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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July 06, 2023
The Advocate July 2023: Additional School Meal Funding has ExpiredAs we head into July, a key priority for the AASA Advocacy Team is urging Congress to extend the additional reimbursements for school meal programs provided by the Keep Kids Fed Act (KKFA), which expired on June 30.
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July 05, 2023
AASA Releases Guide for School Leaders on Artificial IntelligenceAASA partnered with four education organizations to develop a guide for school leaders on the basics of AI in education.
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June 29, 2023
Guest Post: Making the Most of Your Summer Fun(ds)— Effective Planning = Effective ProgramsThis is the second guest post written by AASA President-Elect 2022-23 Gladys Cruz about leveraging ARP dollars for afterschool or summer programs.
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June 28, 2023
AASA Joins National Organizations to Support FCC NominationAASA joined 15 other national education organizations in a letter supporting the nomination of Anna Gomez as a Commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission.
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June 27, 2023
FCC Chairwoman Announces 'Learn Without Limits' InitiativeAt last week's American Library Association Conference, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her 'Learn Without Limits' initiative.
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June 23, 2023
AASA Leads Letter to Congress on Increased Reimbursement Rates for School MealsToday, AASA, with 17 other national education, nutrition and child welfare organizations, sent a letter to Congress urging them to extend the additional reimbursements from the Keep Kids Fed Act.
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June 15, 2023
ESSER in Action at Lockwood Schools: A Positive Learning Environment in Big Sky CountryAASA, The School Superintendents Association, is launching a series, ESSER in Action, highlighting how COVID-19 relief funds are making an impact across the country.
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June 13, 2023
Dept of Ed invites Superintendents to Free to Learn: Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments for LGBTQI+ StudentsThe U.S. Department of Education cordially invites you to Free to Learn: Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments for LGBTQI+ Students on Wednesday, June 21.
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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.
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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