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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January 18, 2024
Guest Post: Making the Most of Your Summer Fun(ds)— Planning Engaging EnrichmentThis is the eighth installment of the Summer Funds series with AASA President Gladys Cruz.
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January 09, 2024
NCE Run Fun/Walk: Join Me on the Embarcadero!I interrupt our regularly scheduled policy content for this fun fitness opportunity at NCE.
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January 05, 2024
USDA Releases Interim Final Rule on Summer EBT and Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural AreasOn December 29, 2023, USDA released an Interim Final Rule on two new(ish) programs aimed to address summer hunger.
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January 05, 2024
The Advocate January 2024: What You Can Expect This YearAs we head into 2024 and a major election year, this month’s edition of The Advocate is a summary of everything that could impact K-12 leaders in the year ahead.
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December 21, 2023
ESSER in Action in Massachusetts: Berkley- A Community of CareAASA, 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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December 20, 2023
FTC Issues Proposed Rule on COPPAThis blog post is cross posted from the team at the AASA Student and Child Privacy Center/PIPC.
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December 12, 2023
Guest Post: Making the Most of Your Summer Fun(ds)— Planning Summer Learning that Works for EducatorsThis is the seventh installment of the Summer Funds series with AASA President Gladys Cruz.
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December 08, 2023
AASA Endorses New Bipartisan School Safety LegislationAASA was excited to help craft and endorse new bipartisan school safety legislation called the Preparing Leaders to Assess Needs (PLAN) for School Safety Act (H.R. 6613).
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December 06, 2023
The Advocate December 2023: Critical Funding for Rural SchoolsThis month, we are focusing on two federal programs that are critical for rural schools across the country: Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) and the Secure Rural Schools (SRS).
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November 30, 2023
HHS Releases Proposed Rule on Head Start Staff Compensation, Benefits and MoreLast week, HHS released a proposed rule on numerous aspects of Head Start. The headline of the rule is a significant increase to staff compensation.
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November 30, 2023
New Education Impact ReportOn November 30, 2023, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative shared an impact report that looks back on eight years of CZI’s work in education.
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November 30, 2023
COVID-19 Tests Available for SchoolsEarlier this week, USED announced a partnership with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide free COVID-19 tests to school districts.
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November 16, 2023
Department of Education Releases 2020-21 Civil Rights DataThis week, the Department of Education released the new federal civil rights data for the 2020-2021 school year. Officials have cautioned against comparing this year’s data to previous reports, since 2020-2021 was the first year coming out of the pandemic school closures.
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November 15, 2023
AASA Supports Reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools ProgramAASA joined AESA, NREA and NREAC in a joint letter to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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November 15, 2023
AASA Releases Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) Survey ReportToday, your Advocacy team released the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) Survey Report.
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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