Annual Conference

Many schools struggle to successfully track Social Emotional Learning Outcomes and Data due to its subjective complexity.  There are solutions that make it easy and effective to quickly access and assess data.  In this session we demonstrate how to take pre-existing and new data, enter it into our STAR Platform to chart and graph a student’s SEL goal progress; how recording data real-time, supports an SEL program to address a student’s education plan, and how to implement rating scale data to show progress and outcomes for students PreK through 8th grade. Having a flexible and adaptable platform that houses all of your session information, ratings scales, resources, materials, and online therapy services are key to support a successful SEL program.

Microsoft's mission is to empower all people and all organizations to achieve more. The classroom is no different. Microsoft Windows and Windows-based applications like Office, together with other assistive technologies, offer features that make computers easier to use for everyone – giving teachers the opportunity to provide personalized learning, and students an improved experience and equal opportunity in the classroom. These free tools are a game changer for developing reading and writing skills, and is now empowering over 23 million people with dyslexia and learning disabilities every month.  Come learn about Immersive Reader and other learning tools that support you in building an accessible classroom.

Join the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) and discover a global Community of Learning for your members. The recent pandemic underlines the need to help students develop the ability to work with others, practice social-emotional control, and be cross-culturally competent. Global issues and perspectives should be an integrated lens for learning in any and all content areas. CILC’s nearly 200 Pontent Providers represent the very best cultural organizations and talent from around the world. And CILC’s new Collaboration Space will help your members to connect students with their peers anywhere in the world. Global learning can facilitate holistic outcomes — student engagement and empowerment that lead to academic success, an increased world awareness and overall well-being.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 5 adolescents has had a serious mental health disorder (2017). The need for student support in the areas of mental health and well being is challenging for education agencies and school districts. The Envision U Symposium fulfilled a need in this area by targeting transition-age students as they prepared for school, work, and life. This symposium created networking opportunities across 22 school districts, team building skills, and provided strategies to empower students to make positive changes related to their mental health and well being. Students were also given local, state, and national resources to support them beyond the school setting.

Northwest Area Education Agency in Iowa has been offering courses for educational leaders to help improve their communication skills within their organizations. We have developed Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability courses for license renewal and evaluator approval credit through the state of Iowa. Crucial Conversations teaches participants how to effectively communicate when there are strong emotions, opposing opinions, and stakes are high. Crucial Accountability offers tools for resolving violated expectations, broken commitments, and bad behavior. During this session participants will learn how we developed these courses, how we deliver the content, and how we created an ongoing learning community for participants to stay current with their skills. Come learn how to take this model back to your organization. 

As a math teacher, I always wanted to know how literacy could fit into my math class, not how math could fit into literacy classroom; however, training after training, that is all we (math teachers) ever received. This breakout session will define mathematics literacy, and outline research-based practices to embed mathematics literacy strategies into mathematics lessons. 

Learn how and why the Montgomery County Educational Service Center and the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio led a partnership with multiple agencies and corporations to support school leaders, teachers, and personnel as they operationalize their continuity of education plans for remote learning. The Remote Learning Alliance uses a multi-partner approach to building and aligning capacity to support districts in developing sustainable systemic remote learning plans. Presenters will share how they built partnerships with national experts, local agencies, school districts, and corporations to support Ohio schools with a systematic approach to everything from device acquisition and connectivity to professional development.

Research studies conducted on professional development typically focus on measuring its effectiveness. While there is value in each of those studies, Region 10 ESC undertook a research project to learn the values, attitudes, and opinions held by classroom teachers about their own professional learning needs and frustrations. In this session, we relay the findings of our study and explore steps our service agencies might take in order to address the needs and desires that teachers expressed.

This session will discuss the prominent work the mental health program at Educational Service Unit 5 in Nebraska has achieved over the past three years. The model, which is now being researched by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with Dr. Susan Swearer, who works with the Lady Gaga "Born this Way Foundation" and Kara Viesca, look at a 'Wellness 4ALL' approach to mental health in schools.  Attendees will leave with invaluable information on how to promote mental wellness in school settings to promote engagement in and out of the classroom, with not only students, but educators.  

Join Terri Stice (GRREC) and Jen Peace (Corwin) as they thoughtfully outline one education service center’s journey of building capacity for professional expertise through a partnership with Corwin.  Terri and Jen showcase the enduring potential of a cooperative approach to mobilizing timely and timeless research at scale and at a distance. 

Did your SIS vendor(s) provide everything your member districts needed to successfully start the school year? Our panelists will address how the shifting K12 landscape most impacted their business practices and more importantly, how they reacted so schools could overcome back-to-school challenges. Join this fast-paced, 60- minute webinar for the TOP 10 things you need to know.

Rarely will we take the time for Regular Self-Care. In fact, we are more likely to help a colleague take care of themselves before we take care of ourselves. So let's leverage that truth and make a commitment to Co-Care. When our organization is practicing Co-Care, strong relationship connections are being made and resilience is being built inside our worlds. TOPICS: assertiveness, avoiding compassion fatigue, healthy eating, mindfulness, physical fitness and immunity, reducing stress, relaxation, and time management.

