Collaborating with Area Education Agencies in Iowa
Area education agencies (AEAs) are regional service providers in Iowa that support school districts by providing special education services and a range of school improvement supports.
Given the central role that AEAs play in supporting Iowa’s school districts and students, the Iowa Department of Education (Iowa DOE) is developing new processes to strengthen area education agency accreditation and continuous improvement. These processes are intended to provide clearer expectations, more consistent oversight, and more meaningful feedback to AEAs across the state.
The Iowa DOE is partnering with the Midwest Comprehensive Center to build consistent, uniform guidance AEAs can use to provide districts and students with the support they deserve.
Midwest CC will support the Iowa DOE by:
- Creating tools and resources to help AEAs understand their responsibilities;
- Uncovering the evidence the Iowa DOE needs to make data-driven decisions around accreditation; and
- Leading professional learning opportunities to introduce new tools, methods, and best practices.
Through this collaboration, Iowa will ensure that its AEAs have clear, consistent guidance on how best to serve their districts and students.
