WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 16, 2024) – The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) is accepting presentation proposals for its 22^nd National Education Summit October 14-18, 2025 in Chicago. The Summit is the association’s flagship leadership development and networking event for administrators at schools and districts that serve primarily Latino and other historically marginalized youth. The submission deadline for educators/nonprofits is April 15, 2025 and for business partners/sponsors is May 31, 2025.

The theme of this year’s Summit is “The Power of Us,” highlighting the collective power when Latino and Latino-serving administrators come together for the common good of students.

“There is incredible power in having a collective voice and in bringing the perspectives of different cultures to education,” said ALAS Executive Director Ulysses Navarrete. “In two short years one in every three students in our nation’s schools will be Latino. Our National Education Summit provides a venue for those who serve these students to learn, grow and thrive.”

How to Apply

ALAS is accepting presentation proposals from both educators and businesses connected to the “The Power of Us” theme and addressing the following strands:   

• Policy and Politics in Current and Future Education Systems
• Professional Growth & Leadership Development
• Mental Well-Being and SEL
• Tech Innovation Leading for Today and Tomorrow
• Thriving Communities

Educators and non-profits can apply here: https://bit.ly/3VqLvYD

Businesses partners and sponsors can apply here: https://bit.ly/41gj5V1.

For information about how to become a partner or sponsor email operations@alas.edu.

Business partners and sponsors must present with district personnel.

The ALAS National Education Summit provides workshops and presentations, networking opportunities, engaging keynote addresses, panel discussions, student presentations, and a black-tie awards gala and awards presentation.

The ALAS National Education Summit focuses on addressing challenges in the education system, particularly those impacting Latino students, and provides a forum for participants to engage in meaningful discussions and identify solutions that can be applied throughout the industry. It provides leadership development, policy updates, and networking opportunities for aspiring administrators, principals, C-Suite level administration, superintendents and board members from across the country. In addition, industry partners and sponsors have the opportunity to share successful implementations of their products and services with the education community.

For more information about ALAS, visit www.alasedu.org.

About the Association of Latino Administrators & Superintendents (ALAS)

The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents [ALAS] is committed to providing a perspective to all aspiring school and district administrators, including superintendents, through programs, services, advocacy and networks rooted in Latino experiences and culture. Our Vision, Mission and Goals are to provide leadership at the national level that assures every school in America effectively serves the educational needs of all students with an emphasis on Latino and other historically marginalized youth through continuous professional learning, policy advocacy, and networking to share practices of promise for our students and the communities where we serve.

By the year 2026, Latino children will make up 30 percent of the school-age population. In the nation’s largest states – California, Texas, Florida, and New York – all of whom are ALAS State Affiliates – Latinos already have reached that level. It is of vital interest to invest in the education of every child, and the professional learning of all educators who serve Latino youth.

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Gale, part of Cengage Group and ConnectEDD Publishing, have partnered to bring the professional development (PD) resources of best-selling author, leadership coach, and K-12 professional learning expert, Jimmy Casas, to school districts nationwide via the Gale eBooks platform. This collaboration offers a unique collection of acclaimed professional learning resources that provides districts and educators with unlimited and simultaneous access to the digital content they need when they need it for PD growth and student success.

This partnership makes Gale the only aggregator of professional learning eBooks to offer ConnectEDD’s PD resources, which were previously only available through individual purchases on Amazon. 

“This collaboration will allow school districts to offer professional development when and where educators need it,” said Jimmy Casas, founder of ConnectEDD Publishing. “Large-group, in-person workshops can lead to major breakthroughs, but those breakthroughs only become ingrained in a teacher’s practice when they have the kind of ongoing, easy-to-access professional learning support that Gale eBooks offers. I’m thrilled to be working with Gale to help support teachers and school leaders in creating positive and impactful learning environments.”

ConnectEDD Publishing provides books and resources that offer practical information on a wide variety of teaching, learning and leadership topics. Starting in January 2025, 36 PD titles by Jimmy Casas from ConnectEDD Publishing will be available on the Gale eBooks platform. Popular titles will include:

• Recalibrate The Culture: Our Why…Our Work…Our Values by Jimmy Casas  

• Recalibrate the Culture (Action Guide) by Jimmy Casas 

• The Generative Age: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education by Alana Winnick  

• Words on the Wall: Culturizing Your Classroom For Observable Impact by Jimmy Casas & Cale Birk  

• Daily Inspiration for Educators: Positive Thoughts for Every Day of the Year by Jimmy Casas  

• Handle with Care: Managing Difficult Situations in Schools with Dignity and Respect by Jimmy Casas & Joy Kelly

“We are excited to partner with ConnectEDD Publishing and bring Jimmy Casas’ invaluable PD resources to our eBooks platform,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “This partnership aligns with our mission to provide educators with the best tools and digital content to enhance their professional learning and ultimately improve student outcomes.”

