Darlene Kennedy Honored with Statewide Technology & Privacy Award
Darlene Kennedy, our Director of Technology Integration, has received the national 2026 Exemplary Service and Innovation for Technological Advancement Award from the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), alongside co-recipient Jenna Cooper from CIESC.
Darlene was recognized for her leadership in launching the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) Indiana Alliance. The initiative unites all nine Indiana Educational Service Centers to streamline data privacy agreements between school districts and vendors, offer implementation training, and reduce administrative burdens on local schools. See the press release for more details.
She will be formally honored at the 2026 AESA Annual Conference & Expo this December in Orlando.
See the Technology section for more information on free, upcoming student data privacy sessions for your district
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Business Partner Spotlight
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In November, we celebrate National Career Development Month. Helping students discover what they want to do, and get real experience doing it, starts long before graduation. We are proud to partner with Defined and thrilled to spotlight what they can do for your students.
Starting with the Class of 2029, Indiana’s new diploma puts work-based learning at the center of graduation readiness. But finding enough local placements for every student is hard, especially for smaller and rural districts.
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That’s where Defined helps.
Defined Virtual Internships give every high school student a structured, self-paced work-based learning experience, with no host employer required. Students choose a career cluster, meet a virtual industry mentor, build professional skills, and complete hands-on projects drawn from real careers in that cluster.
Each internship closes with reflection, resume and interview prep, and finished work that goes straight into a career portfolio.
Talk to us about your students completing 25 hours of virtual work-based learning
Under the new Indiana diploma, a work-based learning experience must be at least 25 hours to count toward a diploma seal. Let’s map out how Defined Virtual Internships can help your students build toward it, in any building, at any scale.
Discounted rates for NIESC and NWIESC members
Through our partnership with NIESC and NWIESC, member districts receive discounted pricing on Defined.
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Lower your Salt Costs
Winter is right around the corner, and ECPA has newly awarded vendors for both Road Salt and Water Softener Salt. To see how this recent RFP can help lower your costs on these seasonal expenses, please reach out to Ilona Roberts for full contract details and pricing.
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Thankful for School Nutrition
November is a time to reflect on what we are grateful for, and school nutrition professionals are certainly worth celebrating! Thank you to our food service directors, managers, and staff who work every day to serve nutritious meals, support student success, and make a difference in their school communities.
We are grateful to the schools that trust NWIESC Food Services to support and guide them along the way. If your district isn’t currently utilizing our services we would welcome the opportunity to connect and see how we can help. We would be grateful to be a resource for your team.
Thank you for all you do to nourish students and make a difference every day!
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It's no secret there has been a rejuvenated focus on MATH in our state over the past few months. The IDOE has pushed out a number of helpful resources and hosted multiple webinars. These are just a few of the fabulous resources on the IN Learning Lab that ultimately support student learning:
There are many more resources in the IN Tiered System of Supports Mathematics Collection on the Learning Lab. In the midst of the busyness this season brings, remember to check out the Learning Lab for resources and peek at our website for some incredible math PD opportunities!
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Join us for a Regional School Counselor Meeting
and your chance to win an INSCA Membership!
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Connect with fellow school counselors from across the region to collaborate, share successful practices, discuss common challenges, and stay current on initiatives impacting the counseling profession. Build your professional network, gain practical ideas and resources, and leave feeling supported and connected to a community of counselors doing this important work together. Registration is required.
Thursday, November 19 at Lake Station City Hall
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November is Career Development Month
Make career development intentional! Use this month as an opportunity to reflect on your district's current efforts and develop a purposeful K–12 career development plan. Rather than relying on isolated activities or one-time experiences, create a sequence of meaningful opportunities that build upon one another as students progress through each grade level. When career development is woven into the K–12 experience, students have repeated opportunities to explore, reflect, and connect their learning to future possibilities. The goal is to make career development a journey.
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Join Our Monthly STEM Connection Study Council!
This monthly collaborative network will bring together educators and stakeholders to share best practices, examine research-informed strategies, and engage in meaningful professional dialogue focused on high-quality STEM teaching and learning. Through ongoing collaboration, the group aims to support innovative instruction, promote student-centered inquiry, and build collective capacity to improve STEM outcomes across the region.
