CoSN/AASA EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative: Free Leadership Resources
Several years ago CoSN and AASA joined together to create the EmpowerED Superintendents Initiative to support superintendents and other school leaders in leading technology innovations within their school districts. Over the years many resources have been developed to assist superintendents and school leaders in successfully implementing educational technology initiatives. Listed below are just a few of the free resources that are readily available on the CoSN EmpowerED Superintendents website (https://www.cosn.org/superintendents/).
- Self-Assessment for Superintendents
- Self-Assessment for Chief Technology Officers and Technology Staff
- Self-Assessment District Leadership Team
- Job Description for a Chief Technology Officer or Technology Director
- Interview Questions for Hiring an Educational Technology Leader
- Evaluation Rubric for the Chief Technology Officer
In addition to the items listed above, another very popular, freely available, resource is the collection of “Critical Focus Areas: Issue One-Pagers”. The “One-Pager” documents cover a variety of edtech topics that are written to help superintendents and school leaders effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders on a wide range of critical educational technology topics.
Three examples of the thirteen One-Pager titles that are accessible on the CoSN EmpowerED Superintendents web page (https://www.cosn.org/superintendents/) include:
- Screen Time and EdTech
- Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI
- Strategic Technology Planning and Investment
CoSN/AASA edLeader Panel Broadcasts
CoSN, AASA, and edWeb.net co-host an online edLeader Panel broadcast series, sponsored by ClassLink, to help superintendents, school leaders and educators connect and collaborate.
Season 8 of the EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panel Broadcast series concluded with the March 9, 2026, edLeader Panel broadcast on the topic of Cybersecurity Priorities, Policies, and Practices for K-12 Leaders. The broadcast featured superintendents Kristen Bahr from Peninsula School District (WA), Tom Livezey from Oakridge Public Schools (MI), and Dr. Mary Templeton from Lake Stevens School District (WA). The three superintendents were joined on the panel by Amy McLaughlin, CoSN’s Cybersecurity Project Director.Free access to the recording, podcast version and article for the March 9, 2026 broadcast as well as for multiple other broadcasts in this series are readily available at https://home.edweb.net/supers/.
CoSN 2026 Conference
The CoSN 2026 Conference, whose theme is “Building What’s Next, Together” will take place in Chicago, Illinois from April 13, 2026, through April 15, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. You can view the Pre-Conference Schedule and the “Schedule at a Glance” agenda, as well as learn about accommodations, and also register for the CoSN 2026 Conference at: https://www.cosn.org/cosn2026/.
CoSN Membership: If you, your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN, please contact membership@cosn.org.
