IASP Podcast

Tuesday's election brought some unexpected results across Indiana, and the implications for education could be significant!

This week on the IASP Advocacy Podcast, Dr. Todd Bess and Seamus Boyce of KGR unpack the election results and discuss what they could mean for Indiana's schools and school leaders.

From shifts in the political landscape to potential legislative priorities, we explore what these results might mean as we head into the 2027 legislative session and an important budget year.

What should school leaders be watching? What challenges and opportunities might lie ahead?

Good morning, IASP Members!

Next Tuesday, November 3, Hoosier voters will decide 39 school funding referendum questions across 38 school districts — a record number for a single Indiana election!

So, why are so many districts turning to their communities for additional funding, and what does this mean for the future of school funding in Indiana?

In this week's IASP Advocacy Podcast, we're taking a closer look at school referendums, including:

• Why 2026 is different: How SEA 1, property tax changes, and new election requirements have contributed to a record number of referendum questions.

• What history tells us: A look at referendum success rates and why renewals tend to fare better than first-time requests.

• The challenges facing schools: What recent school funding survey results reveal about staffing reductions and other financial pressures.

• What principals should know: The importance of factual communication, understanding referendum restrictions, and preparing for the outcomes.

• What's next: How these local elections connect to the larger school funding conversations ahead of the 2027 legislative session.

I've also pulled together a few resources that may be helpful:

• Chalkbeat/WFYI 2026 School Referendum Guide – Look up individual districts, proposed tax rates, and spending plans.

• Indiana Department of Local Government Finance – Referendum Information – Access official referendum information and

• Indiana Voter Portal – Check your registration, view your ballot, and find your polling location.

Thank you for all you do for Indiana's students, and don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

Cindy Long

Assistant Executive Director

Indiana Association of School Principals

The latest episode of the IASP Advocacy Podcast is ready. In about 15 minutes, I walk through the October 21 State Board of Education meeting. It was a short meeting, but nearly half of it went to new attendance data.

Listen to the episode: https://iasppodcast.libsyn.com/iasp-advocacy-podcast-102326

In this episode

• Board highlights: Principals Month, Teacher of the Year, new Blue Ribbon Schools and more.
• Attendance data: Chronic absenteeism fell for the fourth straight year, to 14.9%.
• What's working: Two Indiana districts that turned their numbers around in one year.
• What's next: IDOE plans to bring its attendance findings to the courts and legislators before the 2027 session.
• For your building: Four steps you can take now.

Resources mentioned in the episode

Data and dashboards

• IDOE 2025–26 Chronic Absenteeism Data (Oct. 21 SBOE presentation): https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2025-2026-Chronic-Absenteeism-Data.pdf
• Attendance Insights public dashboard: https://eddata.doe.in.gov/PublicHome/GetObjectByUuidAndViewType?uuid=7cc44df8-3a49-4f47-b2bf-22e09c29d6ea&viewType=Report
• Indiana GPS dashboard: https://indianagps.doe.in.gov/
• IDOE chronic absenteeism page: https://www.in.gov/doe/students/chronic-absenteeism

Tools for principals

• Attendance Works, resources for principals: https://www.attendanceworks.org/take-action/educators/principals
• Attendance Works, 3 Tiers of Intervention: https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention
• Attendance Works, Root Causes Worksheet: https://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/teacher-attendance-strategy-worksheet-rev-10-16-19.pdf
• IDOE Educator Absenteeism Resources: https://www.in.gov/doe/files/Educator-Absenteeism-Resources-2024.pdf
• IDOE Family Absenteeism Resources: https://www.in.gov/doe/files/Family-Absenteeism-Resources-2024.pdf

News, policy and recognition

• "Indiana K-12 chronic absenteeism rate declines for fourth year," Indiana Capital Chronicle, Oct. 21, 2026: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/21/indiana-k-12-chronic-absenteeism-rate-declines-for-fourth-year/
• "What Indiana's new absenteeism law actually does and doesn't do," Indiana Capital Chronicle: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/07/15/what-indianas-new-absenteeism-law-actually-does-and-doesnt-do-to-attendance-policies/
• Senate Enrolled Act 482 (2025): https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0482/SB0482.04.ENRH.pdf
• Indiana Blue Ribbon Schools (IDOE): https://events.in.gov/event/gov-braun-exemplary-schools-earn-prestigious-indiana-blue-ribbon-schools-designation

Share your story

Is your school one of the attendance bright spots? Has the cell phone law changed the culture in your building? Reply and tell us. Principals' stories are the ones we want lawmakers to hear.

