Explore the benefits of competency-based education in this inspiring, informative session featuring Tammy Heflebower, EdD, senior scholar from Marzano Research. As leaders, we are in a constant dilemma when it comes to teaching and learning: How can we ensure graduates have the basic knowledge and skills essential for sustainable careers and still meet the requirements within our current clock hour-based licensure program? 

This session sponsored by Pivot Point will help thought leaders gain an understanding of important new thinking to solve this dilemma by:

• Identifying the qualities of highly reliable organizations
• Understanding the potential benefits of competency-based education for cosmetology learners and leaders alike
• Increasing consistency from state to state and graduate to graduate by establishing a common set of standards and performance assessments that capture the knowledge and skills of competent cosmetologists
• Creating a proficiency scale that clearly articulates the knowledge and skills necessary

It's not too late - register for the 2017 School Leaders Summit today.

Do you or one of your educators want a chance to present at this year’s CEA & AMP Annual Convention? Create an 8-minute session on how you refuel your students’ passion in your school. Then, record and submit a 2-minute video explaining what you will teach, how you will deliver it, and how you will inspire your audience. Three winners will win an all-expenses paid trip to Vegas to be on stage in front of educators from across the United States. Visit this page to get all the details, and enter by May 15, to win!

On Snapchat, users can interact with filters they put over their photos and post to their story. Geofilters are overlays that are available only within a certain geographic area. What’s the goal? This is all about awareness and exposure to your brand. As social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk put it, ".... a custom Snapchat geofilter is a branded impression on steroids. Too many of you are not excited about Snapchat filters because it’s not something that’s clickable and trackable to a transaction. This is classic branding and needs to be understood. Sometimes it’s about the long game; not immediate ROI."

Read more about how to set up geofilters for your school from digital experts Oozle Media.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Beauty Changes Lives│Murad Esthetics Scholarship. Scholarship winners and their respective schools are:

• Yvette Bosch, Bellus Academy, El Cajon, CA
• Chini Davis, Christine Valmy International School, New York City, NY
• Kelly Densberger, Penrose Academy, Scottsdale, AZ
• Crystal Freeman, Bellus Academy, Manhattan, KS
• Bryana Fugitt, International School of Skin, Nailcare and Massage Therapy, Atlanta, GA
• Magdalena Hernandez-Espitia, Phagan’s Cosmetology Colleges, Salem, OR
• Analisa Martin, Glen Dow Academy, Spokane, WA
• Michelle Matthews, Casal Aveda Institute, Austintown, OH
• Christie Russell, Casal Aveda Institute, Austintown, OH
• Mikayla Smariege, Douglas J. Aveda Institute, E. Lansing, MI

Of specific interest to schools, AB 195 in Nevada was voted on 37 to 1 last week. The bill reduces the requirements for cosmetology instructor licensure by eliminating a current requirement of one year of experience as a cosmetologist or as a licensed student instructor. The bill stipulates that instructors receive "a minimum of 700 hours of training as a student instructor or 500 hours of training as an instructor or as a licensed provisional instructor in a licensed school of cosmetology."

Read more about this bill and others in this week’s AACS State Relations Update.

Adapting to a game-changing regulatory environment, improving retention strategies, increasing graduate employment rates, and re-thinking admissions processes continue to be top challenges in career education.  AACS Online Training Center can help you with these challenges.