The National Association of School Psychologists suggests the ratio of school psychologists to students be 1:500-700 if we are to utilize all of the skills of school psychologists, including providing mental health services to students. Iowa’s school districts have an especially hard time hiring school psychologists to work in high need, rural areas of the state. The average student to school psychologist ratio is 1:1400. A distance learning training program was developed, funded by a federal grant, to address this shortage. This session will report on findings from the first year of implementation of the program. Preliminary data regarding topics such as the number of students recruited to the program, successful recruiting approaches, demographics of the students enrolled, and the success of the students will be reported. There will be reporting of the next steps of the project and feedback from the students regarding their perceptions of how the project is working for them. Finally, presenters will discuss ways in which a project, such as the present one, may be funded in the future.

One of the most powerful tools you have in growing your organization is your people. People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job. Join us and discover how ESC Region 11 used their staff's strengths to unleash a culture of leading and serving. Based on a 40-year study of human strengths, Gallup created a language of the 34 most common talents and developed the CliftonStrengths Assessment to help people discover these talents. By focusing on strengths first and building on that, as opposed to a deficit model, we have created an environment where people feel a connection towards the entire organization. Our team's greatest talents hold the key to success.

Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) face a variety of different legal issues and requirements depending on the type of programs they offer and the staff they employ.  Labor issues go hand-in-hand with personnel whether they are union or non-union employees.  Federal and state laws, when violated, can become an expensive endeavor for a non profit organization.  This session will provide information on the potential pitfalls and how to avoid financial disaster.  Policies and procedures need to be in place to ensure consistent and fair practices whether dealing with students or adults.  Progressive discipline and harassment are just two examples of policies ESAs should adopt.  In addition, many ESAs form partnerships with companies that provide services, equipment or supplies.  Agreements and contracts should be scrutinized and vetted in order not to fall into a legal trap should a disagreement occur.  Copyright infringement, writing MOUs, traps to avoid in a contract, are just a few topics that can be covered in this arena.  Any legal issue can have a huge financial impact on an organization.  Financial stability is a worry for many nonprofits.  Good leaders and certain financial protocols are a must to ensure success.  Communication and relationships are key to the good health of any organization.  How to discuss financial issues with your board, as well as, employees and the districts you serve can assist you in avoiding miscommunication and distrust.  If your ESA provides services to students/adults with special needs, federal law is very specific on the requirements that must be followed to avoid parental complaints and hearings.  Helpful hints on working with the sending districts and their staff to iron out possible legal ramifications and penalties will also be provided.  Conducting professional development and updating staff should not be an afterthought.                              

The goal for educators to ensure educational equity for students to engage and have access to their learning.  This model of learner-centered education is the core of the Institute for Personalized Learning honeycomb model, just as equity is at the center of an Equitable Multi-Level Systems of Support.  It is also the premise from which College and Career Ready IEPs are developed.  As many schools are moving towards personalized learning, we need to ensure that a student’s IEP is seamlessly taken into consideration instead of creating two separate instructional plans. Thus, teachers must have a deeper understanding of where the IEP and personalized learning have natural connections, allowing students with an IEP  greater access to the general education curriculum, standards, and environment. This session will highlight the integration of Learner-Centered Education and Multi-Level Systems of Support. 

The value of teacher observation and feedback is clear.  High-quality instructional leaders must not waiver from this fundamental best practice.  But things changed in the spring of 2020.  Amid the pandemic, researchers at Southwest Plains asked, “What’s the same? What’s different? How should we adjust?”  Data collected from the field will be shared.  Implications for practice will be discussed.  Fundamentally, educators must consider the lessons learned during COVID-19 that should forever change the landscape of instructional leadership.  

School districts are seeing unprecedented financial challenges in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Find out how to leverage the purchasing power of multi-state ESAs and learn how your agency can lead the way.

In this fun and fast-paced session Mike Cook, ESSDACK and Mark Horning Community Health Magazine share how their unique collaboration and radical problem solving improved outcomes and big savings for ESSDACK.   Mike has a long career in education and administration and Mark in journalism and health care media. Together they created new approaches for effective employee communications and engagement by leveraging cross functional departments, technology and effective story telling.  All attendees will walk away with at least one idea they can use immediately.

It seems like every week some new organization is in the news because they have had a data breach.  Cybersecurity is a vital topic that schools need to be focused on.  The role of ESAs is important in making sure schools in our regions are doing all that they can to keep their data and networks safe.  Join us as we explore this critical topic and how we can better protect our schools.

Nearly every school district and education agency in the country has a mission/vision to help students be career, college, and future ready.  In this interactive session, learn how AEAs in Iowa are providing support to districts in developing a Portrait of a Graduate and examining their Postsecondary Readiness data to ensure our graduates are competitive in a global market.

ESU 2 has embarked on Leadership Learning Walks, created and supported by Dr. David Lorden of SDSU, through which leaders are placed in a network with 3-4 rural leaders. Each network follows a protocol for learning walks where they visit each others schools to dive deep into an identified school-related problem of practice and support one another in solving those problems. Join us as we show you how ESU 2 used this innovative approach to leadership professional development.

