AASA’s Learning 2025 Superintendents Look Forward, Not Back, in Front of AASA Conference Audience
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Superintendents discussed what it takes to look forward, not back, as they discussed key takeaways from their involvement with AASA’s Learning 2025 Demonstration Systems Network, the subject of a conference session on Thursday afternoon. “We always look back to do better,” said moderator Raymond McNulty, president of the Successful Practices Network. “That’s like trying to […]
Stronger Principal Preparation Leads to Better Student Outcomes, RAND Researcher Tells Conference Attendees
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Five panelists addressed the importance for principals to be ready to take on their role as leaders and the process to be prepared for the job. At a Thought Leaders session titled “Redesigning University Preparation Programs,” Rebecca (Becki) Herman, a senior policy researcher for the RAND Corporation, spoke as the lead presenter about the recent […]
Countering Social Media Ills Among Students Addressed at Conference Panel
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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
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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 […]
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
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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 […]
Brighton, N.Y., Superintendent Selected as 2023 National Superintendent of the Year at AASA’s Conference in San Antonio
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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
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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 […]