Call for Annual Conference Session Proposals

Note: The deadline to submit an Annual Conference session proposal has now passed. For those who have submitted a proposal, you will be notified by August 16, 2024, if your presentation proposal is selected to be a session at the conference.

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is seeking conference session proposals to share and highlight the exemplary work by state boards on critical education issues at its Annual Conference, October 23-25, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky.

A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances. NASBE’s mission, values, and theory of change reflect our steadfast commitment to empowering members with the services and tools they need to create the conditions for all students in their states to achieve excellence across multiple domains.

What Is the NASBE Annual Conference?

NASBE’s Annual Conference empowers state board members to leverage their role as leaders for equity and excellence. Attended by state board members from across the nation, along with leading education experts, the NASBE Annual Conference is the only conference designed specifically for state board members. It typically draws about 150–200 attendees.

Annual Conference attendees will have the opportunity to:

• learn from renowned subject-matter experts and reflect on how the information shared can help state boards lead during this pivotal time in public education,
• analyze research, evidence, and policy solutions that the state board can bring to bear on pressing challenges facing public education,
• gain insight into how state boards can leverage their role in the education ecosystem to lead for equity and excellence, and
• build relationships with peers in other states with whom they can share approaches for renewal and recovery of state education systems.

This year, the Annual Conference will be held in‐person only in Louisville, Kentucky. Conference sessions will mostly be held during the day on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2024. NASBE’s Annual Business meeting occurs on the late afternoon of October 25, 2024. Details about the conference (as they come) can be found here.

Who Attends the NASBE Annual Conference?

The audience will mostly consist of state board members. Other stakeholders who attend NASBE conferences include state education agency staff, advocates, researchers, policy experts, press, nonprofit representatives, and NASBE funders. The NASBE conference is a tremendous opportunity to connect with state education leaders, leading education experts, and practitioners sharing perspectives from the field.

What Should Be Included in Session Proposal?

Please download our full proposal guide. Session proposals should include contact information for for the session lead/presenter, as well as speaker biographies, proposed title and session description, format, learning objectives, connection to state boards, and alignment with “conference tracks.”

NASBE conference evaluations consistently rate interactive, engaging sessions on a relevant topic or problem of practice the highest. Sessions that include policymakers, in particular state board members alongside researchers and practitioners, also receive consistently high ratings. Audience members appreciate learning from diverse perspectives on a topic, with lively debate among panelists that highlight both areas of common ground and areas of divergence. State board members favor sessions that focus not only on the “what” of a policy issue but also the “how” of implementing change. Sessions that are led by state board members and/or include state board members on a panel are consistently referenced during state board meetings and presentations that follow the NASBE Annual Conference.

When are Proposals Due?

NASBE welcomes session proposals from those interested in equipping state boards with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to lead for equity and excellence in public education. Proposals must be submitted to communications@nasbe.org by June 21, 2024. You will be notified by August 16, 2024, if your presentation proposal is selected to be a session at the conference.

How are Proposals Selected?

The proposal selection process is highly competitive. Less than 35 percent of submitted proposals are selected for presentation. NASBE selects a limited number of proposals reflecting a mix of topics and formats. For 2024, there are approximately 15 to 20 available slots on the conference agenda. NASBE’s Conference Planning Committee and staff evaluate proposals based on following criteria:

• relevance to priority strands that also feature the actual work of state boards of education;
• qualifications of presenters and panelists;
• collaboration among organizations to provide diverse perspectives across the practice, research, and policy, continuum; and
• extent to which a session is designed to engage state board members and other audience participants in discussion.

Submitters are encouraged to collaborate with their partners and state leaders to develop proposals that include diverse presenters and leverage a range of policy, practice, and research expertise. Given the limited number of agenda slots, accepted sessions featuring a presenter or group of presenters from a single organization will be limited to one per organization.

Want to Learn More?

NASBE will host an informal Q&A with prospective submitters on Friday, June 7, 2024, at 1 pm ET. After a brief presentation on the call for proposals, we will answer questions, provide feedback on session ideas, and connect prospective submitters working on similar proposals. Register here to join the event.