NASBE’s Annual Conference empowers state board members to leverage their role in the education ecosystem to lead for equity and excellence. Attended by state board members from across the nation, along with leading experts, the NASBE Annual Conference is the only conference designed specifically for state board members.
This year, the Annual Conference will be held in-person only, October 26-29, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. Watch this space for all the details for this year’s conference!
We look forward to seeing you at NASBE's 2022 Annual Conference! The conference will be held in-person only.
Registration Fees (Early Bird Registration ends September 26!)
Member Rates
- Full Conference, Early Bird: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NCOSEA: $500 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $600)
- NCSBEE: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NASBE Board Past Chair: $450
- Daily: $550
- Welcome Reception Guest: $75
- State Night Guest: $75
Non-Member Rates
- Full Conference, Early Bird: $1,250 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $1500)
- NCOSEA: $500 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $600)
- NCSBEE: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NASBE Board Past Chair: $450
- Daily: $650
- Welcome Reception Guest: $100
- State Night Guest: $100
The 2022 conference will be held in-person only at the Phoenix Resort at the Peak.
Phoenix Resort at the Peak (hotel website)
7677 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020
Attendees are responsible for making hotel reservations. Please call the hotel directly at (602) 997-2626 or connect via its online reservation website to make your room reservation. To guarantee this special group rate of $199.00 per night plus applicable taxes, you must make your reservation no later than Monday, September 26, 2022. After that time, higher rates will apply and rooms may not be available. Please identify yourself as a NASBE Conference attendee. NASBE will not make hotel reservations for attendees.
You support NASBE by staying at the Phoenix Resort at the Peak in our negotiated room block. Meeting our financial obligations to the Phoenix Resort at the Peak for our room block has a long-term benefit: It helps NASBE negotiate lower rates for our conferences in the future, and it lowers your out-of-pocket travel costs. When we fill our contracted room block, we avoid unnecessary financial penalties, which strengthens our negotiation efforts in the future to keep conference costs manageable.
Professional Development Account funds: If you are planning to use PDA funds, you must make your reservation using the link above or by phone. NASBE will work with the hotel to pay the charges as directed in your PDA request. Contact NASBE’s director of operations, Sharon Cannon, with questions.
Attendees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements. Phoenix International Airport (PHX), also known as Sky Harbor Airport, serves the city of Phoenix and is Arizona’s largest and busiest airport, among the largest commercial airports in the United States. It is a hub for American Airlines and a focus city for Southwest Airlines. Taxis, Uber/Lyft, bus, and light rail are available for ground transportation.
Members using PDA funds may use NASBE’s travel agent, ProTravel. They can be contacted directly at 1-800-645-7466 or by email at reservations@protravelinc.com. Ask for a representative from Team One. Please note an administration fee of $31 is added to the cost of your ticket.
Below is this year's conference schedule. Times and session format are subject to change as program is developed. Watch this space as session details and speakers are confirmed!
Wednesday, October 26
Registration All Day
8:30 am to 5:30 pm Pre-conference Activities
Early Literacy Work Group Session (until 4:00 pm, by invitation only)
The group will tour Wildflower Academy in nearby Goodyear, Arizona, from 8:30 am to noon, to learn about its innovative approach to early literacy and school improvement and return to the hotel to convene with national and local experts in a day-long session.
Healthy School Facilities Network Meeting (until 5:30 pm, by invitation only)
The Healthy School Facilities Network (HSFN) is a project created and managed by the National Association of State Boards of Education. HSFN is a cohort of five states working to improve policies, programs, and practices to increase access to healthy school buildings free from environmental harms such as lead in drinking water, poor air quality, poor heating and air conditioning, and asbestos and mold. NASBE would like to thank the Joyce Foundation for their partnership and investment in this critical work.
11:00 am – 2:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Pre-conference Session: State Mathematics Improvement Issues and Strategies (open to all conference attendees, closed press)
The data is clear—student achievement in mathematics can be improved. More students need to be equipped with the comfort, confidence and fluency in mathematics. This session examines the current state of mathematics achievement, research fundamentals, and promising practices driving improvement. In particular participants will hear about selected state efforts and initiatives, including efforts to modify high school math courses to better align to higher education and career pathways. This session builds on the May 2022 issue of the Standard, “Advancing Math and Science Instruction,” and supports the work of NASBE’s NASBE’s Mathematics Improvement Study Group. Please sign up for this session when registering for the conference.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Welcome Reception
Welcome to Phoenix! Join us for a drink, light fare and conversation with colleagues under the stars. We thank AT&T for sponsoring this event.
