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 25, 2022
Hundreds of District Leaders Sign Letter to Cardona Urging Late Liquidation FlexibilityOn Monday, almost 700 district leaders from 47 states sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging the Department to immediately issue guidance that will clarify how much additional time districts can have to spend ARP funding
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August 24, 2022
NASSP Principal Recovery Network Releases Guide to RecoveryFounded in April 2019, the NASSP Principal Recovery Network (PRN) is a national network of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence tragedies in their buildings.
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August 03, 2022
Appropriations UpdateOn July 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its proposed Democratic fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding bills.
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August 01, 2022
AASA Joins K12 Groups in Amicus Brief for SCOTUS Case on Affirmative ActionAASA joined the National School Board Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and American School Counselors Association in an amicus brief for Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina.
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July 29, 2022
Biden Administration Strengthens School-Based Mental Health ServicesOn Thursday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced two new actions to strengthen school-based mental health services and address the youth mental health crisis.
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July 29, 2022
How School Leaders Can Help Families Claim the Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) During the Back-to-School PeriodSchools can help spread the word about the expanded CTC, which provides up to $3,600 per child.
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July 29, 2022
Webinar Recap: What Do Supts Need to Know and Do About the Newly Proposed Title IX Regs?On July 27, we held our webinar titled “What Do Supts Need to Know and Do About the Newly Proposed Title IX Regs?” with the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA)’s top legal team, Tanyka M. Barber, Mikiba Morehead, Daniel Swinton and AASA’s Sasha Pudelski.
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July 28, 2022
Federal School Safety Clearinghouse Introduces SchoolSafety.Gov Ahead of 2022-23 School YearAs schools and districts look ahead to the next school year, the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse has provided the K-12 community with a variety of resources and tools available on SchoolSafety.gov to assist in safety and security planning efforts.
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July 26, 2022
Learning Policy Institute introduces the Whole Child Policy ToolkitThe Learning Policy Institute has release the Whole Child Policy Toolkit, a comprehensive framework developed to give state policymakers and education leaders a set of strategies, tools, and resources to advance whole child policy.
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July 26, 2022
AASA and CCSSO Press ED For Guidance on ESSER Late Liquidation ProcessOn July 22, AASA, the Council of Chief State School Officers and ten other national organizations, sent a letter to Secretary Cardona confirming late liquidation guidance for ESSER funding that the Department recently issued
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July 14, 2022
Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids ActOn July 20, 2022, Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee released the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act—their proposal for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
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July 21, 2022
OCRE Asks USED for Follow Up On Rural Priorities.AASA is a member of Organizations Concerned for Rural Education (OCRE).
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July 19, 2022
OCR, OSERS Release New Guidance on Disciplining Students With DisabilitiesOn July 19, 2022, OCR and OSERS jointly released new guidance focused on disciplining students with disabilities.
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July 18, 2022
AASA Advocacy Conference ResourcesFor those of you here in DC in person (and those of you following along at home!) here are the resources for this week’s conference. We will be posting presentation slide decks as we get them.
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July 07, 2022
USDA Extends Numerous Waivers for Summer 2022Under the authority granted by the Keep Kids Fed Act, USDA issued or extended six waivers for Summer 2022.
Latest Advocacy & Policy Resources
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October 02, 2024
Leadership Edge Walking in Zones and Times of TensionType:Article Topics: Advocacy & PolicyThis article explores the relevance of Heifetz and Linsky's Leadership on the Line for school leaders. It emphasizes the need for legal literacy to help educators navigate political and cultural tensions while fostering collaboration and maintaining educational integrity. -
October 02, 2024
Connecting the Courtroom to the Classroom: How Educators Can Claim Their Agency through Legal LiteracyType:Article Topics: Advocacy & PolicyThis article highlights the challenges educators face due to changing laws and legal precedents. It suggests that increasing educators' legal literacy can empower them to confidently pursue their goals within the law. -
September 19, 2024
PEP Talk Episode 32: School District Spending of American Rescue Plan FundingType:Podcast Topics: Advocacy & Policy, Finance & BudgetsOn this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant discusses the newest edition of the American Rescue Plan Report with Sasha Pudelski, Director of Advocacy at AASA, just in time for the ESSER obligation deadline.
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