ConnectEDD Publishing’s PD resources on the Gale eBooks platform offer districts and educators:

• Comprehensive, Unlimited & Simultaneous Access: Districts and educators will have non-restrictive, seamless digital access to a wide range of professional learning resources, including books, guides and training materials authored by Jimmy Casas and other key authors.
• Enhanced Professional Growth: The resources will support educators in their continuous professional growth, helping them to develop leadership skills and implement effective educational strategies.
• Convenient and Flexible Learning: The Gale eBooks platform allows educators to access materials anytime, anywhere, making PD more convenient and adaptable to their schedules.
• High-Quality Professional Learning Content: Access to an exceptional digital collection of PD resources from Jimmy Casas and ConnectEDD authors to support the professional learning needs of districts and educators. 

Gale eBooks is a comprehensive eBooks platform that provides access to a vast collection of authoritative and curriculum-aligned resources across various subjects and disciplines. The platform offers an intuitive interface, powerful cross-search capabilities, and seamless integration with learning management systems, making it an essential tool for educators and students alike. With Gale eBooks, users can easily access, share and collaborate on educational content, fostering a more dynamic and interactive learning experience. The platform aggregates the best in research-based professional learning content from publishers such as ASCD, ConnectEDD Publishing, Corwin, Solution Tree, ISTE, Dave Burgess Consulting and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

For more information on ConnectEDD Publishing’s PD resources on the Gale eBooks platform, visit our web page.

About Cengage Group and Gale

Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.

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About ConnectEDD Publishing

ConnectEDD Publishing is dedicated to providing high-quality professional development resources for educators. Founded by Jimmy Casas, the company focuses on empowering school leaders and educators with the knowledge and tools needed to create positive and effective learning environments.

BOSTON (Dec. 11, 2024) – In 2024, more than 2,600 districts, schools, and state departments purchased or renewed licenses to Lexia Aspire™ Professional Learning or the Lexia LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional learning programs. Offered by Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, and grounded in the science of reading, both professional learning programs empower educators with the knowledge and skills they need to strengthen students’ literacy skills.

“Thirty-two state departments, over 950 schools, and 1,680 districts acquired or renewed either Lexia Aspire or Lexia LETRS programs during this year,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde. “It has been rewarding to see so many institutions investing in supporting educators develop a deeper understanding of how children learn to read.”

Aspire is a flexible, self-paced digital solution that helps educators apply science-based strategies that accelerate literacy skills among students in grades 4-8 across disciplines and all levels of literacy competencies. The program, available 24/7, is designed to support all upper elementary and middle school educators, including content area teachers, classroom teachers, interventionists, speech pathologists and English language arts educators. The Aspire solution helps educators quickly build the depth of skills needed to support students who are ‘reading to learn’ but have not yet mastered the foundational reading skills required to learn, comprehend, and articulate ideas across various subjects.

The Lexia LETRS Suite provides practical support with tools that are available 24/7—online and in print. It also offers professional learning sessions led by national experts. Developed by Dr. Louisa Moats and leaders in the field of evidence-based literacy, these sessions provide classroom application examples of the learning and refine and extend participants’ understanding of the content. The suite offers the following courses of study:

• Lexia LETRS for Elementary Educators
• Lexia LETRS for Early Childhood Educators
• Lexia LETRS for Administrators

One of the districts that renewed licenses for LETRS training is Henry County Schools in Georgia. The district has made the courses of study available to K-5 teachers as well as district administrators, principals, assistant principals, and instructional coaches.

Dr. Shaakira Akbar, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, emphasized the alignment of LETRS with the district’s goals outlined in HCBOE policies, the Community-Inspired Strategic Plan, and HCBOE-adopted Priority Student Outcomes. “After researching different programs, LETRS stood out as the perfect choice,” said Dr. Akbar. “It offers a solid, in-depth demonstration of how to teach reading, explaining how the brain works, why it matters, and how to apply that knowledge effectively in the classroom.” Dr. Akbar also praised the rubrics and assessments in the courses of study. “It tells teachers what we’re looking for. It helps principals guide and lead and manage,” she said. “Strength of reading is so important. It’s the door to everything.”

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 About Lexia

Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is a leader in science of reading-based solutions. For 40 years, the company has focused on pre-K-12 literacy and today provides solutions for students and educators. With a complete offering of professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment, Lexia helps more learners read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.

About Cambium Learning Group

Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now. To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia, Learning A-Z, ExploreLearning, and Time4Learning.