December 1st EditionLead AND Live: Leveraging Technology to Achieve Work/Life Balance, Erin KohlI am a school principal and I have a confession to make. Every Sunday I would feel this ache in my gut thinking about the week ahead. Most mornings, I experienced that same feeling, almost dreading the day. I gained weight and saw the results of my annual biometric screening deteriorate. I decided it was time for a change and took three actions that have allowed me to be an effective leader AND live my best life. Embracing The Power of a Both/And Mindset as a Bridge to a Better Place, Joe SchroederVirtually everything of late seems to be cast as this or that, right or wrong, black or white, us or them. In short, we are coaxed into believing that this is an Either/Or world—always has been, always will be. Now, instead, imagine a world where leaders like us regularly embraced a Both/And mentality and increasingly brought such a mindset to bear in our daily work and living, influencing those in our circle like mindedly over time through our example. What then might be possible? Online Learning: A Tool Used for Student-Centered Choice (Article 2 of 4), John Jacobs and Jason SchmidtAs educators we continue to see increasing trends around competency based learning, personalized learning, and other student centered strategies. These efforts come with the need for purposeful allocation of time, training, and resources. Not to mention a mindset and readiness to engage with new teaching and learning strategies. This paired with the reality that educational leaders are facing real challenges around teacher shortages and initiative fatigue, along with elevated burn out rates, this task of elevating student centered efforts and choice seems daunting. However, leveraging authentic online learning as part of a tool belt supports district efforts around personalized student choice. This article outlines three opportunities to help with these efforts. Changes to Wisconsin Disability Category Criteria, Wisconsin DPI Special Education TeamThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives states the authority to set the specific requirements and information an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team needs to identify a student who fits any single disability category. In Wisconsin, there are twelve disability categories outlined in state administrative rule PI 11. As of November 2021, recent changes have been approved for the disability category criteria for blind and visual impairment, deaf and hard of hearing, speech or language impairment, and emotional behavioral disability. December 15th EditionAWSA Update: You and Your ContractMost likely a result of Wisconsin’s statutory administrative contract renewal timelines, December is a natural time for school and district leaders to take stock of their current employment contract and their future needs. School leaders enter the profession to make a positive impact for students, and school districts want to provide the conditions for that to occur. The contract lays out the shared goals of both the leader and the district. We hope you find the following articles and resources helpful. Developing a Win-Win Administrative ContractThe contract lays out the shared goals of both the leader and the district. These shared goals include stability, comparability, and growth. Read More. Key Administrative Contract Deadlines ApproachingWisconsin law requires school boards to contract with administrators, in writing, as well as to comply with specific contract renewal and non-renewal procedures and deadlines. This Update will cover the essentials of Wisconsin’s administrator contract law and the steps you need to take to protect your contract rights. Read More. 2020-21 Professional Issues Report ReleasedEvery two years AWSA conducts the Professional Concerns Survey. The survey results provide answers to questions ranging from liability coverage districts provide to personal contributions toward health insurance to policies related to tuition reimbursement. The results are compiled with statewide and regional salary information in AWSA’s Professional Issues Report. The 2020-21 Report has been updated with the most up to date salary data. Click here for the updated AWSA 2020-21 Professional Issues Report 10th SAIL Cohort is Now Open for Registration!
A strong option to consider is our SAIL Academy, which stands for the School Administrators' Institute for Transformational Leadership. Registration is open through March 15, 2022, for the tenth cohort of the SAIL Academy, which will launch in June 2022. |
COVID has placed unprecedented stress and illuminated core challenges in many school districts like never before. So how do you plan to productively and collaboratively lead through this to make things better for all over the long-term? In other words, what supports might be available for schools and districts that want to take a deep dive into a systemic approach for transforming conditions and results for students and adults alike?