Congratulations to Mrs. Cassie Reding for being selected as a finalist in the Agents For Learning Challenge in Chicago. Per the attached list, Mrs. Reding is the only Kentucky educator selected to participate! We are very proud of her accomplishments and leadership! A full list of finalists, school affiliation, and city/state is on the release. The PR Newswire link to the release is here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/learning-forward-and-nctaf-name-12-finalist-teams-in-agents-for-learning-challenge-300289290.html. Learning Forward is an international association that is devoted to educator professional development. Learning Forward partnered with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future to promote an “Agents for Learning Competition”. The goal of the competition was to engage educator teams in advocating for the best use of federal funding for professional learning under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Mrs. Reding is on a team with 4 other teachers and is sponsored by Hope Street Group. In the application, the team mainly addressed these topics: 1. Analysis of teachers’ primary professional learning needs; 2. An educator-informed theory of action around how to leverage professional learning, to advance teaching and learning; and 3. Specific recommendations for states, districts, and schools to consider as guides to their Consolidated State Plans and/or state and district Title II plans, a requirement of ESSA, and the design of effective professional learning in their systems. Mrs. Reding’s team was selected as a finalist, and they will be flying to Chicago in July where they will present their plan to a board of panelists. As finalists, they are eligible for prizes, professional development awards, and recognition along with the opportunity to influence the implementation of ESSA.