Thursday, October 27
Registration All Day
7:30 am – 8:30 am Networking Breakfast
New state board members who participated in New Member Institute will have an opportunity meet up in-person.
8:30 am – 10:30 am Welcome, Keynote, and General Session
Recruiting and Retaining Effective Educators: We are excited to kick off Annual Conference with remarks from 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell. Following, experts from the National Council on Teacher Quality and the Education Commission of the States will present their latest research findings on the strategies states are taking to recruit and retain an effective educator workforce and identify the policy levers state boards can use to address shortages in their states.
10:30 am – 10:45 am Break
10:45 am – 11:45 am Concurrent Sessions
Michigan Addresses Teacher Shortages in Research-to-Practice Partnership: Faced with teacher shortages across the state and in multiple content areas, Michigan education leaders sought to recruit certified teachers who had left or never filled public school teaching positions. To identify incentives that might motivate them to apply, Michigan partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest to examine teachers’ reasons for not teaching. This partnership led Michigan to simplify certification and reentry, which, in combination with a communications campaign, resulted in 245 educators being recertified or in the process of doing so and 367 educators returning to full-time teaching or another assignment, such as substitute teaching.
The Case of the Missing Student: Reengaging the Most Vulnerable: Led by Bellwether’s Hailly Korman, a panel of state board members will share strategies for addressing challenges their schools face in reengaging students with the greatest unmet needs. They will engage participants in an interactive session on how best to provide vulnerable students with the support, attention, and resources they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Healthy School Facilities Network Session (invitation-only, closed to press)
11:45 am – 12:00 pm Break
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Session
Leading for Literacy: State Support for Evidence-Based Local Choices: Leaders of state education agencies have propelled early literacy achievement by increasing educators’ access to high-quality professional learning on the science of reading. Some of these state leaders and national experts will share critical considerations, policy must-haves, and best practices for collaboration across the education community. Participants will also learn more about Lexia’s state support model, which enables the conditions for successful state early literacy initiatives.
We thank Lexia Learning for sponsoring this session.
1:00 pm – 1:20 pm Break
1:20 pm – 2:30 pm Concurrent Sessions
Narrowing the Digital Divide: To create coherent, concrete, comprehensive state plans to address the digital divide facing their students, state boards in Arizona and elsewhere leaned into collaboration and coordination with philanthropy, higher education institutions, K-12 education, industry, and nonprofits to craft digital technology plans. Learn how your state board can leverage partnerships to ensure all students’ access to technology.
Industry-Recognized Certifications: Myths, Realities, and Implications: More than half of states report that they recognize attainment of industry certifications in their K-12 accountability systems. Intended to prepare students for careers that begin directly after high school as well as college goers who want to build their skills and capabilities, industry-recognized credentials have become a key strategy for ensuring the alignment of career and technical education to the workplace. Does attaining them affect students’ educational and employment outcomes, and does this relationship vary across demographic groups? By exploring a recent effort in Texas to gather feedback from employers, workforce boards, postsecondary education institutions, and school districts, state board members will learn which credentials most closely align with high-wage, in-demand occupations and how they can strengthen programs in their states.
Healthy School Facilities Network Session (invitation only, closed to press)
2:30 pm – 2:45 pm Break
2:45 pm – 4:30 pm General Session
Making High School Relevant: College and Career Pathways That Engage Students: Given evidence of alarming drops in K-12 and postsecondary attendance, education leaders are contemplating efforts to “reimagine” or “reinvent” high school. State board members have an important role to play in developing relevant, engaging pathways for high school students that keep them excited about learning and lead to meaningful college and career choices. This session will spotlight a state board member, high school principal, and national workforce and education organization leader who are paving the way.
Insights from The 2022 Nation’s Report Card: On October 24, the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will release results from the 2022 Reading and Mathematics Assessments at Grade 4 and 8. This NAEP release will provide the most comprehensive picture to date of the pandemic's impact on student achievement. Conference attendees will get one of the first looks at the data, with an opportunity to ask questions.
David Kysilko Award will also be presented following the briefing.
4:45 pm – 5:30 pm Area Meetings (Northeast, Southern, Central, Western)
7:00 pm State Night Reception
This year, State Night will be held off-site at Aunt Chilada's, a local favorite! We thank Curriculum Associates for sponsoring this event.
