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
The Oct. 3 HAA meeting will be conducted over Zoom from Noon – 1 p.m.
There will be no formal HAA meeting on Oct. 3, due to the Collaborative Leadership Training with Peter Dewitt. (This is Part III in a series of training that began last year and will wrap up this fall. Pre-registration was required, as this is a four-part series for credit.)
A Zoom meeting will be held instead, from Noon – 1 p.m., with limited topics and updates. Look for an agenda within the next week.
Heartland Administrators' Association (HAA)
Oct. 3, 2017
Zoom meeting only from Noon – 1 p.m.
Click on this Zoom link to join the meeting
Each of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA) and the Iowa Department of Education will be delivering statewide professional development on Iowa’s new social studies standards. The sessions will also build upon the Building Literacy in Social Studies workshops offered in the past.
In this two-day workshop, participants will learn about the vision behind Iowa’s new social studies standards as well as the organization, content and rigor expected by the standards. The workshop will focus on planning for an inquiry-based classroom and is organized around the stages of planning for inquiry, including:
- Exploring standards
- Developing questions
- Gathering sources
- Communicating conclusions
Participants will have time to begin initial conversations about what year one of the three-year implementation of the standards should look like in their districts and classrooms. To learn more and register for a workshop, click on this link for a document of the workshop schedule.
Central Rivers AEA has moved into their new facility and will be hosting a public auction on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Cedar Falls.
The annual Iowa Culture and Language Conference (ICLC) will take place on Nov. 6-8, 2017 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa. There will be a Pre-Conference on Nov. 6, followed by the regular conference on Nov. 7-8. All current information about this conference is posted at the ICLC website. Title III support is available for districts in the Heartland AEA service area who send individuals/teams to reimburse registration and sub costs and partial travel expenses. See the 2017 ICLC Flyer for further details related to the schedule, registration and Title III support for districts.
Heartland AEA is pleased to be announcing a newly created Special Education Leaders Network for communicating up-to-date Special Education practices, procedures and requirements information with district partners. This network is intended to allow district special education leaders to collaborate with one another, and with Heartland AEA leaders on timely topics.
The first meeting of the network will be held on Oct. 25, 2017 with two other meetings following in Feb. and May 2018. Intended participants include: District special education directors, special education contacts, building administrators, special education teacher leads, and Heartland AEA Regional Directors.
Special Education Leaders Network - Kickoff Meeting
Date: Oct. 25, 2017
Time: 9-11:30 a.m.
Locations: Meetings will be hosted centrally at the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center in Johnston, in various regional locations, and also available to participants live via Zoom.
Registration: Register at this link by Oct. 20, 2017
For more information, contact Sara Mercer, Heartland AEA School Psychologist, at smercer@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14312 or click this link to read more.
School administrators and other school leaders play a key role in facilitating the success of all substitutes. Many students have IEPs, 504 plans, behavioral and academic intervention plans, and health care plans with specific content and requirements for student success. When substitutes are working in your buildings and classrooms, it is critical that they are made aware of and are able to follow all student plans.
A substitute folder, that many teachers already prepare for substitutes, could be expanded to include specific information about students with IEPs, 504 plan, health plans, and behavioral and academic intervention plans who may require specific “need to know” information in order to meet their requirements throughout the day and across settings.
Being prepared and considering those settings and specific needs can help the substitute provide the best experience possible, not only for the students, but also for themselves.
Halvorson Trane, one of Iowa’s longest-established HVAC companies, is offering five, $500 grants to K-12 Iowa schools within the service areas of Heartland AEA, Grant Wood AEA and Central Rivers AEA. Grant monies are to be used to fund an energy education project on school grounds (projects can be inside or out). See the Halvorson Trane website for more information about the grants and view last year’s winners. Apply by Oct. 6, 2017.
