Leadership Connections

Every school district in Iowa faces the same growing challenge: vetting edtech vendors, protecting student records and staying on top of FERPA and IDEA requirements. But you don’t have to tackle this work alone – or one contract at a time. The Iowa Student Data Privacy Consortium Alliance (the Iowa Alliance) is a partnership between…

A new statewide professional learning website is now available, providing one location to explore learning opportunities offered across Iowa’s AEAs. We encourage you to explore the site and share it with members of your leadership teams and staff. Questions may be directed to the statewide professional learning team at professionallearning@centralriversaea.org or (319) 268-7616.

Central Rivers AEA is offering networking opportunities throughout the 2026–27 school year for Teacher Leaders, Curriculum Leaders and EL Teachers to give your team opportunities to connect with colleagues, share ideas and grow their professional practice. Statewide networking opportunities are also available. Questions may be directed to Heather Gould, Executive Director of Educational Services.

This course is designed to increase understanding of research-based behavior principles, establish a consistent approach to address behavior challenges through a functional lens and recognize how principles of behavior are embedded in PBIS/MTSS for Social Emotional Behavioral Health (SEBH). If you have questions, reach out to Allyssa Pape, Consultant for Ed Services/Learning Support Specialist.

Designed for educators new to UFLI Foundations, this course equips participants to effectively implement high-quality literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading. Rooted in implementation science, educators will master UFLI’s systematic 8-step lesson framework covering phonemic awareness, phonics, word study, decodable text and progress monitoring, while developing a sustainable, collaborative approach to integrating High-Quality…

Central Rivers AEA offers a variety of professional learning opportunities for math educators, including instructional practices, high-quality instructional materials, intervention and support for students with diverse learning needs. Opportunities starting soon: Numeracy Project 2.0 (Learn More & Register) SOAR: Fractions (Learn more & register) SOAR: Addition & Subtraction (Learn more & register) Emergent & Conventional…

Accessibility isn’t just about the documents and websites your staff create, it’s also about making sure every student can actually access grade-level content in the first place. That’s where the Iowa Department of Education’s Access for All initiative comes in, and Central Rivers AEA is here to help your district put it to work. Central…

Iowa’s AEAs are continuing to strengthen and streamline how we deliver professional learning across the state. 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. All AEAs will…

Central Rivers AEA is offering LETRS Volume 1 and 2 training from September through April to help local educators strengthen their reading instruction. Designed for K-5 teachers, interventionists, and coaches, this practical course focuses on the fundamentals of how students learn to read and write. Rather than introducing a new curriculum, the sessions build foundational…