Thank you for everything you do, and happy National Principals Month!

Cindy Long Assistant Executive Director Indiana Association of School Principals

Make Your Move: Marlon Styles on Purpose, Perspective, and the Power of Encouragement

This episode is all about reconnecting with purpose, finding encouragement in the demanding work of school leadership, and rediscovering the joy of leading. I've built the publishing package around your actual conversation with Marlon, keeping the tone warm, professional, energetic, and focused on encouraging registration for the 2026 IASP Fall Professionals Conference.

What keeps school leaders moving forward when the work gets heavy? Sometimes, it begins with reconnecting to the people, purpose, and passion that brought us into leadership in the first place.

In this episode of the IASP Leadership Podcast, Dr. Tiffany Barrett welcomes Marlon Styles, former superintendent, educational leader, author of Make Your Move, and closing keynote speaker for the 2026 IASP Fall Professionals Conference.

Marlon offers an energetic preview of his upcoming keynote, challenging Indiana school leaders to reconnect with their compelling reason, embrace encouragement, and recognize the power of perspective and connection. He also shares why leadership is not simply about making your next move, but about becoming the kind of leader who is ready to make it.

Together, Tiffany and Marlon explore the importance of protecting time to think, encouraging one another, inspiring meaningful change, and treating joy as an asset.

In this episode:

• Reconnecting with the people and purpose behind your leadership

• Giving and receiving encouragement

• Becoming the leader capable of making your next move

• Creating the conditions for meaningful change

• Protecting time for reflection

• Finding joy, connection, and renewed energy in leadership

Join us November 22–24, 2026, at the JW Marriott Indianapolis for the IASP Fall Professionals Conference, where Marlon will deliver the Tuesday closing keynote.

Visit the IASP website for conference details and registration.

Lead on, Indiana!

Episode highlights and memorable moments

• Reconnect with your compelling reason. Marlon challenges leaders to remember not only why they lead, but whom they lead for.

• Encouragement matters. Leaders need to receive encouragement as intentionally as they give it.

• Become before you move. Leadership growth is about becoming capable of making the next move, not merely making it.

• Protect time to think. Reflection is a leadership responsibility, not a luxury.

• Treat your joy as an asset. A powerful reminder Marlon credits to his grandmother, Geraldine Watson.

Good morning, IASP Members!

Last week, I promised to fill you in on the Interim Study Committee on Education, and I'm back to deliver! The committee met on Wednesday, October 14, and this week's IASP Advocacy Podcast takes a look at the conversations, questions, and takeaways that matter to school leaders.

Here's what we're talking about this week:

• High School NIL: Did you know Indiana already allows certain Name, Image, and Likeness activities for high school athletes? We'll talk about the IHSAA's current rules, questions raised by legislators, and the committee's recommendations.

• Student Learning Recovery Grants: What did Indiana's $150 million investment accomplish? We'll highlight some promising results, programs making a difference for students, and the questions legislators are asking as we approach the next budget session.

• Looking Ahead: What should school leaders take away from these discussions, and what might we hear more about during the 2027 legislative session?

As we get closer to January, these conversations give us a glimpse into what may be ahead. And as always, your voice matters! I encourage you to stay connected with your legislators and continue sharing the great things happening in your buildings, along with the challenges you're navigating.

Thanks for all you do for Indiana's students, staff, and school communities.