In collaboration with New Mexico school districts and charters, Cooperative Educational Services (CES) offers an alternative non-IHE statewide licensure program to help reduce the teacher shortage in our state.  Leading Educators through Alternative Pathways (LEAP) is board approved by the state public education department and provides optional licensure pathways for elementary, secondary and/or special education. CES invites you to learn more about our stakeholder collaboration on this innovative approach, progress data, entry/mid/exit requirements and next step efforts.  Join us for a look into our first year of operations and learn of the promising impact LEAP is having on New Mexico teacher preparation. 

Hidden barriers live in daily routines blocking school and organizational success. We envision “Every child, Every Day” yet most systems struggle. Staff exhausted by isolated initiatives; 70% of the change efforts fail. Leaders unconsciously trapped in a cycle of wasted resources, lost kids, and frustrated staff. What if our daily routines leveraged success? What if we hardwired the actions that mattered systemwide?  85% of barriers live hidden in our systems.  Success becomes real when we tackle the real barriers.  Hardwiring new routines centered on service to people, actions informed by the measures that matter, and execution is hardwired.  Leaders grow capacity and filter initiative white noise.   Teams eliminate hassle and align resources to what works.   The backbone of Evidence-based Leadership unleashes the untapped power living in the system building an army of improvers. Together, skilled teams learn from their work, streamline efforts, leverage success, safeguard resources and restore hope.  

Experience the journey of a rural Nebraska ESU as it developed additional programs and services to meet the needs of their district’s most challenging students.  Unlocking potential in even the most challenging student is a necessity across school districts nationwide. Using data collected from nineteen school superintendents, ESU 7 directors created and established a “one-of-a-kind” plan to add a level three behavior program on campus which encompassed mental health services. This session will shed light into the heart of our mission; to lead, serve and support our districts by providing distinguished services to meet the needs of every student in our charge. 

This session will discuss how tragedy (school shootings, community violence/poverty/injustice, pandemics) can disrupt systems for the better when we consciously move forward with a focus on equity and well-being. An ESA executive, a formerly homeless student, and the CEO of STOPit Solutions and founder of Sandy Hook Promise will discuss how ESAs can play a critical role in guiding responses to any disruption to ensure systems better serve students, families, stakeholders, and ultimately communities. 

SLA Management, Inc. is among the top Food Service Management Companies in the US and has a reputation as one of the best and the fastest growing K-12 FSMCs. Founded in 2002, SLA Management serves only K–12 charter, private, and district schools throughout the country. 
Our boutique-style approach allows us to partner with our schools to create individually tailored programs that meet the needs and goals of every school we serve. We use only high quality, fresh ingredients in our scratch prepared menu offerings. All our school meals exceed the USDA National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs’ compliance standards.
The SLA Way:
•    Quality, nutritionally-balanced, affordable, compliant meals
•    Regionally-based menus 
•    Guaranteed revenue
•    No cost, no financial risk (invoiced only for meals served)
•    Commitment to retaining existing staff
•    Relief from paperwork—we manage reporting
We love what we do, we believe it’s important…we’d like to share our vision with you!

Artificial intelligence (AI) helped Netflix offer viewing recommendations and made Amazon a one-stop shop. Iowa's Area Education Agency Media Directors believed this technology could also add value to the research, exploration, and discovery experience for educators and students, as well as enhance the development of their information literacy skills. AI also improves the selection and delivery of our significant collection of digital instructional resources. Learn more about AEA Scout and how we are: 1. Uniquely engaging learners to find, choose and use information; 2. Providing an innovative user experience for easier access to vetted digital content; 3. Offering built-in tools to ensure accessibility for all learners; 4. Creating opportunities to personalize experiences and share learning; and 5. Collaborating with MindShine to capitalize on AI to design the system.
 

Southwest Plains Regional Service Center has partnered with engage2learn on an innovative approach to help school districts across Kansas build coaching capacity using engage2learn’s proven Coaches Academy© and coaching system. The engage2learn eSUITE© platform provides coaches with a consistent coaching structure that leads to intentional, evidence-based coaching conversations and ultimately, educator and learner growth and that growth is all documented and reported out through the system.  This partnership will both build coaching capacity with SWPRSC coaches and provide the framework for direct work with school districts to build the capacity of their coaches. This intentional capacity building is a key strategy for ensuring that the Kansas Can Personalized Learning initiative becomes a true reality in all Kansas schools.

The Western Ohio Service Collaborative (WOSC) is a collaboration of Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren County ESCs. WOSC serves educators in these counties by offering a variety of professional development opportunities. Through this collaboration, resources are leveraged to invite educators across the ESC member area to participate in learning from local experts, as well as, state and national experts. Attend this session to learn more about how to create, implement and evaluate collaborative
partnerships with your ESC and ITC colleagues.

Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC) is the only educational service agency in Alaska. In a state 2.5 times the size of Texas, SERRC must innovate to continue to meet the diverse needs of Alaskan school districts which range from urban centers to remote, rural districts where often only two teachers serve an entire K-12 population.  After attending a service design training, and learning more about the process during AESA’s Executive-In-Residence Program, SERRC has a renewed focus on innovation. This presentation details a case study of service design from inception to implementation. Presenters will share their experiences in creating a highly-customized Substitute Teacher Training program for school districts in rural Alaska, including the design process and lessons learned.

The fact is: there is an abundance of high-wage jobs available, but a lack of workforce to fill them.  We have students graduating with degrees from universities, but only a handful of jobs available. Whereas, there are a handful of students graduating from trade schools with many jobs available to them. EKCO strives to help students become “college and career ready” through preparation for two-year programs, certifications, apprenticeships, “on the job training” or movement directly into the workplace, in addition to four-year program preparation.  In this session we will be explaining how EKCO is expanding student equity and choice through business/industry connections, providing career specific equipment and skills, professional development and on-hand staff assistance in classrooms.

This session will describe the pathway that Solano County Office of Education in California took to reaffirm their focus, revise their vision, mission, guiding principles and strategic framework and find innovative ways of messaging within the organization and in the community to support the needs of students, families and staff. Strategies and examples will be shared related to how this work was accomplished and continues to evolve with grounding in foundational concepts of equity and access. Organizational work related to exploring equitable practices through all aspects of the organization will also be shared.

When the Covid-19 (Novel Coronavirus) spread, so did the understanding of the importance of Nebraska's ESUs. In a time of unprecedented uncertainty, Nebraska's ESUs were cast to the forefront in the battle to stop the virus. Working with the Governor, Department of Health, and the Commissioner of the Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska's ESUs provided leadership, support and guidance to ensure public safety and continuity of learning for all students. One unintended consequence included unprecedented statewide recognition and understanding of the importance of Nebraska's ESUs.

Description needed.

How prepared are our nation’s public educators for retirement?   The National Tax-Deferred Savings Association’s (NTSA) groundbreaking survey of more than 4,400 public education institutions compiled data on 403(b) participation rates, contribution rates, account balances and overall retirement security of America’s public educators. The survey includes information on 403(b) plan design elements that lead to better outcomes. Join us for an in-depth discussion with NTSA’s Executive Director Brent Neese and PlanMember’s FVP Retail Sales Ron Culverson to learn key findings from this first of its kind public benchmark and assessment of public education retirement security in America. Participants of the session will learn how PlanMember’s suite of ESA services including financial education workshops, online retirement academy, executive compensation and online enrollment produces outcomes that improve retirement security for America’s employees of public education.

ESA leaders know how to assess needs and develop innovative solutions. By design they have a growth mindset. Our ESA leaders are by nature people of hope, with a strong tendency toward optimism. These dispositions and skills make them ideally suited to lead during times of opportunity, but what about when times are tough? This session will explore protocols for how to know when it is time to make cuts, but more importantly how to make them in a way that recognizes and honors the trauma experienced by others. We will share lessons learned through the journey of program reduction and closure over the past two years.

The Agile Manifesto has four values; 1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools; 2. Working software over comprehensive documentation; 3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation; and 4. Responding to change over following a plan. What does this look like in the context of educational leadership? This session will explore this question. Participants will see how they can strike a delicate balance between stability and agility when exploring and implementing innovative solutions in education.

In the age of remote services, ESAs across the country are finding innovative ways to deliver behavioral health services virtually. This interactive session will explore delivery of telehealth services for mental health and other related service providers. We will focus on innovative ways to implement telehealth services, especially in rural and low SES areas, with particular discussion around equity and HIPAA/confidentiality considerations. 

Evidence confirms that a crisis brings out the best in people. In this session you will hear inspiring stories from directors of a Pennsylvania service center of collaboration, communication, and regional support that flourished during the Coronavirus pandemic, resulting in improved relationships and resource-sharing that will change their service model into the future. This interactive session will share innovations, including the creation of a standards-aligned learning resource; a manufacturing network of 3D-printed personal protective devices; support for over 300 schools' payroll and student information systems: teacher PD offerings that improved online instruction; and physical, social, and emotional supports that strengthened communities. Participants will engage with the tools created and have opportunities to share their own innovative successes!

Is our internal Professional Learning (PL) system having the desired impact? Are we supporting the growth of ALL? Are our learning opportunities aligned to the ESA staff competencies required to ensure equitable high-quality service delivery? These were driving questions during our internal PL redesign process. This session will explore features of our innovative, competency-based, and self-directed PL system. Learn how priority services, legislative requirements, role specialization, and career pathways influenced our PL system design and implementation. Additionally, highlights from our uniquely configured technology platform which supports individual staff and system-level capacity development, will be shared. Participants will walk away with tips and tools to support designing, implementing, and evaluating internal PL systems for ESAs. 

The unprecedented situation due to COVID-19 has resulted in large-scale disruption in our educational system as we know it. Emergency digital learning was required during the initial outbreak. Short-term closures of single or multiple schools may occur due to regional outbreaks or second waves of infection.  Social distancing is the new norm resulting in the need for varied instructional models for learning occurring during varied time frames across the CESA 1 region in southeastern Wisconsin. During this session, we will share examples of different instructional models and modes; what each model looks like for teachers and learners, and the requirements for families and teachers so that our students are successful!!  Statewide, regional, and district/school partnerships will be highlighted.

