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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November 15, 2022
USDA Launches $50 Million Grant Program For Schools & Food Industry to Work Together to Strengthen School MealsLast week, USDA launched a $50 million grant opportunity to support collaboration with the food industry to develop nutritious, appetizing school meals for students.
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November 16, 2022
Congress Asks Cardona for Late Liquidation GuidanceThis week, members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary Cardona urging the Department to issue guidance on how school districts can utilize late liquidation flexibility under the American Rescue Plan.
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November 14, 2022
Cardona Issues New Guidance on Prioritizing Dual Enrollment, Apprenticeships, with ARP FundsThe U.S. Department of Education released new guidance that encourages schools to use unspent COVID relief money to expand various career options for students.
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November 03, 2022
The Advocate November 2022: School Transportation ResourcesIn the last year, AASA has stepped in to provide federal policy support to the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
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November 03, 2022
CDC Releases Monkeypox Toolkit for Schools and Early Care and Education ProgramsThe CDC has released a new resource for administrators and staff members of schools and early care and education programs related to monkeypox.
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October 28, 2022
AASA Joins 64 Organizations to Ask for Funding for Emergency Connectivity FundAs part of our ongoing advocacy around connectivity, AASA joined 64 other organizations in a letter calling for additional funding for the emergency connectivity fund.
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October 28, 2022
Dept of Energy Announces $80M in Grants for School Energy ProjectsOn Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced more than $80M, the first tranche of funding in a $500M investment, to make clean energy improvements in K-12 public schools.
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September 16, 2022
Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022On Friday, September 16, Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) and Jahana Hayes (D-CT) introduced the AASA-endorsed Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act.
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September 15, 2022
ED Releases Guidance on $1b in Title IV-A Funding from BSCAToday, the U.S. Department of Education released a Dear Colleague letter to States outlining the parameters for the $1 billion in ESEA Title IV-A funding.
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September 14, 2022
ED Letter on Academic Assessment DataOn September 13, U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, sent a Dear Colleague letter to State education leaders.
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September 08, 2022
AASA Submits Comments on New Proposed Title IX RegulationsToday, AASA sent comments to the U.S. Department of Education on the revised Title IX regulations that were proposed in June.
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September 01, 2022
The Advocate September 2022Your AASA lobbyists live and breathe Washington headlines all day and night.
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August 31, 2022
ED and DOL Letter on Addressing School Staff ShortagesOn August 31, Department of Education (ED) Secretary Miguel Cardona and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh sent a letter to state and local education and workforce leaders.
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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.
Latest Advocacy & Policy Resources
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March 17, 2023
CALL TO ACTION: Submit comments on the proposed updates to the school nutrition standards.Type:Sample/Template Topics: Advocacy & Policy Health & WellnessOn February 3, USDA released a proposal to update the school nutrition standards to align with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines. It is critical that USDA hears the superintendent perspective on how these standards will impact their districts. -
March 08, 2023
Fully Funding IDEA InvoicesType:Sample/Template Topics: Advocacy & Policy EquityReady to advocate for IDEA full funding? We've created these helpful invoices for you to fill out for your district. -
January 26, 2023
Using Data: Where to Start?Type:Webinar Recording Topics: Advocacy & Policy District & School OperationsA how-to for school and district leaders to use data to their advantage.
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