News Update

The Iowa Department of Education has awarded schools statewide for their work on implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a multi-tiered system of support for behavior and provides the framework for teachers to implement and monitor prevention and intervention practices. The school…

Iowa schools have the opportunity to receive a new water bottle filling station through the Rethink Your Drink program, funded by the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation. Selected schools will have an old drinking fountain replaced with a new Elkay water fountain/bottle filling station, receive water bottles, toothbrush…

Spread the word within your networks about this funding opportunity to support programs that help adults gain the skills and training needed to further their education and secure living-wage jobs. The Iowa Department of Education will award approximately $3 million in federal funding available through the Adult Educati…

The headlines in the media on the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, have certainly gotten everyone’s attention. Though there are no known cases in Iowa at this juncture, it’s important to be prepared – much like schools prepare for any respiratory illness such as the flu. In fact, the Center for Disease Con…

Tests are necessary to allow teachers, parents and students themselves to monitor student progress, understand strengths and weaknesses, and set learning goals. But each test given takes time and resources that could be used for other valuable activities during the school day. So, it is important that the assessments g…

To encourage more families to take advantage of the healthy choices available for school breakfast, schools across the country will celebrate National School Breakfast Week, which is March 2-6th. The theme is, “School Breakfast - Out of this World,” to remind the entire school community that school breakfast pro…

A series of construction career fairs are scheduled for Iowa high schools and students in 11th and 12th grades. The fairs are designed to connect with employers in the commercial construction industry, including general and subcontractors. The career fairs, hosted by Build Iowa, will be held March 30 in Altoona, Apr…

Statewide Literacy Leadership Team members met at Grand View University in Des Moines, for an interactive, one-day professional learning workshop, to learn how to utilize tools to ensure students have access to grade-level, appropriate English Language Arts assignments, and standards-aligned instruction. …

From Iowa’s Arabella Mansfield, who became the first female lawyer in the country in 1869, to Gertrude Durden Rush, who became the first black woman admitted to the Iowa bar in 1907, there is no shortage of Iowa “firsts” for women. Though being first certainly lands you in the history books, the story isn’t …

A new webinar series is being created on how to build real-world partnerships to educate students and develop the workforce. Seventeen Iowa school districts have launched Registered Apprenticeship programs, which are an outstanding pathway for students to earn valuable postsecondary credentials. The state’s goa…