Cindy Long Assistant Executive Director Indiana Association of School Principals

It's Indiana Principals Week, and we're celebrating YOU! 🎉 Governor Mike Braun has officially proclaimed October 4–10 as Indiana Principals Week, recognizing the incredible work school leaders do every day. Thank you for your dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to Indiana's students and schools!

In this week's IASP Advocacy Podcast, we're celebrating our principals while also looking ahead to some important developments in education and at the Statehouse.

Here's what's on our radar this week:

• 🎉 Indiana Principals Week: Celebrating the impact of school leadership across our state.

• 🗳️ Election Season: Important dates and opportunities to connect with legislators.

• 🏛️ Interim Study Committee on Education: A preview of the October 14 meeting, including student learning recovery grants and NIL for high school athletes.

• 🛡️ School Safety: A look at Indiana's upcoming statewide anonymous reporting system.

• 🔍 Looking Ahead to 2027: Changes in legislative leadership and education committee membership that could shape the upcoming session.

As we prepare for the 2027 legislative session, your voice and your experiences matter. Building relationships and sharing what's happening in our schools remain some of the most powerful ways we can advocate for public education.

Thanks for all you do to lead, inspire, and advocate for Indiana's students!

Leadership can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be lonely.

In this special solo episode of the IASP Leadership Podcast, Dr. Tiffany Barrett invites Indiana school leaders to consider a simple but powerful question: Are you intentionally putting yourself in the rooms that help you grow?

Tiffany previews several opportunities ahead for IASP members, including the Assistant Principals Conference, the Fall Professionals Conference, and the Women in Education Conference, while reminding listeners that professional learning is about far more than filling a notebook. The right room can reconnect us to our purpose, challenge our thinking, strengthen our leadership, and remind us that we do not have to do this work alone.

Listeners will also hear about:

• The Assistant Principals Conference, November 16–17, featuring opening keynote Holly Rowe • The 2026 Fall Professionals Conference, November 22–24 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, featuring Ann Marie Anderson, Rafael Sanchez, Dr. Katie Jenner, Marlon Stiles, and more • IASP opportunities including INALI, IPLI, the Aspiring Leaders Institute, Indianagram, and the IASP Leadership Podcast • The Women in Education Conference, February 17–18 • Three reflective questions every leader can use right now to examine where their leadership energy is going

Tiffany closes with a challenge: Choose your room. Choose the people who stretch your thinking. Choose the conversations that help you grow. Choose opportunities to step away from the urgent long enough to invest in what is important.

Because leadership growth rarely happens by accident. We have to choose it.

Lead on, Indiana!

00:00 – Welcome to the IASP Leadership Podcast 00:44 – Why the Rooms We Choose Matter 02:07 – Assistant Principals Conference Preview 02:23 – Opening Keynote: Holly Rowe 04:03 – One Question for Assistant Principals and Deans 04:53 – 2026 Fall Professionals Conference 06:15 – Opening Keynote: Ann Marie Anderson 06:57 – Celebrating Indiana Schools 07:17 – Monday Night Celebration, Dance & Casino Night 07:38 – Tuesday Learning and Closing Speaker Marlon Stiles 08:12 – Three Questions for Every Leader 09:08 – Strong Leaders Are Learning Leaders 09:29 – More Ways IASP Is Investing in Leaders 10:22 – Women in Education and the IASP Member Experience 11:02 – This Week's Leadership Challenge: Choose Your Room 12:22 – Closing: Lead on, Indiana!

We talk a lot about student leadership—but are we intentionally teaching students how to lead, or simply identifying the students who already look like leaders?

This week on the IASP Advocacy Podcast, I'm joined by Dave Strouse, IASP Assistant Executive Director, to talk about new student leadership lessons designed for elementary, middle, and high school students.

We'll talk about the skills these lessons develop, how schools can easily put them to use, and how student leadership connects to advocacy.

After all, we spend a lot of time advocating for students. Part of our work is also preparing them to find their own voice and advocate for themselves and others.

