The following is a list of recent resources for those focused on the professional improvement of teachers, principals, and other educational leaders.

Five Surprising Facts About Jason Botel, Trump’s Pick for Senior White House Adviser on Education — Jason Botel was tapped to serve as a senior White House adviser for education. Botel, generally viewed as a progressive, has been engaged in education reform for decades. The 74 gave a brief rundown of Botel’s career highlights and positions on education issues.

Advocacy on Teacher Prep Regs Yields House Resolution to Rescind; More Outreach Needed Thanks to the tireless advocacy efforts of AACTE members and many other colleagues and partners, action is happening on Capitol Hill affecting the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations for teacher preparation programs. Deborah Koolbeck reports on House Joint Resolution 58 and provides a link to an AACTE Action Alert that helps you ask your members of Congress to rescind the regulations.

Are You an Emerging Leader? — ASCD Emerging Leaders are educators who have been in the profession for 5-15 years and demonstrate their passion for learning, teaching, and leadership through ASCD’s two year leadership program. Learn more about the Emerging Leaders Program and apply online now through March 31, 2017.

Leading for Equity: Opportunities for State Education Chiefs is a set of 10 commitments to help state education chiefs take action to advance educational equity in their states. As states plan for the new flexibility authorized by ESSA, state education chiefs have a critical role to play in articulating a positive, proactive equity agenda that ensures all studentsregardless of background or circumstanceshave the opportunity to succeed in school and in life. The commitments provide a comprehensive approach to achieving equity for all students in a state, from embedding equity goals in the state strategic plan, to investing in our youngest learners, to ensuring equitable access to effective educators and advanced courses.

Leading for Equity: Opportunities for State Education Chiefs — At our panel on Thursday, the state education chiefs from Wisconsin, Mississippi, Minnesota, Illinois, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania each committed to moving forward on the Leading for Equity recommendations, and we expect to hear from many more. Video of our panel discussion is available online.

#StatesLeading and #EdEquity  State chiefs stepping up for equity is an inspiring example of leadership, but the most important work lies ahead, as we work to turn these commitments into positive change for students. Read the report and think about your commitment to equity and your role in helping state leaders achieve this vision.

ESSA Thinkers Meeting Insights: Process is key to developing state plans — This special report summarizes big-picture ideas captured during Education Commission of the States’ ESSA Thinkers Meeting and also provides state examples and additional resources.

Schools Vouchers: Things to consider — This Ed Note blog post comes from Hunter Railey, a policy researcher at Education Commission of the States, and highlights questions that policymakers may want to consider prior to approaching voucher programs in their state.

Teachers Would Have to Demonstrate Ability to Teach Under Bill Headed to UT Senate — The state of Utah would require educators who seek teaching licenses to pass a teacher pedagogical assessment under a bill unanimously approved Friday by the Utah Legislature’s Senate Education Committee. (Deseret News, Jan. 28)

OH Gov. John Kasich Proposes Adding Business Experts to Local School Boards — A proposal from Ohio Gov. John Kasich would add three non-voting members to every local school board to keep them apprised of the needs of the business community. The idea is one of several proposed by the Kasich administration in its 2017-2018 budget to bolster work training programs and Ohio’s workforce. (Cleveland.com, Feb. 2)

See How States Plan to Approach Equity  How can state chiefs take the lead on improving equity for all students? The Council of Chief State School Officers and the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program released a list of recommendations Thursday—included in a report called “Leading for Equity: Opportunities for State Education Chiefs”—to address that question. (Education Week, Feb. 2)

CO – How a Rural Preschool Overcame an Industrywide Challenge and Paid Teachers More — The changes came out of a years-long process by the 10-member board to better match staff salaries with those of local school district employees. The effort represents a unique victory in a field where low wages are the norm and some child care employees earn so little they qualify for public assistance. (Chalkbeat, Feb. 3)

Register Now for the 2017 Arts Education Partnership State Policy Symposium! On Saturday, March 18, the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), in collaboration with Americans for the Arts and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will host the one-day 2017 AEP State Policy Symposium at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The AEP State Policy Symposium includes panel discussions, workshops and other offerings on how the arts can lead the way to student success. Join us for this unique opportunity to engage in conversations about the changing political landscape of education, as well as federal and state opportunities for the arts in education.

How Can We Engage Families for Systems Change in Early Childhood  Engaging families for systems change: The Center for the Study of Social Policy hosted a webinar to share insights and strategies from a new toolkit focusing on how to engage parents as leaders.  To listen to the recording now.

Bridging the Two Communities Problem — Our latest Ed Note blog post comes from guest author Jonathan Supovitz, with the University of Pennsylvania and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), and discusses how CPRE’s new initiative, the CPRE Knowledge Hub, is working to help bring the research and policy communities closer together.

Six Education Policy Areas Where Betsy DeVos’ Views Still Aren’t Clear — Education Week reports on six education policy issue areas where President Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, views are still unclear.

Madigan Intervenes In Department Of Education Case To Protect Higher Education Students  On January 24, Attorney General Lisa Madigan moved to intervene in a lawsuit to assure that federal recognition of a national accreditor of many of the worst schools in the for-profit industry remains revoked. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) filed the lawsuit after the Department of Education terminated ACICS’s recognition as a national accreditor based on the organization’s failure to comply with a host of criteria, including failing to develop and implement student achievement standards that measure students’ success in their chosen field.