Registration is now open for the popular ACSA Academy Program, which provides a solid foundation of training in the application of leadership and management fundamentals in 10 leadership specializations. These academies help you build the administrative and leadership skills needed in your current job, while preparing you to take advantage of career advancement opportunities.

Register early, as cohorts are limited to the first 30 registrants. Academies begin early September through early October. Visit acsa.org/academies to register and for more information.

Learn more about ACSA’s Academies by perusing the FAQs below.

What are the benefits of academy participation? Academies offer a number of distinctive professional learning benefits including:

• Sustained, job-embedded professional learning that is supported by extensive materials and resources, and extended professional networking.
• ACSA Academy Certificate of Completion: highly respected statewide for premier professional development for school administrators.
• Academy hours may be used toward satisfying professional development requirements for the clear administrative services credential (see additional credentialing information on page 7 of the 2023-24 Academy Catalog).

What time do the Academy sessions meet? Typically, Academy Weekends for 70- to 100-hour academies include 10 hours of professional learning and networking for seven to 10 weekends. Academy Weekends for 35-hour academies meet for seven hours on five Saturdays. Generally, you can expect an Academy weekend to convene on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note that meeting times may vary for individual academy cohorts. How many Academy specializations are there? Academies range in duration from 35 to 100 hours (see individual academy descriptions online for additional details). In 2023-24, there will be 28 cohorts in these 10 leadership specializations:

• Classified Educational Leaders.
• Co-Administrators.
• Curriculum & Instructional Leaders.
• Equity Administrators.
• Personnel Administrators.
• Principals.
• Pupil Services.
• School Business.
• Special Education.
• Superintendents.

Is additional executive professional learning available for superintendents? ACSA offers two premier executive professional learning programs for superintendents: the Superintendents Academy (designed for aspiring and year 1 superintendents) and the New Superintendents Seminar Series (designed for year 1 and year 2 superintendents). To learn more about NSSS, including a comparison of both programs, visit acsa.org/nsss. What Academy Program formats are offered? The academy program will continue to expand opportunities statewide for enhancing job-embedded professional learning by offering multiple program formats: online, hybrid and in-person. See the Academy Catalog online for an in-depth description of these formats. What is ACSA’s equity lens in the Academy Program? At ACSA, we believe that every child deserves access and opportunity to quality teaching and learning every day, regardless of his or her ZIP code or family income. Socioeconomic conditions, race, gender, ethnic background, and other factors should not be barriers for educational attainment. ACSA’s mission statement is fundamental to our approach in being the driving force for an equitable, world-class education system, and the development of educational leaders in achieving equity. We believe that school leaders must be intentional and deliberate in disrupting inequities that continue to perpetuate the disparities among student groups. In the ACSA Academy Program, in every leadership specialization, effective professional learning plays a vital role in expanding participants’ capacity for equity-minded leadership. How do I register? New this year, each participant must log into their ACSA member account to begin the registration process. Pre-registration is required for all ACSA academies. Visit acsa.org/academies to get started. How many cohorts can I register for? Participants may register for one Academy cohort per year. Which academy should I attend? The Academy Catalog contains a helpful chart that lists which academies should be attended by administrators in specific job categories — as well as by administrators who aspire to attain a position in a job category other than their own. Use the chart and the academy calendar to plan professional learning for your career development for the upcoming school year. Is financial assistance available? Academy scholarships are awarded exclusively for academy participation. Eligible individuals are regular ACSA members who have a commitment to educational quality, student achievement and professional growth, who can demonstrate a financial need, and who have not previously been awarded an Academy scholarship. Eight $500 scholarships and one $1,000 scholarship (for superintendents only) will be awarded to recipients selected by the Academy Scholarship Selection Committee. Applications and related materials must be submitted directly to state ACSA through the 2023-24 Academy Scholarship Application link by Monday, July 10, 2023. Recipients will be notified in writing by July 28, 2023. Please email Trish Elmore at telmore@acsa.org with any questions.

Jump start your career with ACSA Professional Learning.