AASA Radio- The School Superintendents Association

The fate and impact of the federal budget sequester is still largely unknown. AASA's executive director, Dan Domenech, chats with Qorvis' National Director of Financial Communications, Stan Collender about what school administrators can expect in the months ahead and how to plan in this uncertain climate.

Qorvis' National Director of Financial Communications, Stan Collender, has extensive experience in financial and public affairs communications. During his more than three decades in communications, he has designed and implemented award-winning communications efforts for financial companies, Wall Street firms, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and federal agencies.

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AASA's executive director, Dan Domenech chats with the Assistant Secretary of Education on a number of issues and challenges school administrators are facing.

Deb Delisle Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the Department of Education by the U.S. Senate. She has been the Ohio State Superintendent of Public Instructions and Superintendent in Cleveland Heights, University Heights and started her career as an elementary school teacher.

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Some are calling the tragedy at Newtown a tipping point that may usher in radical changes in school security. According to a survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators of some 11,000 members, over 90% reported that they had begun reviewing their school security plans over the weekend. To provide some strategic guidance and insight, AASA has assembled a highly experienced and skilled team of school security experts to help rethink school security issues from SROs to arming

Michael Dorn has worked in the field of school safety for 33 years, has published 26 books on school safety. Gregory Thomas is former director of security of New York City Schools. Dr. Gary Mathews is Superintendent of the Newton County Schools in Covington, Georgia. Dr. Nancy Flatt Meador is the Principal of Madison Middle School. Dr. Wm. E “Rob” Roberts, former (retired) Superintendent of Nye County School District, the largest geographical school district in the contiguous U.S.

Yes, teachers can have a profound impact on student achievement. According to the research, among the school related factors, the most important factor is the quality of classroom instruction. However, the second most important factor is the school principal.

Find out how paying more attention to principals can be a game changer.

Will Miller is president of The Wallace Foundation, a knowledge-focused national philanthropy with a mission of improving learning and enrichment opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Our guest today shares with us how she took a challenging, failing school and turned it into a stellar performing, award winning high school by simply focusing on getting every teacher to concentrate on literacy. It's a fascinating story with useful insights about actionable tips.

Dr. Susan Szachowicz is the principal of Brockton High School, a large (4,350 student) comprehensive urban high school. Under her leadership, Brockton High has been recognized as a Massachusetts Compass School, a National Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education for five years in a row, a recipient of the National School Change Award, and received a Bronze Medal from U.S. News and World Report as one of America's Best High Schools.

AASA and the Children's Defense Fund have stood together on many issues around the health and well being of all American children. In this segment we get a report card on the goal of achieving educational equality and support for all children.

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. Under her leadership, CDF has become the nation's strongest voice for children and families.

Improving teacher effectiveness and accurately measuring teacher performance is an issue receiving much attention today. Our guest offers a new framework along with thoughtful insights to help us refine our thinking about processes for improving teacher effectiveness.

Charlotte Danielson is an internationally-recognized expert in the area of teacher effectiveness, specializing in the design of teacher evaluation systems that, while ensuring teacher quality, also promote professional learning.

Our national superintendent of the year, Heath Morrison, shares the strategies and programs that his district has used to deal successfully deal with the challenges we all face.

Dr. Heath E. Morrison is the Superintendent of Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada. The Washoe County School District is the second largest school district in Nevada with approximately 63,000 students enrolled in 94 schools.

The mandates of No Child Left Behind are still with us. A waivers process has been instituted but it too is problematic. In this segment we get an update on the road ahead for NCLB and what it all means to your school district.

Congressman John Kline, elected to represent the suburbs and rural counties south of Minnesota’s Twin Cities (2nd district) in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, and was re-elected to a fifth term in 2010. He is Chairman of the education and the workforce committe.

Our guest is considered a leading innovator of strategies to engage underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math. His program has become the leading producer of African Americans who complete Ph.D.s in primarily white universities. In this segment he shares the strategies he's used to achieve such extraordinary success.

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III is President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County). His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that recently produced the report, “Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.”