The Leading Edge: Policy & Advocacy Blog
The Leading Edge, AASA's policy & advocacy blog, provides up-to-date information about activities in Washington, D.C. and Capitol Hill that affect you and your school district.
Topics include new or proposed regulations and federal policies, federal funding updates and opportunities, advocacy resources and more.
Latest Posts
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June 12, 2023
Dept of Ed Opens Fiscal Year 2023 Full-Service Community School CompetitionThe Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program supports the planning, implementation, and operation of high-quality Full-Service Community Schools.
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June 06, 2023
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and COVID-19 Relief FundsOn Friday, June 2, President Biden signed the bipartisan budget agreement which suspended the Federal debt ceiling and does not impact ESSER funds.
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June 05, 2023
USDA Announces $1.3 Billion in Additional Funding for School Meal ProgramsOn Friday, June 2, USDA announced that it will be providing $1.3 billion in Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds to help schools as they prepare for the end of the temporary reimbursement increase that is set to expire on June 30.
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June 02, 2023
Debt Ceiling Agreement - What You Need to KnowOn June 1, Congress passed an agreement to suspend the debt ceiling and avert a Federal default existing loan payments. 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.
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May 31, 2023
AASA Sends Congressional Letter on Debt Ceiling VoteToday, AASA sent a letter to Congress regarding the bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling.
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May 30, 2023
ED and DOJ Release School Discipline GuidanceOn May 26, the Department of Education and Department of Justice released the long-awaited school discipline guidance.
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May 30, 2023
The Advocate June 2023: New Rules for Medicaid in SchoolsIn May, the Biden Administration took action to help schools deliver critical health care services to millions of students through two separate, but related agency actions focused on improving a district’s ability to bill Medicaid.
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May 25, 2023
AASA Joins 100+ Organizations in Letter to Dept of Labor on OT RulesAASA joined more than 100 organizations in a letter to the Department of Labor expressing concern over proposed changes to the overtime rules and asking the administration to stop the effort.
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May 25, 2023
A Wild 48 Hours for Federal Student PrivacyThis text is an excerpt from a longer blog post from the Student & Child Privacy Center and Public Interest Privacy Center.
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May 24, 2023
AASA Partners with CoSN on Annual State of EdTech Leadership SurveyEarlier this week CoSN released the 2023 State of EdTech Leadership report.
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May 24, 2023
USED Releases Resources for Artificial Intelligence (AI)USED’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) released a new report that summarizes the opportunities and risks for AI in teaching, learning, research, and assessment based on public input.
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May 17, 2023
ED Takes Steps to Remove Medicaid Consent Burden For DistrictsToday ED released its notice of proposed rulemaking on IDEA’s § 300.154 which requires districts to obtain parental consent for billing Medicaid for any IDEA related services they provide to a Medicaid eligible child.
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May 17, 2023
AASA Submits Comments on Proposed Title IX Athletics RuleOn Monday, AASA submitted comments on the Education Department’s proposed Title IX rule on athletics eligibility.
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May 16, 2023
AASA Signs Letter Opposing NDD CutsAASA joined more than 760 organizations in a letter to Congress expressing concern with calls from some for very deep cuts in non-defense programs.
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May 15, 2023
Dept of Ed Opens Grant Applications for Fostering Diverse Schools DemonstrationLast week, the Department of Education opened applications for the Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration grants program.
Latest Advocacy & Policy Resources
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November 21, 2024
PEP Talk Episode 34: The E-Rate SagaType:Podcast Topics: Advocacy & PolicyOn this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant gets into the weeds on the current saga of the FCC's Universal Service Fund and E-Rate with Jon Bernstein, an education technology and telecommunications lobbyist and president of Bernstein Strategy Group. -
October 24, 2024
PEP Talk Episode 33: Education in the 2024 ElectionType:Podcast Topics: Advocacy & PolicyOn this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant deep dives the role of education in the 2024 presidential election with Jonathan Voss, partner at Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm. -
October 22, 2024
A New Education Vision for the 2025-29 AdministrationType:Report Topics: Advocacy & Policy, Finance & BudgetsRecommendations for how the next administration can dramatically improve educational outcomes, reduce educational inequities and ensure the students in our schools today are able to excel in an increasingly competitive global workforce.
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