In this episode of the IASP Leadership Podcast, Dr. Tiffany D. Barrett steps out of the IASP Board of Directors meeting with three board members who represent elementary, middle, and high school leadership in suburban, urban, and rural settings: Christie Heerschop of Mary Frank Elementary in Penn-Harris-Madison, Jeremy Tucker of Cornerstone Alternative School in South Bend, and Sean Fisher of North Posey High School.

Together, they talk about what leading looks like in their communities, why they believe principals across Indiana are more alike than different, and what serving on the IASP board has meant to them personally and professionally. They share how they found their way to the board, including district involvement, mentorship, and INALI, and offer honest encouragement for any principal who is thinking about stepping forward. The conversation closes with what each of them is most excited about in their buildings this fall.

If you've ever wondered what happens when the IASP board gathers, or whether one of those seats might be yours someday, this episode is for you. Lead on, Indiana!

Show Notes

Our board is intentionally built around Indiana's 12 IASP districts, with voices from elementary, middle, and high school and from suburban, urban, and rural settings. In this episode, three board members share what that looks like from their seats.

In this episode

Jeremy Tucker reflects on leading in both rural and urban settings: "The challenges may look different, but the work is remarkably similar."

Sean Fisher describes the role of a rural school at the heart of its town: "We're truly a community school. We're the community center for our area."

Christie Heerschop talks about serving several communities within a suburban corporation and sums up the conversation: "I think we are more similar than we are different."

All three explain what board service involves, from advocacy for schools across the state to networking that eases the isolation of the principalship.

On becoming a board member, the guests recommend joining IASP, getting involved at the district level, attending district meetings, and expressing interest to district leaders or to IASP directly. Jeremy's reminder: "You don't have to have all the answers to be a board member."

Christie invites more elementary leaders to attend district meetings and consider board service.

This fall, Christie is looking forward to Mustangs Give Back, a student leadership program where fourth and fifth graders take on community-based projects. Sean is launching the Viking Incentive Program at North Posey. Jeremy is preparing to welcome the first students to Cornerstone Alternative School in South Bend.

Interested in board service?

Join IASP, connect with your district, and reach out to IASP staff to express your interest. [Insert contact or link.]

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the IASP Leadership Podcast

00:44 Three board members join from the IASP board meeting

01:19 Meet Christie Heerschop, Sean Fisher, and Jeremy Tucker

02:17 How the IASP board is built: 12 districts, every level, every setting

02:43 Jeremy on leading in an urban setting

03:29 Sean on the rural school as community center

04:09 Christie on the suburban experience

04:59 What IASP board members actually do

05:47 Sean on INALI, mentorship, and finding his way to the board

06:42 Tiffany on board service before joining the IASP staff

07:03 What board service has meant to each guest

09:26 How to become an IASP board member

11:16 Christie's invitation to elementary leaders

11:48 What they're looking forward to in their buildings this fall

14:21 One thing every listener should know about IASP

15:25 Thank you and closing

Hi, everyone!

When we talk about advocacy, our minds often go straight to legislators, policy, and speaking up about the issues affecting our schools.

But advocacy can also mean opening doors for students.

This week on the IASP Advocacy Podcast, I'm joined by Jill Slinker from our Department of Student Programs to talk about the opportunities IASP provides for students—and some of the work happening behind the scenes to make those opportunities easier for schools to access.

We talk about:

• The wide range of IASP student programs available to schools
• Some of the barriers that can keep schools from getting involved
• New one-page resources designed to make competitions easier to understand
• Upcoming videos that will give new coaches and sponsors a look at what participation actually looks like
• The support available for schools that are ready to try something new

Most importantly, we talk about why this is advocacy.

When we give students opportunities to compete, collaborate, lead, discover their strengths, and find their voice, we're doing more than offering another activity. We're helping students develop the confidence and skills they'll need to advocate for themselves and others.

And stay tuned—next week we'll continue the conversation by looking at how we can intentionally teach students to lead.

Thanks for all you do to create opportunities for Indiana's students!

Cindy