As we continue moving forward together, the agency is wrapping up our monthly series designed to help all staff better understand our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan – and, just as importantly, what it means for your work every day.
Whether you support students directly, work in operations, provide professional learning, or serve behind the scenes – this series is meant to help CRAEA staff see how our shared goals and values align with the many ways we serve.
Strategic Plan Overview
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) partner with local schools to provide high-quality, research-backed support for learners (birth–21), educators, and communities. Driven by their core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Relationships, Excellence and Sustainability (CARES), the 2025–2030 plan targets three goals: creating safe and welcoming environments, closing learning and opportunity gaps and standardizing service quality across the state.
Summaries of Goals 1 & 2
- Goal 1: Safe & Welcoming Schools: The AEA helps schools build positive classroom cultures and improve student behavior. They do this by training and coaching teachers to use effective behavior plans and crisis response systems. Success is measured by tracking drops in chronic absenteeism, suspensions and the use of physical restraints or isolation.
- Goal 2: Closing Learning Gaps This goal focuses on giving every student an equal chance to succeed academically. The AEA trains educators to deliver high-quality, specialized instruction tailored to student needs. Success is measured by looking at growth in early reading and math tests, ensuring equal student access to advanced high school courses and tracking how much of the school day students with special needs spend in general education classrooms.
Final Video – Focus on Goal 3: Ensure consistent quality in the delivery of AEA services to Iowa’s accredited schools
This goal ensures that all accredited schools receive the same reliable, top-tier support from the AEA system, regardless of their location.
- The Objectives: Elevate staff effectiveness through proven training and improve how young children needing special education are identified and supported early on.
- The Actions: Provide unified, agency-wide training for AEA staff , and standardize student evaluations and service delivery across all nine regional agencies.
- The Measurements: Success will be tracked by testing staff skill growth after training and auditing how accurately and consistently special services are delivered.
All Videos:
- January: Introduction to the Strategic Plan + Mission & Vision – Stan Rheingans, Chief Administrator
- February: Core Values – Karl, Assistant Chief Administrator/Director of Human Resources
- March: Goal #1: Promoting safe, orderly, and welcoming learning environments – Annette Hyde, Executive Director of Special Education
- April: Goal #2: Promote equity in education by closing achievement and opportunity gaps – Tesha Moser-Zimmerman, Executive Director of Educational Services
Thank you for taking time to follow along each month and for the work you do every day to advance our mission. We’re excited to build shared clarity and momentum around the Strategic Plan – and we hope this series helped every staff member feel connected to the bigger picture.