Susan Gentz

Susan Gentz is a partner at K20Connect, a consulting consortium of experts focused on education leadership, technology, and policy. Susan comes from a strong policy background as a former staffer in the United States Senate and legislative aide in the Iowa House of Representatives. Along with experience at both federal and state levels, she served as the deputy executive director for the Center for Digital Education, worked for a government relations firm in Arlington, Virginia, and worked on federal and state education policy at iNACOL, where she wrote published reports to move the field forward with innovative learning models, best practices, and policy recommendations.

3 min read

Elmo is Checking In

The headlines keep pouring in. New data on the mental health of our students, and even our red furry friend, Elmo, checking in and getting an earful and eyeful of responses, with many being answers of hopelessness or despair. One answer summed it up...

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side view of girl's face with brain area highlighted in color

2 min read

Understanding Accelerated Brain Aging and Its Impact on Mental Health

Student’s brains are physically changing. This seems like an incredible thing to say, but it’s true. In a recent study done by Biological Psychiatry:...

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Dollar bills on book pile

3 min read

Racing Against the Clock: Spending and Obligating Stimulus Dollars

The Education Stabilization Fund and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund have provided funding to help with challenges faced by...

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Graduation cap atop U.S. dollar bills

1 min read

Emergency Education Funding: Where Are We Now?

We all know the past two years have been a wild ride, and none of us are certain when it will stop being full of so many highs and lows. All of the...

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Graphic of a lightbulb, target, and hand with money

2 min read

Mind, Mission, and Money

How can your district put stimulus funding into action to enhance the look and feel of education in the post-COVID-19 era? How might you resource...

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2 min read

American Rescue Plan Provides Funds for Student Well-Being

President Biden completed his first major promise in office: getting Congress to pass the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, known as the American...

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Education funding; piggy bank with money

2 min read

American Rescue Plan: $130B for Education Relief

Just as the education world is deciphering the last round of stimulus funds, President Joe Biden announced $130 billion for education relief once he...

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Stimulus and Omnibus: Funding Education in 2021

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Stimulus and Omnibus: Funding Education in 2021

The House and Senate both passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, a $2.3 trillion package that is essentially two bills. One is a $900...

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Education funding graphic

2 min read

CARES Act State Set-Asides and Student Mental Health Support

In March 2020, the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law to help states and localities survive through the...

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