Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

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

Differentiated Math Instruction for English Language Learners Coming This Fall

Course opportunity for Grades 2-12 math teachers: “Differentiated Math Instruction for English Language Learners” 
Bring a team! 

$200 stipend through Title III for full participation Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 

Register through the Heartland AEA professional development catalog.

Reminder: Iowa Culture and Language Conference Coming in November

Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 
November 10-12, 2014 

Pre-Conference Sessions 
Strategies for Working with ESL Students for the First Time 
Dr. Wayne Wright 
Purdue University 

English Proficiency Standards 
Dr. Jobi Lawrence 
Title III Director, Iowa Department of Education 
Stanford University, CA 
Council for Chief State School Officers 

Differentiated Instruction and Accelerated Academic Language 
Dr. Shelley Fairbairn 
Drake University 

New Arrivals and Students with Interrupted Formal Education 
Dr. Brenda Custodio 

Newcomer and ELL Services Literacy Strategies 
Dr. Danielle Garegnani 
WestEd 

Early Childhood 
Tom Rendon 
Iowa Headstart SCO 

Migrant Education 
(Closed Session for Migrant Districts) 

To register, please visit www.iowaclc.com 
PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 30, 2014! 

Currently Accepting Nominations for the following awards: 
"Dr. Carmen P. Sosa Leadership Award" 
"Dan Chavez Beyond the Horizon Awards" 
The Individual Advocate Award 
The Organization Award 
The Teacher Award 

Visit the ICLC website at www.iowaclc.com for the Nomination Application Form.

Heartland AEA to Host Eight Days of Instructional Coach Training Through New Teacher Center

Heartland AEA will be hosting eight days of instructional coach training through the New Teacher Center beginning Oct. 29 and 30. The remaining six days are spread throughout the year. Grant Wood AEA opened two cohorts over the summer, and they filled both of them. The state has asked Heartland AEA to host a cohort for the west side of the state due to inquiries from other districts around the state. 

The cost for this training is reduced due to a state appropriation given to the AEAs. The cost of the training is $1,000 per participant and is open to coaches from districts that did not receive the TLC grant. 

This flyer has additional information. It would be helpful if participants would register by Sept. 26 since the New Teacher Center has to have 40 participants to hold the training.

Heartland AEA Provided News Clips

Each morning, the Heartland AEA Communications Department provides links to local and national education news headlines. We call this service "news clips." If you would like to receive the news clips via email, please email the Heartland AEA Communications Department at comms@heartlandaea.org with the subject line of "Add Me to News Clips." 

Some media sources require digital access subscriptions. News clips receivers are responsible for setting up their own digital access for these media sources. Heartland AEA is unable to provide this digital access for our news clips receivers. We thank you for your understanding.

Branstad, Reynolds, Buck Unveil Financial Literacy Work Team Recommendations

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck announced the recommendations of the Financial Literacy Work Team on Sept. 15. Buck convened the 13-member work team in January 2014 to ensure Iowa students are learning the financial literacy skills needed for success. 

The work team included representatives from public and nonpublic schools, financial services, higher education and the Iowa Department of Education. The group’s recommendations included the following: 

1. Take a close look at our financial literacy requirement for K-12 schools. This is included in the 21st century skills portion of Iowa’s statewide academic standards. The work team’s idea is to make sure the financial literacy component is clear and age appropriate. 
2. More support for schools around putting the financial literacy component of the standards into practice. More support would include providing better, more centralized resources to teachers. 
3. Tap into external stakeholder groups with expertise in financial literacy to assist in professional development trainings for teachers. 
4. Review how school districts approach financial literacy education. 
5. Improve communication statewide to keep a focus on this important issue. 

“We must do more to help students understand the power of financial literacy. And given that there’s this groundswell of support among stakeholders to be part of the solution, it made great sense to form the Financial Literacy Work Team,” said Buck. “At the Iowa Department of Education, we have moved forward by designating a staff member to the issue of financial literacy and we’ll work to provide leadership around professional development activities and a central online location for high-quality resources for teachers.” 

The full report, including the Financial Literacy Work Team’s recommendations, can be found here.

Moving Forward with PBIS

This year Heartland AEA will offer four district support days for PBIS in addition to regular course offerings. These days are designed based on feedback we received from districts regarding what would be helpful to keep buildings Moving Forward with PBIS. Please save the date for Sept. 22, 2014, December 15, 2014, and February 3, 2015. A fourth day will be provided in the spring and this date will be provided as soon as speakers are finalized. License renewal credit will be available for participants attending sessions totaling at least 15 hours across all four days. 

TARGET AUDIENCE: 
Sessions for various audiences will be provided and a target audience for each session is provided in the description. 

More information, including how to register, is in the registration flyer.

New Teacher Leadership & Compensation System Virtual Community Created

Iowa’s AEAs and the Iowa Department of Education announce the opening of a new virtual community to support the Teacher Leadership and Compensation system. The purpose of this site is to bring teacher leaders and administrators across the state together to access resources and learning opportunities and to collaborate as we strengthen teacher and administrator leadership. 

This community is an Agora site developed by AEA PD Online. To participate in the community click here. Community Resources include: 

• Self-Assessments – Teachers and administrators will be able to complete surveys, which will help identify areas of need in relation to the Learning Supports Framework. 
• On-Demand Learning – Community participants will find learning opportunities that address the seven focus areas of teacher leadership. The searchable database includes articles, learning modules, websites, videos and more. 
• Community Forums – Participates will have different forum spaces in which to participate, each with a different overall focus. Join in on the discussion, or just choose to follow the conversation. 
• Events – This is a statewide calendar of learning opportunities for teacher leaders and administrators to support the seven focus areas. Participants can search the calendar and find professional development opportunities to address identified areas of growth for teachers and administrators. 

All resources on the site can also be explored by each focus area: Adult Learning, Collaborative Culture, Communication, Content Pedagogy & Assessment, Systems Thinking, Data and Organizational Leadership. 

Resources and learning opportunities will continue to be added to the TLC On-line Community. The Event Calendar is currently the most developed section. Events will be added as they become available. The other areas are at the beginning stages of development, but will soon be a robust source of resources. If you choose to enroll in the community, you will be able to sign up for notifications as well as to participate in community activities. 

If you have questions about the Agora site, contact Lora Rasey at lora.rasey@iowa.gov or 515.281.6719.

Reminder: Heartland AEA to Host DE Mini-Summit on Oct. 3

Heartland AEA will host an Iowa Department of Education Mini-Summit open to superintendents, curriculum directors, special education directors and other administrators and teachers who are responsible for providing oversight for a federal or state program/initiative. The mini-summit will be held on October 3, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. 

The Iowa Department of Education will have representatives available from different program areas and state initiatives to give updates, share new information and answer questions. Some of the programs/initiatives represented include the following: 

• New Iowa Core website/resources 
• C4K 
• Early literacy 
• MTSS
• Competency-based education 
• Special education 
• Early childhood 
• Teacher leadership 
• TAG 
• Fine arts 
• Iowa Learning Online 
• Senior Year Plus 
• Board of Educational Examiners 
• Legal updates 
• Open enrollment 
• Whole grade sharing 
• Bullying and harassment 
• Alternate assessment 

A final agenda will be in the Administrator Connection in mid-September. 

Brad Buck, director of the Iowa Department of Education, will participate in a conversation facilitated by school administrators and speak to the participants over lunch. All participants need to register as lunch will be provided free of charge. Registration is available through the Heartland AEA professional development catalog. 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.