Welcome to a New School Year!

As the doors open to a fresh academic year, we want to extend a warm welcome to all of the superintendents, principals and educational leaders in the Heartland AEA service area. Through our Administrator Connection, our goal remains simple: to serve as a source of practical insights and resources to support you. Wishing you a smooth and successful start to the year!

Sept. 1 Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) Meeting Reminder

The first Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meeting of the 2026-27 school year will be held on Sept. 1. The agenda will feature guest speakers: 

1. McKenzie Snow, Director of the Iowa Department of Education 
2. Lori Suddick, Ed.D., President of Des Moines Area Community College 

Superintendents will also have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the implementation of laws from the 2026 legislative session. Our SAI partners Brad Buck, Matt Carver and Dave Daughton will join us to help facilitate the discussions and field questions. Please add questions here by Aug. 28.

The meeting will be held in person at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, in Conference Rooms 107A/B, starting at 9:00 a.m.

High Volume Orders Printed Quickly and Inexpensively

More and more districts are adopting open source curriculum. We can increase your efficiency and free up staff time by printing your large volume materials. Consider sending us your:

• Cumulative folders
• Curriculum
• District letterhead and envelopes
• Forms
• Teacher materials
• Tickets and notepads

Email creativeservices@heartlandaea.org with any questions or upload your order on our website.

Gear Up for the New School Year with the AEA Library Connection Newsletter

It's almost time for back-to-school, so it's time for a new Heartland AEA Library Connection newsletter! Read more about:

• Our library staff
• Our AEA digital resources bundle
• Our library offerings such as theme orders and book rotation
• Our Teacher Librarian Network Day coming on Sept. 22!

Iowa’s AEAs Take Updated Approach to Professional Learning

Iowa’s AEAs are continuing to strengthen and streamline how we deliver professional learning across the state. These changes are part of a broader effort to make our professional learning experiences more cohesive as an AEA system and easier for educators to navigate. We appreciate your flexibility and professionalism as we transition to this new model.

New Statewide Professional Learning Platform
All AEAs will continue offering professional learning in every modality (in person, in‑district, virtual, blended and online), but the way staff and educators access these offerings will change. Beginning Sept. 1, 2026, course registration, setup and attendance tracking will move into one statewide location: an updated AEA Learning Online platform.

Each AEA will sunset its current professional learning registration system and shift all professional learning registration to a refreshed version of the existing AEA Learning Online platform. This one‑stop environment will ensure educators have a single transcript for all AEA professional learning and a more intuitive experience when searching for and registering for courses.

New Statewide Professional Learning Team
As part of our systemwide effort to work more cohesively, several responsibilities related to professional learning that were previously managed separately within individual AEAs will now be coordinated centrally through a single statewide professional learning team.

This shift is designed to maintain the same high‑quality learning experiences educators rely on while improving consistency, reducing repeated work across AEAs and ensuring a more unified statewide system.

AEA Professional Learning Networks Return for 2026-27

Iowa’s AEAs are pleased to provide opportunities for educators to increase their knowledge and skills, gain support from peers and connect to AEA resources through its AEA Learning Networks. Educators can engage in these learning opportunities with other educators, not only from their area, but from across the state. There is no cost to attend these opportunities! We’re confident these networks will lead to increased learning, collegiality and connection to AEA resources.

• Curriculum Directors
• English Learners
• Instructional Technology
• School Counselors
• SEBH MTSS/PBIS
• Talented & Gifted/Extended Learning
• Teacher Librarians
• Technology Directors

Check Iowa’s AEAs Learning Networks 2026-27 for dates, times, facilitator names, Zoom links and/or meeting locations.

Building a Proactive Foundation for Safe, Supportive Learning Environments

AEAs Can Address Your Response to Iowa’s New Student Behavior & Classroom Removal Law

As districts work through the development and implementation of procedures in response to Iowa’s new student behavior and classroom removal law, we wanted to remind you that Heartland AEA can partner with you to support you and your staff.

We know that the most effective approach to student behavior is proactive and sustainable—building the systems, instructional practices, and staff capacity that create positive learning environments, prevent behaviors from escalating, and reduce the need for classroom removals.

Linked here is a brief overview of supports available to help districts strengthen their approach to student behavior. Training is only the beginning. We can work alongside your district to connect behavior supports to teaching and learning, strengthen classroom practices, and build sustainable systems that support both students and educators.

If you have questions or would like to explore what might be most helpful for your district, please reach out to your Heartland AEA Regional Director or Susie Meade, Heartland AEA Chief Academic Officer. We would welcome the opportunity to partner with you.

We will talk a bit more about this at our first 2026-27 Curriculum Network Meeting on Sept. 4 at 8:30 a.m. Here’s to a great start to the school year!

GT Service Plan Workshop, Coming in September

Wondering about recent legislation and its impact on your TAG program? Bring a teammate to this workshop that guides school teams through the essential components required for fall submission of the Gifted and Talented Plan in the Consolidated Accountability and Support Application (CASA).

Together, we will translate best practices and recent legislative changes into your school’s context. We’ll address required TAG program components like program goals and performance measures, identification procedures that use multiple criteria, both objective and subjective; and acceleration policies. By the end of the day, your team will be equipped to submit a high-quality program plan and will leave with aligned handbook materials ready to better serve your gifted students.

2504 Sep. 10 in Ottumwa
2563 Sep. 21 in Johnston
2566 Sep. 24 in Cedar Falls

New Tool to Help Your District Meet Digital Accessibility Standards

Iowa’s AEAs are partnering with a company called Grackle Docs to help school districts make their digital materials accessible to everyone. This partnership is designed to help your district meet new Department of Justice digital accessibility rules. Grackle's tools integrate with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office to scan documents, spreadsheets and slideshows for accessibility issues and help you fix them fast. Through this AEA partnership, districts are not required to purchase a full software package. You can select and purchase only the specific products that align with your current infrastructure and digital compliance goals. Please review the attached flyer for more details and complete this form if you would like to join the AEA Consortium Pricing for Grackle.