Our Mission
To
provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools
and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of
all children and youth.
Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success
The race for our nation’s top job continues to dominate the national news, as each candidate tries to reach the “magic number” of secured delegates. Similarly, the work of the Iowa legislature is reaching a critical stage as members of the House and Senate try to reach agreement on a “budget number” all can live with. In the midst of these sometimes-contentious conversations, it may seem like there is little any one of us can do that makes a difference. It has been my experience through the years, however, that each one of us can make a difference by taking time to engage in the conversation.
Regardless of our personal political views, all of us at Heartland AEA can take a stand for the non-partisan issue of advocating for children. I encourage us to take time this month to send a postcard, write a letter, attend a legislative forum or visit the Capitol to engage in a conversation with an elected official. Remember that we also have volunteer time here at Heartland AEA that could be used to assist with a community event. Perhaps you have interest in joining with other advocacy groups to address specific issues such as those that affect young children, children at-risk for a myriad of reasons (poverty, immigrant status, disability to name a few) and/or general needs of schools.
In a recent publication from the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, Achieving Excellence Through Equity for Every Student, Blankstein and Noguera advocate for recognition that societal progress is contingent upon expanding opportunities for all and that the advancement of a small group cannot be achieved or sustained unless the larger population, including the most vulnerable, is allowed to share in the benefits. This idea resonates with me, and if it also resonates with you, I encourage you to join in the conversation to support education as a means to “enfranchise” members of our state, thus investing in a future society that lives up to the democratic ideals upon which our country was founded.
Resources you may find helpful:
Thanks for all you do,
Paula
On March 1 you should have received an email inviting you to participate in the Denison Organizational Culture Survey. If you haven’t already done so, please complete the Denison survey by March 11. If you’ve already completed the survey, thank you for your participation!
We encourage you to respond openly and honestly to the survey so our agency receives accurate results. Your responses are completely confidential and will only be presented as part of our agency’s overall organizational profile or as part of a subgroup. Your views and insights are critical in helping our agency achieve its goals. Thank you for your participation!
Last week, the Agency Planning Council (APC) shared next year’s regional staff allocation with regional directors. Allocation is based on student enrollment in the region. Regional directors will now begin working with regional planning councils to gather input to either reduce, add or continue with the same FTE, depending on enrollment in the region. If you have specific questions about your region, contact your regional director.
Please note: The professional development redesign updates center around training for certified staff. APC is currently having conversations about training and learning needs for classified staff.
At the December regional meetings, an overview of the professional development redesign was given. We asked you to share your top three comments or questions you wanted the PD Cadre to consider. We received a lot of comments and questions and below are the main themes from that feedback.
- Agency staff members need to have input throughout the process. The opportunity for input needs to be ongoing and not just at the end.
- Job-alike learning is valued and needs to be included in the Agency's professional development redesign.
- Staff members need a voice in creating their professional learning plan.
- Having a differentiated professional development plan that factors in the knowledge and skills of staff is a good thing.
- Try to balance the time spent out of assignment for professional learning so there is time to provide direct service minutes and support the needs of students and schools.
- Professional learning should also be cutting edge and allow us to be seen as leaders in learning.
- Time to learn in smaller groups/teams should be considered.
- Consider alternate ways to offer professional learning opportunities and think about more locations outside of Johnston when offering face-to-face learning opportunities.
- Provide more options for credit. Some staff members need CEUs and not license renewal credit.
- Provide flexibility for and value the individual learning needs of staff based on situations specific to their assignment and/or the needs of the districts they serve.
We are developing a Q & A document to address the questions that were raised. This effort continues to evolve and is an ambitious undertaking. We are making a few more additions to work groups so that list should be published in next week’s Connection. If have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services.
The March 2016 issue of the School Leader Update is available from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, Director Ryan Wise writes about the state transitioning to the Every Student Succeeds Act, Policy Liaison Shan Seivert gives legislative updates and Attorney Nicole Proesch offers some legal updates (and a wee bit ‘o Irish).
Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise announced last week the next group of school districts chosen to launch local teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System.
Thirty-eight school districts have been added to the state system, bringing the total number of districts in the teacher leadership system to 332 of 333 Iowa districts in the 2016-17 school year.
All Iowa school districts have applied to join the teacher leadership system. The 38 newly accepted districts will implement their teacher leadership plans in the 2016-17 school year. The remaining district, Riceville Community School District, will refine and re-submit its plan for approval.
A recent report on the first year of Iowa’s teacher leadership system found progress has been made toward each of the system’s five goals, including attracting new teachers, retaining effective teachers, promoting collaboration, rewarding professional growth and effective teaching, and improving student achievement. In addition, students in the first 39 participating school districts saw a jump in proficiency rates on state math and reading tests.
Newly accepted districts in the Heartland AEA area are Melcher-Dallas, Pleasantville and Southeast Warren.
The agenda for the March 8, 2016 Heartland AEA Board of Directors meeting is now available.
Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the AEA system’s lobbyists, Tom Lane, Matt Eide, John Pederson and Kate Walton.
Heartland AEA’s Parent & Educator Connection is hosting three transition fairs in the coming weeks to link families of students with special needs to community and agency resources. Parents, students ages 14+, educators and AEA staff are invited to attend these fairs to gather information that will be of assistance for students with special needs who will be transitioning from high school to post-secondary pursuits.
March 8
PCM High School
April 5
Heartland AEA Ames Office
April 11
ADM High School
Ever wish you could contact Apple and get support without waiting on the phone for a customer service representative? Do you enjoy learning tips and tricks about Apple’s products and apps? If you answered yes to both these questions, we have a great new customer service resource for you to explore.
Apple has launched a new Twitter account, @AppleSupport, dedicated to providing customer support. The account went live at 8 a.m. on March 4, and within about 20 minutes, Apple representatives started responding to customers' requests for help. Customer service staff is already fielding questions about Apple Music and Apple IDs and tweeting out tips on how to use Apple products. Apple reps are available every day to answer your questions, from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. CST. Check it out!