This session will highlight the cross collaboration at Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 among the early childhood and special education departments and the Teaching and Learning Collaborative Team to provide high-quality, integrated STEM learning opportunities for all.  The STEM curricular resources and  professional development model will be shared, as well as the outcomes of this cross collaboration. The process of how general education STEM curricular resources was adapted and modified to meet the needs of students in special education classes will be shared.  This session will conclude with a special focus on the student’s participation in a state STEM competition.

With the shortage of substitute teachers, it is every principal's nightmare to have a room of students with no one to lead. Add to that the weight of standardized testing and no day can be wasted in the classroom.  Now it is more important than ever to have enough effective substitute teachers in these rooms.  In Iowa we have developed a program for degreed participants to step into the classroom and understand how to keep learning continuously moving forward. During this conversation, we will provide you with resources so you can create or fine tune a substitute program.  Join us as we share our process and gather strategies on how to support your program.

Educational Service Unit #3 (ESU 3), a regional education agency in Nebraska, is in the process of creating a system of professional development supports for principals within its region. To inform the design and focus of this system of supports, ESU 3 and Hanover Research designed, administered, and analyzed a survey of regional principals. This presentation will focus on ESU 3’s motivations for creating a regional principal professional development program, the agency’s collaboration with Hanover Research to collect feedback from principals to inform the initial focus and design of the program, the agency’s planning process for the pilot program to launch in the fall of 2020, and successes and lessons learned from the first several months of pilot program implementation.

Skyrocketing construction costs, increasing difficulty finding affordable construction sites for new schools, and a rapidly changing regulatory environment with stringent land use environmental requirements are, together, taxing the capacity and technical skills of local school district leaders on whom we rely to deliver capital improvements on budget, on schedule, and that operate - once opened – without a glitch.   Join ESD 112 Construction Services Group as they share lessons learned in their successful 26 years as a financially self-sustaining core program of the State of Washington’s Educational Service District Network providing efficient and effective planning, design, construction, capital financial, and building commissioning management services to over 150 school districts.  You can do it too! 

A district's educator effectiveness model is an opportunity to grow capacity to better meet the needs of all students in the district, and a focus on equity amplifies the commitment to all. The work of ESAs is to facilitate district understanding of how initiatives fit together in complementary ways instead of competing for limited resources. Come learn how to assist districts in pairing the Danielson Framework with a focus on equity in one concise walk-through tool.

The Principal’s Leadership Academy and the Assistant Principal’s Leadership Academy were redesigned and reconfigured based on suggestions from the Research & Evaluation Department of Region 10 Education Service Center.  Principals and assistant principals are essential to the success of schools and, more importantly, to student achievement. Due to these significant changes, both programs occurred no losses after the first year.  Eventually, the redesigned Principal’s Conference and Assistant Principal’s Leadership Academy generated additional income that has resulted in new innovative programs at Region 10.

The World of Learning Institute (at IU 8) has been using LIVE virtual instruction to teach world languages for many years. Today, as schools and districts struggle to connect students in virtual spaces, our transformative practices have supported teachers, PT/OTs, SPLs, MDS professionals, and other service providers to connect to learners wherever they are. Learn how our cohort-based approach supported EVERYONE where they were on the technology continuum.  

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, I founded Behavior Advantage to help educators use their resources more efficiently to address challenging student behaviors. We successfully train and support thousands of educators nationwide each year. Behavior Advantage combines over 20 years of expertise, intuitive software, and on-line clinical support to deliver a proven model, evidence-based practices, and progress monitoring solutions to school teams anywhere. This session will show administrators simple, practical ways to improve behavior management processes, build internal capacity, and save hours of staff time.  All attendees will receive free Functional Behavior Assessment, Behavior Intervention Plan, and Implementation Checklist templates to share with your staff back home.

Partnering with Muskingum ESC and Director Mike Fuller, we are introducing two smart phone applications into Ohio school districts.
School bus accident, district administrator arrives on the scene and quickly speaks into their phone, "I need a list of all students and their emergency contact numbers on bus 129."  Within a few seconds, that information appears on their phone, screened by those absent that day, thanks to TIVA.  Hundreds of other uses.
IOTI allows principals to send weekly school event video updates tagged to a school logo'd magnet on parents' refrigerators.  Hundreds of other uses.

The brain might be the most complex system within the known universe. In the past ten years, scientists have discovered more about the brain than in all of human history! A critical understanding that has been gained is that the brain has plasticity, and it can and wants to heal. In this session, we will take a look at the six centers of the brain related to developmental trauma to help us better understand what exactly going on up there when people are experiencing toxic stress. 

You’ve focused on your WHY. You’ve employed systems thinking to evaluate problems and explore opportunities in your organization. You’ve built teams to meet existing and anticipated needs. But how do you know it’s all working?  How do those pieces fit together? And what is it that differentiates you in the competitive marketplace? Join us as we share our journey in answering these questions and determining the key performance indicators that provide meaning to our team members and set us apart in an era of experience-driven choice. We will outline our process in transforming our work to have greater impact not only for our member schools and districts but also for our own staff. 

Chances are, like us, the students you worry about most are the students who have been forgotten by most of society. At West40, we believe every single kid deserves the best chance possible of success. Through our continuum of support, our vision is to transform every student in West Cook County, IL—regardless of their past or circumstances—into a powerful, influential member of their community. West40’s Alternative Learning Opportunity Programs (ALOPS), Truants Alternative and Optional Education Programs (TAEOPs), and Regional Safe School Program (RSSP) are how we live out our mission and vision, and we are excited to share our resources and stories with you so you, too, can transform your students’ lives in a variety of settings and opportunities as an ESA.

Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services tells the story of Kentucky's recent journey to advocate for public school students. NKCES is comprised of 16 districts representing 65,000 students and together leveraged a united message to legislators, community and in turn voters, that made an impact for public education. The presentation highlights an empowering story by sharing the strategies the NKCES Board of 16 superintendents utilized through the use of social media, press conferences & common legislative messaging. These tools and more will be shared with participants, along with the lessons learned on the journey. Join this session to learn how districts of varying demographics can come together as a united voice to impact their most critical resources—students.
 

Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC) is the only Educational Service Agency in Alaska and is home to the Alaska Transition Outcomes Project (ATOP). ATOP is offered to every district in the state and is a camp for high school-age students that focuses on education and training, community engagement, independent living, healthy lifestyles, and employment/careers. With the vast differences in available resources from one village to the next, these camps are tailored and customized to meet the unique needs of each individual district and their students and staff.  This presentation will outline what a transition camp is and how they are uniquely implemented. Different methods of delivery will be discussed, from in-person to virtual classrooms, to a hybrid of different delivery methods.

EyeSpy 20/20 is truly honored to be an affiliated business partner with AESA as our goal is to provide schools the most accurate and reliable technology for ensuring students can visually process information. As 80% of learning occurs visually, current vision screening methods relying on the printed wall chart, a 150-year-old “technology”, inadequately support our collective endeavor of teaching and preparing children for the future. EyeSpy 20/20 is a peer-reviewed, medically validated, computerized screening that accurately assesses a child’s visual acuity, depth perception and color vision while they “play” a fun, 3-minute game. EyeSpy 20/20 requires minimal training, eliminates human interpretation, securely stores and reports results, and provides instantaneous reporting in English or Spanish. EyeSpy 20/20 was designed by educators to save time and money while ensuring their students can see. 
 
As your proud partner, we look forward to working with the nation’s best school administrators to bring this amazing technology to their students.? Having served more than 1.5 million students to date, EyeSpy 20/20 is the proven method for ensuring school readiness. 

This session demonstrates the Pathway 2 Algebra and Geometry curriculum. The Pathway model places learning in the context of high-value career opportunities and provides real-world application of core subject matter concepts. Throughout the session, participants will experience how a meaningful career, when told in context, will enable students to instantly see the purpose in their learning and understand the why behind the what. As a result, students experience increased motivation to learn, and retention increases.  

Model lessons will present information in the context of a different high-value career linked to one of the sixteen career clusters within the National Career Clusters Framework. Because occupations are not repeated, students experience a unique occupation in every lesson. Careers are integrated into the learning experience with examples and exercises that demonstrate the direct application of the lesson content in everyday work tasks.
 

How can an educational service agency help its members understand and effect positive change for students as well as educators? In this session, learn how an ESA worked with an educational data collaborative to create visualizations based on common data standards to help schools provide the best instructional opportunities for students. The North East Florida Educational Consortium, in partnership with the Florida Collaborative on Operational Data for Educators, tackled the challenge posed by COVID-19 by providing the tools and resources to support students in absence of state summative assessment data. By engaging stakeholders, developing partnerships, and listening to these new challenges, these partners created a solution in the midst of chaos. 

In this session we will explore how the Southeast Service Cooperative (SSC) in Minnesota identified curriculum as an area of need their client districts wanted help with.  Further we will explore how SSC partnered with AESA Business Partner, BuildYourOwnCurriculum (BYOC), to address this need.  Finally, less than a year into this partnership, we will look at how districts in Southeast Minnesota are being impacted by this initiative.  The key take away from this discussion should be the value, for everyone, AESA Members, Districts, and Business Partners that can be achieved by identifying and meeting district needs.

Montgomery County Intermediate Unit has expanded its mental health programs to meet the needs of our schools. This presentation will provide information on all available school-based mental health programs, from startup of programs to implementation. Learn the differences between the range of mental health services and supports available, starting from lower range of mental health supports (e.g. emotional support classrooms) to higher-level school mental health supports (e.g. school-based partial hospitalization). Learn ways to build proactive approaches to respond to mental health crisis by developing mental health crisis teams that assist staff in effectively responding to mental health crisis. Learn to navigate reluctance from local, state and federal officials to ensure that the emotional well-being of students is served. 

