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 […]
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 […]
Bedell Details His Deft Approach to Transitioning as Superintendent During Politically Divisive Times

Mark Bedell, superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Annapolis, Md., delivered advice for superintendents transferring into highly politically charged school districts by sharing his journey and recent transition from Kansas City. During Thursday’s conference session, Bedell laid out his plan for navigating the tense political climate in Anne Arundel County. He began his […]
College Board Clarifies for AASA Attendees Its Content of New AP African American Studies Course

The College Board is preparing to launch its first AP African American Studies course and wants to ensure superintendents have a true picture of what the course entails. Two representatives of the College Board addressed an AASA national conference audience on Thursday afternoon in the first of three sessions to set the record straight about […]
[Video] Jill Gildea on Some Tools for Schools in the Quest for Better Mental Health, Suicide Prevention Among Students (3:59)

Park City, Utah’s superintendent, Jill Gildea, discusses the importance of mental health and what parents can do if they suspect their child is struggling with mental health issues. She addressed the topic at AASA’s 2022 National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. (Video produced by Logan Reid)
[Video] Paul Freeman on the Challenges of White Superintendents Confronting Racism in School Communities (3:40)

Paul Freeman, superintendent of Connecticut’s Guilford Public Schools, shares best practices on how white superintendents can learn together about the critical issues of race, racism and equity. Freeman led the session “Personal, Professional and Practical Challenges for White Superintendents Confronting Racism” at AASA’s National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. (Video produced by Selah Oden)
[Video] Ray McNulty on the Long-Term Value of the AASA Learning 2025 Network (3:39)

Ray McNulty, president of the Successful Practices Network, discusses one of the key components of AASA’s Learning 2025 Network – the importance of education leaders being future-focused and future driven. He addressed the topic at AASA’s 2022 National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. (Video filmed by Lifetouch and produced by Michael Ellson)
Utah School District Illustrates How Outside Partnerships Can Attend to Students’ Mental Wellness Needs
“I’ve shared that probably the biggest ah-ha moment that I learned from the pandemic was really how many families we have that solely rely on the schools for mental health services,” explained Tobin Novasio, superintendent of the Lockwood School District in Lockwood, Mont., Saturday morning at the AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville. Novasio […]
Taking a Deep Dive into SEL, a Superintendents Panel Shares Ideas on How It Ought to Play Out in Schools

If the social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum for students, then the social curriculum must be part of the plan. Panelists representing a groundbreaking AASA initiative, known as Learning 2025, supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, made that point clear during a conference session Friday on social and emotional learning in K-12 […]
McNulty: Use the Tumult of the Pandemic to Find Better Ways of Educating Kids

Michael Conner and Ray McNulty want to revolutionize the way students learn after COVID-19. The duo encouraged AASA conference attendees Saturday morning to be future-focused and willing to create the change they see as necessary, instead of adapting to change imposed by others. “Adapting is not gonna help us,” said McNulty, president of the Successful […]