Weekly Field Memo: Recent News and Items of Interest From the Agency

Content:

Save the Date: Read Vermont Summit on August 17, 2026

Audience: Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Principals, Educators

The Vermont Agency of Education invites you to save the date for the first-ever Read Vermont Summit, co-sponsored by the AOE, on August 17, 2026, at the Killington Grand Hotel. Join national literacy experts and Vermont schools leading the way in literacy improvement for a day of shared learning, celebration, and connection to kick off the school year. The Agency is coordinating with Vermont education professional associations to organize a registration process that will reserve spots for each SU/SD. Registration and full event details will be available in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please save the date and plan to join us to build momentum heading into the new school year.

Contact: Emily Lesh at [email protected]

U.S. Presidential Scholars Program National Semifinalists Announced

Audience: High School Educators and Administrators

The 627 U.S. Presidential Scholars semifinalists have been announced from the more than 3.7 million nominees nationwide. The state of Vermont has seven of those semifinalists in this highly selective and prestigious program. Later this summer, the U.S. Department of Education will announce the two finalists from each state. To learn more about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and its history, visit U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

Below are the seven Vermont semifinalists and their high school:

• Aya Addington (Burr and Burton Academy)
• Alaina Allard (Fair Haven Union High School)
• *Gina Kim (South Burlington High School)
• Daniel Mann (Thetford Academy)
• Clay Nicholson (Champlain Valley Union High School)
• Isabelle Owens (Essex High School)
• Elijah Renner (Thetford Academy)

*Semifinalist for U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education. Please visit the Vermont Presidential Scholars page to learn more about the Vermont program and its recipients.

Contact: Ryan Parkman at [email protected]

Social Studies Conference: Call for Proposals

Audience: K-12 educators, CTE educators, afterschool providers, community members

The Vermont Alliance for the Social Studies (VASS) will host its annual conference on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at the Capitol Plaza/Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier. VASS is now soliciting proposals for the numerous breakout sessions which will be held throughout the day. Last year, over 160 people attended the conference. All are encouraged to submit a workshop proposal. For more information visit the VASS website or Facebook page. Please email with any questions at [email protected]

Contact: Martha Deiss at [email protected]

UVM - School Violence Prevention Summer Course

Audience: School staff, school community members

The University of Vermont is offering a summer course in school violence prevention entitled Special Education: Preventing School Shootings. This course is an asynchronous online course and is open to all who are interested. For more information, please see the UVM course website or email Justin Garwood.

Contact: Justin Garwood, UVM Professor, at [email protected].

The VT Agency of Education is hiring

Audience: All Administrators, Educators and communities

The Vermont Agency of Education is hiring. To support our ongoing recruitment efforts and keep the field informed, all current open positions at the Agency will now be shared in the Weekly Field Memo (WFM). We encourage you to review, share, and distribute these opportunities throughout your schools, districts, and professional networks. View four current openings on the VT Careers website. Thank you for helping us spread the word and connect talented professionals with meaningful work in Vermont education!
The following positions have been posted: