Experts: Keep Students in Focus When Addressing Safety, Mental Health Issues
Schools are increasingly invested in not just their student’s academic scores, but their overall mental health. New resources, strategies, and organizations are emerging to assist these schools in their mission to better the lives of the community around them. Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the issue in perspective. In some […]
Amid a Rise in Cyberattacks, Panel Tells Districts to Prioritize Cyber Security
Superintendent Donna Wright recalls last year when one of her financial team members at Wilson County Schools in Tennessee opened an e-mail. It looked like yet another request for payment to a construction firm building schools in the booming school district. But then the staff member noticed the signature. “It looked very authentic,” said Wright […]
School Leaders Urged to Brand the Distinctive Story Behind Their Districts
Negative news. Diversity, equity and inclusion. Bond measures. Budget constraints. Chances are good most school system leaders have had to deal with at least one of these issues already during this school year. The story was the same for a group of administrators from the 2018 cohort of AASA’s Urban Superintendent Academy. Renae Bryant, Valencia […]
Eugene’s Balderas, a Migrant Laborer as a Youth, Named Nation’s Top Superintendent for 2020
A 52-year-old educator who spent his formative years as a migrant laborer with his Mexican parents in the Pacific Northwest has been named the 2020 National Superintendent of the Year in an announcement Thursday (Feb. 13) at the AASA national conference in San Diego, Calif.
Superintendent Panel Plugs Expansion of Valued Coding Skills in the Curriculum for Students of All Ages
Skip the expected conference introductions and go head-on with a BootUpPD video. In the “Computer Science for All” session on Thursday, that was exactly the case. While the audience watched the video on the BootUpPD website, four presenters — Russ Adams, superintendent of MOC Floyd Valley Community School District in Orange County, Iowa; Ember Conley, […]
AASA Cohort Graduates Get a Warm Sendoff at Conference Reception
At a Thursday evening graduation ceremony at the 2020 AASA National Conference on Education, the cohorts of four professional training programs received honors and congratulations. It was a moment to pass the baton from former superintendents to the next generation of leaders. Several former superintendents shared advice about tackling the demands of the superintendency and […]
Profile of Gustavo Balderas: From Humble Beginnings to a Professional Pinnacle
Gustavo Balderas, superintendent of Eugene Public School District 4J in western Oregon, is not about to get caught up in the “pobrecito syndrome.” That’s the term he uses to describe the “feel-sorry-for-him-or-her” syndrome. “Kids just want to learn, and you need to have high expectations for all kids,” Balderas says. “You need to love them to death, but we need to have a high bar.”
Is Your District Going Green? Virginia Beach Leaders Offer Tips to Conference Attendees
If school districts want to make sustainability a priority for their students, staff and community, they have to do more than just talk about it. They must change their culture, according to administrators of Virginia Beach City Public Schools in Virginia. “When you talk about environmental practices, you’re going to have eyes on you and […]
Odds and Ends About Gustavo Balderas
A collection of short takes on what defines Gustavo Balderas of Eugene, Ore., newly named National Superintendent of the Year for 2020.
Strategies Shared by Duo for Reducing Absenteeism in Schools
Three superintendents are called up to the front of the AASA conference session. Hedy Chang, the executive director of Attendance Works, informs them that they have become 5 year olds, then tells a story of how certain setbacks, including poor resources and lack of consistent transportation, leads the trio to chronic absences, costing them months […]