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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August 28, 2024
Court Grants FCC Request for Stay (for E-Rate and Universal Service Fund)On the heels of last month’s 5th circuit court decision which challenges the constitutionality of the funding mechanism for the universal service fund, the 5th circuit has granted the FCC its requested stay.
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August 23, 2024
Guest Post from NCAN: Class of 2025’s FAFSA Will Open December 1; 2024 FAFSAs Still Down 10%FAFSA completion rates for 2024 are down, and the 2025 application will once again be delayed. Here's what superintendents need know.
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August 22, 2024
Join AASA, USDA and USED for Back to School Virtual Event Celebrating Healthy School MealsAASA is excited to partner with USDA and USED to celebrate the back to school season and the important role school meals play in providing the fuel kids need to succeed in the classroom.
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August 22, 2024
ARP Funds for Homeless Students Must Be Obligated—Here’s a Checklist On Good Options for Your LEAAASA’s trusted partner, SchoolHouse Connection, just released a new 2-pager that contains a great checklist of what every LEA who has money left to spend should consider doing with these funds.
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August 21, 2024
Registration Open for CISA 2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and SecurityThe 2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security will be held on September 25 and 26. Registration is currently open.
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August 19, 2024
HHS Releases Head Start Final Rule With More Flexibility on Wage RequirementsThis week, the Biden Administration released its long-awaited final rule on Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming. The rule updates various aspects of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, but most notably, significantly increases compensation and benefits for staff in an effort to improve retention and recruitment for the program.
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August 08, 2024
It’s the Final Spend-down: Five Ideas for Any Remaining ESSER FundsThis blog post provides four questions to ask yourself while deciding how to spend any remaining ESSER funds and also recommends five types of investments to consider.
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August 08, 2024
FCC Releases State by State Info on How Universal Service Fund Impacts StatesThe FCC has released an overview document and state-specific information detailing how each of the four universal service fund programs (including the schools and libraries program, E-Rate) are impacted in each state.
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August 02, 2024
FY25 Appropriations UpdateThis summer, both the House and Senate put forward FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding proposals. Here's what you need to know.
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August 01, 2024
Senate Passes Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA)Earlier this week, the Senate passed KOSPA (which incorporates both COPPA 2.0 and KOSA) by a vote of 91-3.
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July 29, 2024
AASA Joins 10 National Education Groups in Response to Privacy LegislationAASA joined ten other national organizations in a letter to the Senate expressing their support for COPPA 2.0 as included in the bill, and continued deep concern for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) as included in the bill.
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July 25, 2024
AASA Joins EdLiNC Coalition in Expressing Deep Frustration with 5th Circuit E-Rate DecisionAASA joined the Education and Networks Libraries Coalition to express deep frustration with yesterday's 5th Circuit E-Rate decision.
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July 25, 2024
5th Circuit Court Rules Universal Service Fund (Which Covers E-Rate) UnconstitutionalOn Wednesday, the 5th Circuit Court handed down its decision where the plaintiffs argued that using E-rate funds for Wi-Fi on school buses exceeds the FCC’s authority to provide internet access in schools and libraries.
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July 24, 2024
USED Issues Resources to Help Schools Prepare for 2024 Title IX RegulationsAs schools prepare to implement amended Title IX regulations on August 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released new resources today to support schools in those efforts.
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July 23, 2024
Biden Administration Releases New Kids Online Safety ReportThe Biden-Harris Administration’s Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force released a new report with recommendations and best practices for safer social media and online platform use for youth.
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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