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 Heartland Administrators' Association (HAA) and Superintendents' Advisory Council (SAC) will not meet in February. Both groups will meet on March 6, 2018. Look for agendas for both meetings very soon.
**Save these upcoming meeting dates: April 3, May 1.
Iowa’s AEAs and AEA Learning Online have been collaborating to move our individual professional development and licensure registration systems to a statewide professional learning registration system. Having one registration system will provide participants with a much larger offering of professional learning activities through a statewide catalog. It also creates greater equity and consistency in programming and resources to help support quality professional development and licensure programming.
System Benefits
View All Offerings That Are Available Statewide
Individuals who use the system will be able to see all courses and activities that are available across the state. Users may search by specific courses, topics, location and more.
Instructors Will Find a User Friendly System
There are system enhancements for instructors! Once an instructor enters a course in the system, they don’t have to repeat that process again. They simply enter a new section for that activity. That includes the syllabus. Once a syllabus is approved, it’s valid across all AEAs!
All Completed Courses Will be in One Transcript
In the new system, there will be one common transcript that shows all courses taken by an individual, including courses from AEA Learning Online. Anything that the individual has taken from an Iowa AEA will show up in one document. Users will be able to print their own transcripts and receipts for tax purposes.
Split the Payments!
Split payment options for credit cards and/or purchase orders will be available in the new system.
Login is Easy and Familiar
Users of the new system will log in using their existing email and password that they use to login to take AEA Learning Online courses as well as Mandatory Reporter and Bloodborne Pathogens trainings.
**In the coming days, expect to see more information and updates through various AEA communication channels.
Instructional Practices Inventory Level 1 Workshop
The IPI workshop will begin with an overview of the IPI categories and the protocols for data collection. Detailed practice in the recognition of the IPI categories and consistent application of the data collection protocols enable each participant to develop both validity and reliability in the process. The skill development begins with written scenarios to develop basic understanding of the protocols for data collection and the instructional activities that fit each category. The workshop then transitions to a local school to make observations in classroom settings.
Date: March 21, 2018
Location: Gilbert Intermediate School, 103 Mathews Dr, Gilbert
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Register at this link
Keynote Speaker: Jerry Valentine, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri
Instructional Practices Inventory Technology Workshop
The Instructional Practices Inventory Technology (IPI-T) Process was developed to provide critical data for faculty about student engagement throughout the school day focusing on technology infusion as a component of engagement. Using the data, faculty and school leaders can design strategies for increasing levels of active, engaged learning and higher-order instruction while reducing the degree of student disengagement during learning time. In addition to fostering positive instructional change, the process can also serve as an indicator of the relative impact of a school’s technology investment and instructional interventions. During the workshop, participants will develop the skills to document student engagement through the use of technology and learn how to use the profiles to engage faculty in collaborative learning conversations about engagement, instructional change, technology integration and school-wide instructional goals.
Date: March 22, 2018
Location: Johnston Community School District Administration Building, Board Room, 5608 Merle Hay Road, Johnston
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Register at this link
Keynote Speaker: Jerry Valentine, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri
Are your students’ families really involved in their education? At this FREE event on June 18, participants will will learn the importance of family engagement in the academic lives and success of learners and discover how to create a culture that is conducive to engaging every family in the school and classroom.
Engaging Every Family to Support Student Achievement
June 18, 2018
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Johnston Middle School Auditorium
6501 NW 62nd Ave., Johnston, IA
Register at this link
For more information, contact Terry Mendell, Heartland AEA Family & Educator Lead Coordinator, at (515) 270-0405 ext. 17135 or tmendell@heartlandaea.org.
Invited Audience: school administrators, teacher leaders, general and special education teachers
Presenter: Steve Constantino, Ed.D.
As a high school principal in 1995, Steve Constantino, Ed.D. became aware of research about the effects of family engagement on student learning and was convinced that this was the missing ingredient in helping all children learn. Using his high school as a laboratory, Dr. Constantino began to read more and more research and more importantly, figure out ways to apply it to his school.
Steve’s work has gained national prominence as he’s traveled the United States speaking and working with all types of educators, school board members and businesses to promote sound practices in family engagement that result in increased academic achievement for all students.
Today, he is the Acting State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commonwealth of Virginia and is an adjunct professor at the School of Education, College of William and Mary where he teaches courses in the Executive Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership.
The Governor’s 2018 Future Ready Iowa Summit will be held on April 3 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The purpose of this all-day event is to amplify the public conversation about transforming education and the workforce, including expanding work-based learning and computer science instruction.
The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, which is hosting the summit, is inviting leaders from business and industry, PK-12 and postsecondary education, nonprofits, parents, students, elected officials and others, who will take information from the summit back to their communities to build upon existing initiatives.
Speakers include:
- Mary Andringa, Chair of the Board of Vermeer
- Brandon Busteed, Gallup's Executive Director of Education and Workforce Development
- Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org
- Jeff Weld, Senior Policy Advisor for STEM education at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Jemar Lee, a College Community School District senior and co-founder of EdRevision
- Nicole Smith, Chief Economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a computer science education pioneer
Registration is $50 for adults and free for students. Register at this link.
The Iowa Association of Alternative Education (IAAE) spring conference, “Plant Hope,” will be held on April 5-6, at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines and will feature speakers Joe Hendershott, Trent Grundmeyer and Chris Norton. Conference information and registration can be found on the IAAE website.
Diane Sheline, author of Strategy to See: Strategies for Students with Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment is presenting at the Iowa Deafblind Project Summer Workshop on June 13-14 in Des Moines. The workshop will focus on understanding assessment and intervention strategies for students with Cortical Vision Impairment.
Cortical Vision Impairment Summer Workshop
June 13-14
Ramada Tropics Resort and Conference Center, 5000 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, IA
Register at this link. Registration is limited to 75 people.
The workshop will be available for one licensure renewal credit through Heartland AEA.
Are you interested in starting or expanding a school garden? Elementary and middle school staff who want to plan a garden, or make better use of an existing one, will benefit from a hands-on workshop, School Garden 101 from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
This five session workshop will be offered on Tuesdays beginning Feb. 27, 2018 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Des Moines Public Schools’ Operations Center, 1917 Dean Avenue. License Renewal Credit is available for this opportunity.
School Garden 101 helps school staff connect gardening principles to classroom curriculum. It will provide school staff with beginning horticultural skills, pairs them with a Master Gardener Mentor, and together they will lay out a plan to build their school garden. Participants will learn how to build a compost bin, test soils, plant seeds, and incorporate garden produce into classrooms and cafeterias.
For more information, refer to this flyer and register at this link. License Renewal Credit is available for this opportunity through Heartland AEA.
The Feb. 2018 BoEE newsletter topics include: social media tips, converting initial to standard (wait!), renewal tips, professional development opportunities, CTE Information Technology, and recent cases.
The Feb. 2018 issue of Each and Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.
The Feb. 2018 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is now available.