Friday, October 28
Registration All Day
7:30 am – 8:15 am Networking Breakfast
8:30 am – 10:00 am Welcome and General Session
Opportunity to Learn, Responsibility to Lead: An Excellence and Equity Agenda: With significant leadership from state board members, an Aspen Institute bipartisan working group crafted principles for an opportunity-to-learn state leadership agenda. These principles can help states identify where groups of students have disparate access across a range of opportunities—quality facilities, technology, learning conditions that foster safety and belonging, and advanced coursework, to name a few—and thus help state leaders realize the state’s vision for public education.
Distinguished Service and Policy Leader of the Year Awards will also be presented at this time.
10:00 am – 10:15 am Break
10:15 am – 11:30 am Concurrent Sessions
Better Together: State Board and State Agency Collaboration: To forge their own strong partnership with their state education agency (SEA), state board members can learn from Connecticut’s exemplary work. Connecticut board members and SEA staff will share key strategies for establishing strong lines of communication lines and robust collaboration. Working together, SEAs and boards can improve understanding of key education outcomes, align and strengthen joint procedures focused on actionable goals, and model the transformative power of collaboration in the education system.
Elevating Student Voice in Policy Development and Discussion: Increasingly, policymakers are tapping into the expertise of students—ensuring their voices are elevated and engaged. Student representatives and staff of the DC State Board of Education will lead an interactive session to delve into their role and leadership on policy-facing work related to student needs post-COVID, including mental health, school safety, school culture. Participants will explore the value of authentic student voice in policy discussions and how student leaders convene and organize, and they will engage in a student-led discussion of important education issues.
11:30 am – 11:45 am Break
11:45 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Session
State and Local Perspectives on Doing Assessment Right
What state and local strategies to accelerate learning use assessments effectively to support excellent teaching and learning? Leading states and districts will discuss the conditions for success and the barriers to innovation at the frontiers of assessment design. State board members will discover the role they can play in supporting professional learning and assessment literacy that will steer their states away move from a focus on measuring and toward doing what matters.
Friend of Education Award will also be presented at this time.
1:00 pm – 1:30 pm Networking Break
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm Concurrent Sessions
School Climate in State Accountability Systems: DC’s Approach
The DC State Board of Education has championed inclusion of school climate indicators in the DC accountability system. From them, state board members will learn how such indicators can inform school-level decision making and state-level supports; delve into research on how the metrics add value for students, families, and educators; and discover approaches for including school climate metrics in their accountability systems.
Arizona’s Data-Driven Solution for Ensuring Student Safety
The Arizona state board’s executive director, Alicia Williams, will lead a discussion on how state boards can create an effective administrative discipline policy and process for educators and better oversight of professional licenses. Arizona has been building bipartisan support for changing laws and procedures to ensure that all students are safe in their classrooms. Williams will identify how the state board leveraged data, relationships, and decision-making power to gain oversight of noncertified as well as certified educators.
Brushing Up on Parliamentary Procedure
Build knowledge of parliamentary procedure and implement newly learned skills in an interactive session, complete with mock scenarios. Participants will explore basic parliamentary motions—the main motion, amendments, refer to a committee, lay on the table, postpone definitely, and postpone indefinitely, among others. And they will identify and discuss common misconceptions and "dos and don'ts" of parliamentary procedure.
2:45 pm – 3:00 pm Break
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Concurrent Sessions
Strengthening Principal Preparation through Policy and Partnerships: How can state boards improve principal preparation programs using evidence-based practices? Based on RAND research that was part of The Wallace Foundation’s University Principal Pipeline Initiative, state boards will learn from the redesign of seven principal preparation programs. And they will be able to identify policy levers and action steps for building and strengthening community partnerships to foster more effective principal pipelines in their own states.
The State Board’s Role in Data Access and Student Privacy: Since 2014, policymakers in every state have considered hundreds of bills to govern the use, sharing, and protection of education data. Many placed more responsibility on state boards of education to safeguard student data. With that responsibility comes an opportunity to foster data quality, access, and security. Brennan McMahon Parton, vice president of the Data Quality Campaign, will sketch the landscape of relevant data policies and recommend ways state boards can work toward excellence in their state’s data use and privacy protections.