For some time, we’ve heard that the role of education has been shifting.  Never was that more apparent than in the spring of 2020.  In order to meet the evolving needs of both our district and state schools, Indiana Online and PLConnect, two departments of the Central Indiana Educational Service Center, made a responsive decision to create Keep Indiana Learning, an online community and resource dedicated to continuous learning practices. But we didn’t act alone. Together, with a wide variety of educational leaders from around our state, we connected relevant learning materials to teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents. Join our team as we share the story behind the community, collaboration, and creation of our continuous learning story.

How does an ESA board of directors lead with racial equity in the context of policy governance? In 2016, the PSESD Board of Directors updated its End, explicitly naming racial equity: Success for Each Child and Eliminate the Opportunity Gap by Leading With Racial Equity. Having taken this bold move, the board next had to consider how its own governance policies promoted or served as barriers to racial equity. This was the question PSESD’s board considered as it reviewed, updated and adopted new versions of almost all governance policies using a racial equity lens. We will share why we engaged in this process, how we approached it, challenges faced and how it is helping us assess board and superintendent effectiveness. 

A district’s mission is its promise to students. ESAs can help districts put the truth in advertising that “all means all” as they take Professional Learning Communities implementation to the next level with an increased commitment to the mission and a strengthened shared commitment to student success with the 100-Day Plan. Whether districts are implementing for the first time or continuing their implementation efforts, the commitment to the work for 100 days will ensure a clear pathway for the work and the resources needed, fidelity to the PLC principles, a strong return on a district’s investment in the PLC initiative, and measurable gains in achievement for all students. 

Learn about the structure, organization and continuum of response provided by the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team that responds to traumatic events and crisis situations throughout the Grant Wood Area Education Agency service area.  The team supports crisis response to 32 public school districts serving nearly 80,000 students in eastern Iowa.  Topics to be covered in this session will include elements of the organization of the response team; training practices; resources and materials; community collaboration and the continuum of support through which the team supports district staff, students and the greater community.  The presentation will address crisis intervention planning, individual and group interventions, and assistance in accessing other supports in the community, such as mental health services.

When students feel safe and like they belong, they are connected. When they are connected, they are less likely to hurt themselves or others. And they are more likely to achieve. In this session Rachel's Challenge and an ESA partner will jointly share a real-life example of how this is happening.

During the past seven years of our analytics work with school districts across the country, we’ve heard a consistent challenge voiced by many—the need for additional support in extracting the insights contained in their data. Join us at this session to explore the specific ways in which your ESA could play an integral role in assisting your districts in getting the most from their data for the benefit of their students and communities.

What does it mean to be agile in 2020? How can we make our school organization, classrooms, and culture more agile? This session will showcase what it means to be agile in modern learning environments and provide the tools to get teams on the same page to get things done! Participants will receive access to an Agile for Education Scrum Playbook and experience some of the hands-on strategies to enhance cooperative learning and work environments that promote 21st Century skills. 

AESA's Federal Advocacy Team dives into the current and emerging federal legislative issues that are impacting the national education landscape.  Your voice is important!  Our legislative team will answer your questions and provide information you need to be effective in your advocacy efforts.

In partnership with local districts and area mental health counseling providers, GWAEA has implemented three mental health/well being initiatives  with local districts to offer and better coordinate mental health supports for students and districts.  Using an interconnected Systems Framework as an umbrella structure, two coordinated mental health counseling models, site-based mental health services and mobile crisis counseling have been piloted in districts in Grant Wood AEA.

Recent legislation in the state of Kentucky has established a pathway for additional rank change programs that enable educators to grow in their profession. The Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC) has been approved to offer a micro-credential-based program designed to help teachers gain knowledge, insights, and experiences that will have a direct and lasting impact in their classroom, career, and student achievement.  In this session, you’ll learn about KEDC’s approved program and how it enables districts to target their educators’ professional growth needs. We’ll discuss how the program was designed, how it aligns to Kentucky Teacher Standards, and how this cost-effective alternative to earning a master’s degree supports educator growth and advancement. 
 

As students with disabilities age, they are less likely to receive quality arts education and experiences. The students at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit’s Work Foundations+ Program were no exception.  Through a collaborative effort with the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Program and two local music educators, the students at Work Foundations+ discovered their creative and musical talents through this unique opportunity. Students composed and performed their own original music expressing their “Attitude of Gratitude." This session will focus on inspiring teachers and educational leaders to seek out and provide students with disabilities high-quality music and art education programs and instruction. Additionally, it will share the CSIU’s new work in teacher development so that more teachers can bring music and movement into their classrooms to benefit students in the same ways ours have grown. 

Two years ago, Sourcewell started to ask what it might look like to no longer have to “sell” services and navigate the competing desires for services from members. As a result, this ESA in central Minnesota launched a new service model focused on regional collaboration. Sourcewell has harnessed a redesigned advisory to create a collective vision and framework of school effectiveness. This strategy is designed to guide school and regional needs assessments to ensure purposeful decision-making. Many of the region’s districts are small, rural districts with limited resources, but our collective efficacy is yielding greater impact. Sourcewell will share the process used to unite the group, develop a strategy, and used that to focus our work together.

