Our Mission

To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.

Our Goals

• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

  

REMINDER: Accept your Calendar Invite to Attend the Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) Meeting on Sept. 6

Superintendents should have received a calendar invitation to the Sept. 6 Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meeting. The meeting will include an administrator-only learning session on Fundamentals of Communication and Media Interaction featuring Andy Garman with Wixted & Co. This is an in-person meeting only, with no Zoom option and it will not be recorded.

Lunch will be provided immediately following the meeting. Please accept or decline your calendar invitation as it will be used as a headcount for ordering lunch.

If you wish to bring an extra person, such as your Comms or PR person, please contact Jenny Ugolini. We will be monitoring attendance as attendance will be capped.

AEA Purchasing Items of Interest

AEA Purchasing Summer Education and Food Show
In June and July, AEA Purchasing facilitated ServSafe® certification courses for 462 school food service staff. Of that 462, 68% passed the end exam with scores of 70% or greater. We would like to extend a warm congratulations to all of those who put forth the effort in preparing for and passing the exam! Additionally, our annual School Spirit Shows took place in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines earlier this month, hosting 126 school districts and over 500 members. Activities included four hours of education followed by a food show with 80 companies and 460+ items to sample and review.

IASL Award Book Orders 2022-23
Mark your calendars! The deadline to order the IASL Award Book sets is Aug. 31! More details can be found here.

School Specialty Summer Sale!
Find hundreds of hot buys at cool 40% savings -- but only while supplies last! Click here for more information.

Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies
AEA Purchasing is a proud member of the Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA), a national cooperative of education purchasing professionals representing lead agencies in their respective states. Their contracts are competitively bid and tailored to meet each member state’s specific legal requirements. As a result of this partnership, AEA Purchasing can bring Iowa's schools and service agencies great prices from vendors like School Specialty, Daktronics, CDW-G and more. Click here for more information on this partnership.

Vendor Promotions

Want to know more about our vendor partners and what they have available? Check out this month's Vendor Promotions folder! Special offers, flyers, and brochures are added throughout the month.

The First Curriculum Network Meeting of the New Academic Year Will be Held on Sept. 2

The first Curriculum Network meeting of the year is on Sept. 2. Curriculum Network is held the first Friday of the month, September - May, in the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Circle, in Johnston. Meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude by 11:30 a.m. A virtual attendance option is available. Statewide updates from the Iowa Department of Education and the AEA system are scheduled 8:30 - 9:30/10:00 a.m. Heartland AEA’s meeting begins 15 minutes after the statewide updates conclude.

Here are the Curriculum Network Highlights for September. The agenda is linked at the top. We will be drawing for books and door prizes for participants who attend the meeting in Johnston. If you want to be added to the email list for Curriculum Network, or have any questions, email Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Gear up for Another Great Year of Learning with the Future Ready Network - Join Us!

The Future Ready Network is a great way to collaborate with one another to make Future Ready experiences great for all students. Join the network in person at the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center in Johnston every month on the third Thursday from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. A hybrid option will be available with this zoom link available for those who want to join virtually.

For the first meeting on Sept. 15, we will be discussing the Future Ready data from the state and local level as well as legislative updates. See the Future Ready Network Flier with the dates/times for the remainder of the year. Visit the Heartland AEA Future Ready Website to stay up-to-date on news, resources and past network Zoom recordings and more!

Heartland AEA Library & Digital Resources Newsletter is Now Available

In this issue of the Heartland AEA Library & Digital Resources newsletter:

• What Social Media Platform is Most Popular?
• Social Media and Copyright
• OneClick Checklist
• No. 'The Simpsons' Did Not Predict Monkeypox
• PowerKnowledge and Core Concepts Science
• Britannica Image Quest
• Common Sense News and Media Literacy Resource Center
• Professional Learnin
• 2022-23 IASL Award Books & Teaching Resources
• 172 New Articles in PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next

Heartland AEA Math Newsletter - Picking up Where You Left Off

In this issue of the Heartland AEA Math newsletter, the focus is all about getting the Numeracy Project up and running again with the start of the new school year. Many have reached out with questions about how to pick up where last year ended. We hope to address some of those questions here, but if you still have some lingering questions, reach out to your Heartland AEA Math Consultant.

Have you Registered for the Collective Equity Learning Series Coming in September?

Heartland AEA is proud to partner with thought leaders Drs. Nicole Law and Sonja Hollins-Alexander in providing the “Collective Equity Learning Series” for districts in the Heartland AEA service area. Law and Alexander are the authors of the Collective Equity Framework, published by Corwin. This series consists of four face-to-face learning dates, two virtual learning dates and one virtual coaching session for district teams.

Overview
When we create a learning community that works together through a collectivist lens of shared accountability, we begin to see how educators can convene around high expectations for all. The Collective Equity framework consists of the following dimensions: personal relational, professional, organizational and systemic. These dimensions empower learning communities to explore how their collaborative actions and decisions propel learning forward.

The Collective Equity Framework Includes:

• Considering all the dimensions we individually and collectively bring to school, including poverty, special needs, beliefs, values and more.
• Engaging in practices that fortify all members in the learning community as they develop a shared language, create a safe place for the work of equity and establish cultural sustainability.
• Activating the Collective Equity Organizational Analysis in a comprehensive process that informs the removal of organizational, instructional, programmatic and curricular barriers that impede the promise of equity.

*Presenters have reviewed HF802 and understand all content delivered has to meet the requirements in the law.

Dates:
In-person: Sept. 26 & 27 and Oct. 17, 2022, April 11 and June 12, 2023
Virtual: Nov. 14, 2022 (90-min. coaching session), Jan. 10 and Feb. 6, 2023

Registration:
Collective Equity Learning Series

More Information:

*View all dates and content overview*

Paraeducator Courses Are Being Offered at No Cost to Anyone Who Would Like to Receive A Paraeducator Certificate

Iowa’s AEAs and community colleges are providing paraeducator certification courses at no cost to anyone who would like to receive a paraeducator certificate. Courses through Heartland AEA are full for the fall however, there are several other AEAs and community colleges offering the free courses this fall. Please see this list of available courses in Iowa.

School Counselors are Invited to Join the Iowa School Counselor Network, Meetings Begin Sept. 9

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies invite all school counselors to join the Iowa School Counselor Network on the 2nd Friday of each month from 8:30 - 10 a.m. This will be an opportunity to connect with School Counselors from all across Iowa with learning that is uniquely designed for school counselors with topics from the American School Counselor Association National Model. The first meeting will be held on Sept. 9, 2022 with a focus on an introduction to the network and the role of the school counselor. See this network flyer for the Zoom link, meeting dates and meeting agendas.

Supporting Learners with Significant Intellectual Disabilities with these Alternate Assessment Fall 2022 Resources

Heartland AEA Supports for Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities provides information teachers need to be prepared for test administration and instruction.

Are you a new administrator or tech coordinator who is responsible for assigning users and building rosters for the Dynamic Learning Maps Educator Portal? Attend a brief support session to learn about the process for Data Stewards on Sept. 9 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. Access the session at this Zoom link: https://heartlandaea.zoom.us/j/93524532592.

Are you a new administrator responsible for coordinating alternate assessment in your district? Attend a brief support session to learn about the process for Assessment Coordinators on Sept. 9 from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Access the session at this Zoom link: https://heartlandaea.zoom.us/j/96379907101.