Countering Social Media Ills Among Students Addressed at Conference Panel
The founder of SmartSocial, Josh Ochs, delivered a presentation at the AASA conference on Thursday about social media safety and ways school districts can use technology and social media as a tool to benefit students academically. Ochs was joined on his panel, which addressed “How Superintendents are Navigating Social Media Use to Keep Students Safe,” […]
Designing a Diploma with a Purpose: Redefining Student Success
“Our workforce needs are changing so rapidly that we have to think differently about how we prepare our students.” That is the key takeaway from Dan Bridges, superintendent of Naperville Community School District 203 in Illinois, as he and his team described their journey of rethinking college and career readiness. Their district wants schools to […]
Superintendents Jointly Advance Work of Diversity, Inclusion in Schools
The AASA conference session “BIPOC and White District Leaders Work on Race and Equity Together” addressed diversity, belonging, inclusion and equity as steps to creating an equitable culture in the workplace and schools. The Thursday morning panel was facilitated by Lee Teitel, founding director at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Darnisa Amante-Jackson, founder/president […]
[Video] BIPOC & White District Leaders Work on Race Equity Together (4:27)
This interactive workshop highlights the cross-racial network of superintendents committed to learning how to lead better, together and separately, around race and equality. This story was produced by Angelina D’Elia at the 2023 AASA Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Read more.
Investing in the Culture of Showing Up: Addressing Attendance Habits in a Post-Pandemic World
Chronic absenteeism is a major problem for many schools and remains an issue in the post-pandemic period, according to two experts from the School Innovations and Achievement organization who presented on Thursday at an AASA conference roundtable titled “Investing in a Culture of Showing Up.” After more than two years of remote learning, graduation rates […]
Odds and Ends About the Life of Kevin McGowan: School Mascots, Hair Donations, Favorite Books and a Go-To Snack
A few selected anecdotes and other briefs about the qualities that define Kevin McGowan, superintendent in Brighton, N.Y., and the newly named 2023 National Superintendent of the Year. Learning How to Be Culturally Responsive Mindful of his suburban school district’s diverse population, Kevin McGowan was proud that Brighton had added Eid-al-Fitr as an official holiday […]
Post-Pandemic Health and Wellness Initiatives Become Priority for Superintendents and School Systems
The COVID-19 pandemic was a unique and all-consuming challenge for school districts across the nation. That much we know. However, the change inspired by the pandemic is now being embraced by superintendents and school districts from coast to coast. Strategies are emerging to address employee, student, and community health and wellness in a way that […]
Brighton, N.Y., Superintendent Selected as 2023 National Superintendent of the Year at AASA’s Conference in San Antonio
A suburban superintendent in upstate New York who has deftly handled recent challenges to the school district’s diversity, equity and inclusion work was named the 2023 National Superintendent of the Year at AASA’s National Conference on Education in San Antonio, Texas. Kevin McGowan, 48, is superintendent of the Brighton Central School District, a first-ring suburb […]
New Scholarship in Daniel Domenech’s Honor Will Support Participants in AASA Aspiring Superintendent Academy for Latino & Latina Leaders
AASA, The School Superintendents Association has created the Daniel A. Domenech Scholarship, named after the organization’s executive director who is retiring this month. The needs-based scholarships will help fund recipients’ participation in the Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Latino and Latina Leaders,® a highly interactive year-long program that provides participants with the real-world skills a next-generation […]
Superintendent Panel Joins Daggett in Describing Whole-Learner Approaches in Their School Districts
Panelists at the National Conference on Education in San Antonio said instructional strategies need to look “entirely different” during a Thursday session on school improvement. Bill Daggett, founder of both the Successful Practices Network and the International Center for Leadership in Education, presented superintendents from three school districts in different stages of creative reform. According […]