Critical Observations from the ESD 112 Construction Services Group White Paper:  “Safety and Security for our Future.”   School safety plans must identify all potential hazards and vulnerabilities associated with biological hazards, human violence, and cyber-terrorism, as well as anticipate our responses to and recovery from all other potential man-made and natural disasters with district-wide and individual school site impacts.  An “All Hazards” community-based checklist planning model reviews the increasing integration of “passive measures” by ESD 112 program’s building design and construction teams (i.e. physical aspects of buildings and grounds) and “active measures” by ESD 112 program’s behavioral assessment teams (i.e., use of school resource officers, availability of counselors/social workers, conducting threat assessments, etc.) when developing school safety plans in Washington State.

Hola, Bonjour, Hallo. Ready to learn a new language? School districts across the country are struggling to sustain and finance multiple language instruction in their buildings. Learners are not being presented with language learning opportunities that can change their future.  Educational technology and virtual solutions can solve this problem, but be aware, there is a correct anatomy to virtual language learning.  In this session, participants will actively participate in a live virtual session to experience culture and language acquisition.  They will identify the variety of engaging, authentic learning experiences that enhance and create optimal language learning opportunities.

Living in rural America comes with many benefits. Access to appropriate behavioral/mental health care is not one of them. Western Nebraska youth are experiencing increased need for behavioral/mental health services, yet barriers to accessing these services seem more impermeable than ever. In 2017, ESU13 began work to break down barriers, intentionally focused on creating service expansion with barrier solutions in mind. Fast-forward 3 years, we have collaboratively built; HPPIC-doctoral psychology internship consortium, Title IVA behavioral-health consortium, mobile youth IOP, expanded school-based therapeutic services, and served as the pilot site for Boys Town Ecological in-home Family Treatment. In this presentation, we share lessons learned from our journey and tips to create your own road map toward behavioral-health service expansion.
 

Naturally Slim® (NS) is a digital health program that focuses on improving the physical and mental health of employees and plan members across America. Although the name doesn’t do the best job of conveying it, NS is so much more than just a weight loss program. In NS, participants learn the skills they need to sustain clinically meaningful weight loss and lower stress, reduce disease risk, sleep better, and move more—all without traditional behavioral coaching’s hefty price tag. Simply put, NS is the single most cost-effective way to reduce obesity-related disease and foster resilience in populations, helping employers and health plans do the most good for the most people.

Interested in preparing for the CEO role in an ESA?  The AESA Executives in Residence Program provides aspiring administrators an opportunity to learn about the chief executive position through an exciting "hands-on" internship.  This session will provide information about this worthwhile program by providing an overview of the residency process: how it works, how participants are selected, and other important aspects of this training program.  Attendees will learn about components of the residency through the perspective of past participants and the program coordinator, Cliff Carmody, Executive Director, SWWC, Marshall, MN.

Student service professionals have always been vital in helping students navigate the academic, career, and social-emotional aspects of school.  However, with so many societal challenges that have increased the intensity of life for so many students, the student service role has never been more critical.  Meeting the increasing demands of being a student service professional requires a more comprehensive and strategic professional development and networking approach.  In Indiana, a community of practice called "Counselor Connect" has been developed that utilizes an impressive and diverse steering committee of student service professionals from PK-12 and higher education to design and implement specific professional development designed to meet priority needs while also providing invaluable networking opportunities to enhance professional practice.

During this session, we will describe our multi-level continuum of supports with a focus on the master level social worker services provided to districts, as well as, the community resource specialist position.  Within these two positions, districts are provided services for individual students and families that consist of free therapy, access to resources within and around their community, and assistance if resources cannot be found.  Along with the lens of mental health, the community resource specialist uses relationships with local juvenile justice agencies to strengthen the services provided through local mental health agencies, local law enforcement agencies, and the department of human services.  The community resource specialist connects all of the dots to help families, students, and school staff be successful in times of crisis or mental instability.  

Were you caught off guard by a global pandemic this year? We were too! Join our session on how West40 ISC #2 has lived Our Mission to meet our stakeholders where they are, to be what they need us to be, stand strong with them, and walk farther with them in the days leading up to and through these months following COVID 19 invading America. From updating our crisis plan to include a pandemic, creating and sharing state-wide resources, to daily and weekly check-ins/networking with staff and state-wide stakeholders (other ESAs in Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education, legislators, etc.), we would love to share all of our tools, resources, and lessons learned with you, and hopefully be able to chat with you about your best practices leading during this tumultuous time.

With the COVID-19 crisis, schools across our country were forced to quickly implement virtual and remote options for learning.  In this session, we will explore ways that ESAs can provide virtual learning opportunities for the schools that they serve.  We will also discuss how collaborative approaches can be used to address some of the challenges with virtual learning.

In this session, we explore regulation strategies in three areas: grounding, breathing, and reflection.  Session participants will learn about the science of the strategies and how and when to use them with kiddos and adults. Participants will actively practice the strategies during the session.