2023 NCE Advocacy Events

AASA’s policy and advocacy team invites you to journey with them into the weeds of federal education policy at the national conference in San Antonio. As in past years, there’s a policy strand of can’t-miss sessions taking place.  

On Thursday, Feb. 16, attendees can start their day with an update on everything advocacy-related that they need to know from their very own AASA Advocacy team; continue on to learn about state and federal education policy issues and finish the day with steps to soften the looming fiscal cliff.

Join the AASA Advocacy Team from 10:15a.m. to 11:15a.m. for a Federal Education Update. Noelle, Sasha, Tara and Kat will be presenting the latest and greatest information from Washington, D.C. beginning with funding and legislative updates from Congress and moving on to recent regulations and guidance issued by USED as well as the various federal policy issues percolating at USDA, DOT, EPA and many other federal agencies. This is a must-attend session for those who are concerned about federal education matters and who want to stay engaged with AASA’s advocacy work.

At the annual Federal Relations Luncheon at noon, Morgan Polikoff, Associate Professor of Education at USC Rossier, will discuss state and federal education policy issues coming out of the 2022 midterm elections. Drawing on a review of current policy agendas and public opinion data on what Americans want from public education systems, the presentation offers predictions for the next two years and strategies for state and local leaders to navigate ongoing controversies.

Then at 2:15p.m., Jessica Swanson, Senior Fellow at the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, will present “Steps Districts Can Take Now to Soften the Impact of the Looming Fiscal Cliff.” She will walk through how a mix of factors—the end of ESSER funds, unprecedented enrollment declines, inflationary raises and broader economic downturn—are likely to hit district budgets and how districts leaders can make smart decisions now to prepare.  

On Friday, Feb. 17, start the day with an early morning session on “Using Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment Teams to Enhance School Safety, Equity, and Wellness” at 8 a.m. with Makenzie Schiemann, President of the National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment. Join to explore practical strategies like who should serve on the team, what types of difficulties or risks the team addresses, how teams assess risk, and what types of supports teams put in place for students in need.

At 11:15 a.m., hear from the AASA president-elect candidates at the president-elect forum. Then at 12:45 p.m., attend a session presented by Chris Borreca, this year’s Friend of AASA awardee, on “The Essential Federal Guidance and Regulatory Update for School Leaders” to gain the knowledge necessary to ensure district policies and procedures are in line with current guidance and regulations and an awareness of what additional changes may be coming out of DC soon.  

Wrap up the day at 3:45p.m. with Christine Pitts, Director of Impact and Communications at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, for “The State of the American School District”. This discussion will focus on the challenges district leaders face as they roll out pandemic recovery plans, including the nuances of local teacher staffing problems and the contours of navigating local politics.

You can follow the goings-on of the advocacy team and the conference’s policy sessions on the AASA blog and by following @AASAdvocacy and the advocacy team on Twitter: Noelle Ellerson (@Noellerson), Sasha Pudelski (@SPudelski), Kat Sturdevant (@K_Sturdevant) and Tara Thomas (@TaraEThomas1). Or you can always follow along by downloading the AASA Advocacy app, available on the App Store and Google Play.