovery from unfinished learning, remediation, acceleration, and/or

enrichment. With 10 years of experience working with students and districts, we have

the expertise and infrastructure to implement efficient and effective tutoring programs. In

our data-driven world, we know how important it is to show you how your student is

doing. We developed a platform where you can view the data we’ve collected. The connection between student assessments and progress has never been clearer. Parents, tutors, and students can spend less time guessing where students are going wrong and more time figuring out how to help students make incremental progress.

High dosage tutoring

HeyTutor’s high-dosage tutoring can offer school districts the ability to provide 100%

utilization and live, hands-on, and interactive instruction. With 30-60 minute sessions,

students can benefit from structured lessons and flexible scheduling before, during, or

after class while having the same instructor for consistency. Research shows in-person

tutoring is superior to online tutoring because of interpersonal connection, greater

consistency, and tutor-teacher alignment. It allows students of all abilities and socio-

economic backgrounds equal access to high-quality services. The research behind our

tutoring services is supported directly by research around the high-dosage tutoring

model, proven to effectively recover students’ unfinished learning caused by

inconsistency during the pandemic.

Integral components for success

The Office of the State Superintendent for Education in D.C. (2021) released a guide for

education agencies citing the integral components for success, all of which are

embedded in our services:

❖ Intentional relationship building between tutor and student

❖ Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Supports and strategies

❖ Tutor training specific to high-return tutoring strategies

❖ Tutor training on assessment utilization to further student learning

❖ Communication around student’s formative assessments

Enrichment

HeyTutor also has a variety of arts and world culture out-of-school time programs for

grades K-12. HeyTutor can run the program for up to 8 consecutive weeks and

seamlessly bridge programming into the following semester. Programs such as:

• Art & Me program This curriculum contains elements of principles of art and design.

• STEAMy Sweets This is a great way to engage student learning through foods and hands-on experimental science.

• Our Earth program is a great way to explore and learn using science and the Earth to learn.

• Read Around the World is a fun way to engage students through various

storytelling and fun reading projects.



We work collaboratively with districts to create curricula, activities, or experiences

specific to your student's interests for grades K-12 and to meet the needs in the fall,

winter, and spring or Saturday mornings. Our tutoring services can be delivered in

person or via our online platform.

For more information, contact Megan Cournoyer, Sr. Director of School Partnerships.

DEBT CEILING: WHAT EDUCATORS NEED TO KNOW

The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was developed over weeks of negotiations with President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In exchange for suspending the debt ceiling for two years (until January 1, 2025), the bill includes spending caps for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and other Republican priorities. While our official preference was for a clean debt ceiling vote, we know that policy is not derived in a vacuum, and we commend Congressional and White House leaders for stepping up to the plate to avoid breaching the debt ceiling.

There are two key provisions that educators should be aware of:

1. Rescission of COVID-19 funds: Includes a “clawback” of COVID-19 relief funds.

Most notably, it rescinds “unobligated balances” from the Education Stabilization Funds (ESF), which include Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER), and Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEEFR). However, this only includes funds that are still with the U.S. Treasury, that were not yet allocated or made available to the Department of Education. School districts will not lose access to their ESSER funds. According to the Administration’s analysis, the total available for ESF “clawback” is $391 million.

2. Spending Caps: Provides spending caps for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. For FY24,

the spending cap for non-defense discretionary spending is $703 billion. When

factoring in agreed-upon appropriations adjustments, FY24 will be roughly flat

with FY23 levels. For FY25, the spending cap allows for 1% growth from FY24,

coming in at $710 billion.

What does this mean for education funding? 

The last time there were tight non-defense spending caps (FYs 2013-2021) education funding was cut and then took 6 years to return to the 2011 level in nominal dollars. Congress raised the caps every two years, generally providing a boost the first year and then flat funding the second year, and education funding went down the second year each time. This past is a useful guide for what may lie ahead for appropriations for FY 2024 and FY 2025. The bill also included other provisions to increase the age for work requirements of SNAP, end the student loan payment pause, and expedite certain energy projects. For more details on the full package, see here.

Biden Administration Announces New Actions to Protect Youth Mental Health Online

On May 23, the Biden Administration announced new actions to protect youth mental health and privacy on social media, following Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s advisory about the effects social media use has on youth mental health. The Biden Administration created an interagency Task Force on Kids Online Health & Safety with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Commerce, with a focus on preventing and mitigating adverse health effects of social media use. The Task Force will develop policy recommendations and guidance on social media use. Separately from the Task Force, USED is working to issue a new rule that would update FERPA to promote the privacy of minor students’ data and address the commercial monetization of such data.