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Preparing Leaders

Preparing Leaders

Navigating the New FAFSA: A Guide for Students and Educators

The White House and the Department of Education hosted a National FAFSA Week of Action last week, April 15-19, 2024, and highlighted it’s new FAFSA website and financial aid application form for prospective college students. It’s crucial for students and educators alike to understand the significance of this system. Building off the FAFSA week of […]

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IEL Applauds Key Investments for Full Service Community Schools, other Funding to Support Children and Families in President’s FY25 Budget Proposal 

March 12, 2024 President Biden released his fiscal year 2025 budget request yesterday, outlining the Administration’s plan for critical investments in public education to support post-pandemic recovery and overcome inequities increasingly exacerbated by historic inflation and systematic underfunding of marginalized communities. IEL celebrates this proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 as it seeks to expand

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Embracing Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024: A Call to Transformative Leadership

By Eddie Koen, President of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) As we come together on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., venerated as the focal point of the civil rights movement, it is a time not only to reflect on the profound legacy of Dr. King but also to envision a future where

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IEL and Coalition for Community Schools Statement on The Biden-Harris Administration’s $74 Million Expansion of Full-Service Community Schools

November 30, 2023For Immediate Release Media Contact:Mia Perry PerryM@iel.org The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL)made the following statement following The U.S. Department of Education announcement of $74 million in Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants this week: Eddie Koen, President of IEL, expressed, “We applaud the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to expanding Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) across the

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Level Up for Success! IEL to Host National Community Schools & Family Engagement Conference Kickoff Event in Atlanta with Community Partners

October 11, 2023 Atlanta, GA – The Institute for Educational Leadership is excited to host the Kickoff Event for the 2024 National Community Schools & Family Engagement Conference this week on October 13th in Atlanta. The 2024 National Community Schools & Family Engagement Conference (CSxFE), scheduled for May 29 – 31, 2024, in Atlanta is

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Opinion: Showering School Districts with Money Means Nothing If We Aren’t Engaging Communities

S. Kwesi Rollins, Senior Vice President for Leadership and Engagement  Despite billions of dollars allocated in federal aid to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of challenges persist that have hindered progress in reading and math for elementary and middle-school students. The pandemic created two years of unprecedented disruptions to typical school-based

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August 2023 IEL Federal Policy Update 

Policy by the People Agenda  Summary of federal policy action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month  I: What Borrowers Should Know as Student Loan Payments Restart: The student loan pause that began in March 2020 is set to end in August. Student loan forgiveness repayments are expected to resume after

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IEL Builds on Over 3 Decades of Advocacy to Support People and Youth with Disabilities

Pictured above: Youth and adults from IEL’s Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) pose in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial during the 2023 RAMP Annual Meeting. 33 years ago today, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. This legislation enabled people that were, and still are, categorically discriminated against,

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September 2022 IEL Federal Policy Update

Policy by the People Agenda  Summary of federal policy action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month  Student Debt Relief Plan: On August 24th, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a three-part plan to help student loan borrowers pay back their debt, including: forgiving up-to $20,000 in federal student loans, extending the student

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IEL Applauds Biden Administration’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan, Calls for More Actions to Make College More Affordable

August 24, 2022 The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) applauds President Biden’s announcement today to forgive student loan debt for many Americans, while also encouraging policymakers to curb increasing tuition costs of higher education.  President Biden announced he will cancel up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 forgiveness for most other

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After 8 Years of Leadership and Service, National Director of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program Passes Baton to IEL Senior Director of Policy

(Washington DC, August 18, 2022) The Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP™) National Director Dr. Helen Janc Malone will be transitioning from her role after eight years, and will be succeeded by colleague Mary Kingston Roche, Senior Director of Policy at IEL.  EPFP is a nationally recognized fellowship program that engages a diverse and

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IEL Supports Self-Advocates at Florida Advocacy Summit

 IEL staff joined the Family Café to facilitate the first Florida Advocacy Summit (funded through the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council), which included self-advocates with disabilities, family members, and allies. Together, the attendees created advocacy action plans to address barriers to affordable, accessible housing and transportation for people with disabilities in Florida.   The IEL team designed

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August 2022 IEL Federal Policy Update

Policy by the People Agenda Summary of federal policy action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R.8450): On July 20th, the House Committee on Education and Labor released the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, to address the issue of child

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Partners for Community College Student Success and Economic Growth in Appalachia

The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) hosted a 3-day virtual convening, Partners for Community College Student Success and Economic Growth in Appalachia, designed to bring together experts and learners from across Appalachia to lift up partnerships that grow enrollment, increase student success, and provide a workforce that promotes economic development and regional prosperity. Participants heard

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IEL’s 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference Reflects, Transforms, and Soars with 3,500 Educators and Practitioners in L.A.

By Eddie Koen  Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining over 3,500 people at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where we came together to share, learn, and inspire one another in the work we do to build leadership around educational equity. For many, it was the first time in almost three years we

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June 2022 IEL Federal Policy Update

Policy by the People Agenda  Summary of legislative action this past month and a look-ahead to the next few weeks/month  ED’s New Efforts and Resources for Supporting Mental Health and Students With Disabilities: On May 23rd the Department of Education hosted the virtual summit From Recovery to Thriving: Supporting Mental Health and Students with Disabilities.

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IEL Calls on Leaders to Take an Active Stand for LGBTQIA+ Youth During Pride Month and Beyond

IEL works collaboratively to increase access to education and workforce opportunities, so all children and families can create the lives they want to live. By partnering with community leaders across different ages, experience levels, and sectors, IEL’s fulfills its mission to ensure that all voices—including those of youth, communities of color, and people with disabilities—are

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IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program Graduates its 58th Cohort

Fellowship program supports education leaders to promote equitable education policy (Washington DC, May 31, 2022) The Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP™) is graduating its 58th cohort of Fellows this spring.  EPFP is a nationally recognized fellowship program that engages a diverse and collaborative community of strategic leaders to promote equitable education

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The Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference in L.A. to Bring Together over 3,000 Educators and Practitioners

Press Release May 18, 2022  Practitioners from Across Education Ecosystem Coming Together to Advance Effective Strategies for Student Outcomes (Los Angeles, June 1 – 3rd) – The 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference is happening June 1st – 3rd at the Los Angeles Convention Center, hosted by the Institute for Educational Leadership, and

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IEL says “See you later – not goodbye” to Tauheedah Jackson, Director of Place-Based Strategy and Community School Initiatives, as she transitions to New Role

The IEL team congratulates Tauheedah Jackson, our Director of Place-Based Strategy and Community School Initiatives, as she begins her transition to a new role at Harvard’s EdRedesign Lab as the Inaugural Director of its Institute for Success Planning. We are forever grateful for all Tauheedah has done for our organization during her time at IEL,

IEL says “See you later – not goodbye” to Tauheedah Jackson, Director of Place-Based Strategy and Community School Initiatives, as she transitions to New Role Read More »

IEL Statement on Latest Slaughter of School Children in Texas Shooting

Massacre is the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 May 24th, 2022 Today we all mourn the devastating loss of 19 children and two adults that were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Our work at the The Institute for Educational Leadership centers on children and the

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Videos on Youth Leadership & Youth-Adult Partnerships

IEL’s National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released two videos featuring members of its National Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT). In the video You Can Lead Too!: Youth Perspectives on Leadership young leaders share insights on what it means to be a leader and advocate. In the video Developing Successful Youth-Adult Partnerships

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