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Upcoming Dates & Featured Modules
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Computer Science
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Forensics
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Engineering
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Electricity
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Health Science
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Nutrition and Wellness
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Alternative Energy
Contact Laura Unsicker with questions.
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Data privacy falls in the center of legal requirements, community expectations, and ethical considerations. Our school districts need to standardize processes and workflows that prioritize student and staff privacy while complying with federal and state laws. The increased use of digital tools demands a critical focus on what data we are allowing to be shared in exchange for software access. The Indiana Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) Indiana Alliance provides training, guidance, resources, and a platform that can align to the best-fit workflow for your district.
Since Spring of 2026, we have trained 98 Indiana school districts through our 5 FREE, in-person training sessions held around the state. In order to reach everyone, we have created a winter virtual series that allows access to new districts to participate or bring new staff up to speed for districts who have already participated. Through our feedback channels, we have heard many say, "The first time I learned that there was definitely work to be done and the second time I attended, I was able to start planning how we could use the resources to streamline our workflow". Be sure to review the two FREE opportunities below.
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Protecting Student Data & Saving time with the SDPC Indiana Alliance
1-hour Overview
December 10, 2026 | 9am - 10am EST
Managing vendor contracts and protecting student data can feel overwhelming, but Indiana school districts do not have to navigate it alone. Participants will get an overview of the following core concepts:
- Federal expectations of student data privacy
- National Data Privacy Agreements to standardize legally vetted protections without starting from scratch
- Explore the Registry: a database of vendor agreements within the Indiana Alliance & United States
- Access District Resources: Learn how to access the Indiana Alliance’s district roadmap and leverage statewide partnership agreements
This overview is a peek into the upcoming virtual series that will be available for FREE to all Indiana K-12 schools.
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Navigating Student Data Privacy & Registry 2.0
A 3-Part Virtual Series for Indiana K-12 Districts
Designed to take district teams beyond the basics, this FREE virtual deep dive translates foundational student privacy concepts into concrete, operational workflows - emphasizing that progress is about incremental improvement, not immediate perfection.
Across three 90-minute sessions, district teams will review district and federal guidance, explore implementation strategies, streamline third-party vendor Data Privacy Agreements (DPAs), and master the practical implementation of Registry 2.0 by A4L. District teams will leave with ready-to-use templates, governance strategies, and actionable workflows to safeguard student data across their entire digital ecosystem.
Session 1: January 14, 2027
Session 2: February 11, 2027
Session 3: March 4, 2027
Use this opportunity to gather curriculum leaders, building administrators, and technology leaders in one room and use provided resources to review compliance and audit data access, design software application reviews/workflows, and manage vendor data privacy agreements.
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Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
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Dr. Matthew Hicks
Superintendent
School Town of Munster
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Munster is a place where most of the residents have committed to a great education for their children. They moved to Munster for the Schools, they are heavily involved, and they show up at the ballot box to continue to fund Munster at a level that allows the school to engage in best practice and always work to be innovative.
Dr. Matthew Hicks stepped into the superintendent role at the School Town of Munster July 2026. He says, “When you come into a well-oiled machine, figuring out how to double-Dutch in is an interesting problem unto itself. With that said, I have worked to initiate some mental health initiatives including teletherapy for students and families and we are working to stand up a comfort dog program at each of our elementaries simultaneously.”
Dr Hicks wants Munster to continue to have tremendous success where it counts, in their academic data, while becoming the type of place that continues to see generations of its children choose to stay for their working years and to raise families of their own.
“It is wonderful to lead a team of dedicated educators who strive every day to help our students find their own version of success. It has been an incredibly joyful endeavor. “
When asked what he liked to do in his spare time, Dr. Hicks said “I was unaware that I was allowed spare time. You guys get spare time?” When the magic of spare time arrives, he likes to spend time with his wife and kids, exploring the culinary delights of NW Indiana and Chicagoland. He also likes to watch the Boilermakers, Colts, Bears, and Cubs. One of the cool things about being closer to the city is that he made it to Wrigley five times this season. “I hope to make it six times next season (which will, of course, be our year).”
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56535 Magnetic Drive Mishawaka, IN 46545 | (574)254-0111
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