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm Break
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm General Session
Understanding the State of the American Student: A landmark report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, “The State of the American Student,” provides participants with new information about how students are faring academically as well as in mental health and well-being, social and emotional skill development, and systemic supports in the wake of the pandemic. In an interactive workshop, participants will explore recommendations for board action and hear from peers on how state plans for recovery are being developed, shared, and evaluated. As state boards embark on the long journey toward academic recovery and reporting, this session provides a chance to reflect on their own state context, anchor recovery plans in national research and data, and build processes to ensure that community members and stakeholders can see and understand how state and local leaders are investing recovery funds and reporting on key inputs and outcomes.
Saturday, October 29
Registration until 11:00 am
8:00 am – 8:45 am Breakfast
9:00 am – 11:00 am Morning Programming
2023 Outlook: Election Prognostication and Polling
9:00 am – 11:00 am Annual Business Meeting and Delegate Assembly
We are excited about this year's conference keynotes and session speakers, including:
- Julia Armstrong, Utah State Board of Education
- Rebecca Bell-Metereau, Texas State Board of Education Member
- Christine Benson, Illinois State Board Member
- Erin D. Benham, Connecticut State Board of Education
- Liv Birnstad, Student Member, DC State Board of Education
- Kelli Brozanski, Michigan Department of Education
- Sophia Braham, Arizona State Department of Education
- Janet Cannon, NASBE Chair and Utah State Board of Education
- Peggy Carr, NCES
- Paolo DeMaria, NASBE President and CEO
- Karen DuBois-Walton, Connecticut State Board of Education
- Byron Ernest, Indiana State Board Member
- Ben Erwin, Education Commission of the States
- Francisco Escobedo, National Center for Urban School Transformation, and California State Board Member
- Darren Fleischer, DC State Board of Education
- Ryan Foor, Nebraska State Board of Education
- Emily Gasoi, DC State Board Member
- Susan Gates, RAND
- Scott Griego, NWEA
- Matthew Giani, University of Texas at Austin
- Natalya Gnedko-Berry, American Institutes for Research
- Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda, San Diego State University
- Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Chief Performance Officer, Connecticut State Department of Education Performance Office
- Angela Griffin, Washington State Board of Education
- Alexander Jue, DC State Board of Education
- Michael Kobito, 2023 Georgia State Teacher of the Year, Georgia State Board of Education
- Hailly T.N. Korman, Bellwether
- Reg Leichty, Foresight Law + Policy
- Shelby Lockhart, Yakima School District, Washington
- Janice Mak, Arizona State University, former Arizona State Board Member
- Kelly Manning, Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
- Brennan McMahon Parton, Data Quality Campaign
- Sarah Moore, Arkansas State Board of Education Member
- Amber Northern, Fordham Institute
- Christine Pitts, Center for Reinventing Education
- Maria Pitre-Martin, North Carolina State Board of Education
- Hannah Putman, National Council on Teacher Quality
- Kurt Russell, 2022 National Teacher of the Year
- Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, Connecticut Commissioner of Education
- Paul Rice, Curriculum Associates
- Stephanie Sanford, College Board
- Michelle Shin, San Diego State University
- Sally Stockhausen, Alaska State Board of Education
- Téa Washington, Student Member, DC State Board of Education
- Ruth Wattenberg, DC State Board Member
- Ross Wiener, The Aspen Institute
- Alicia Williams, Arizona State Board of Education
- Joel Vargas, Jobs for the Future
- and many more!
Attending the conference? We're pleased to offer the official NASBE Annual Conference App! We're using a mobile app to reduce our paper-use during the conference and share important program details with attendees. Also, we know our members love the app for networking and sharing ideas! Download the conference app to:
- View the event agenda and plan your personal schedule.
- Find who else is attending the conference, reach out to people ahead of time, and engage in our community chat groups.
- Learn about our conference speakers and post questions for their sessions in advance.
- Plan some social activities, such as taking an early morning walk or grabbing coffee or dinner with your fellow attendees.
- Receive updates about the conference or calls to action from the NASBE Team.
This year's conference app is sponsored by AT&T. We are grateful for their support.
NASBE offers multiple ways to partner at our premier membership meeting, the NASBE Annual Conference. For more information on conference sponsorship, or for general sponsorship of NASBE, please contact NASBE President and CEO Paolo DeMaria.
Thank you to our current funding partners and conference sponsors!
Programmatic Funders:
- Child Trends
- NWEA
- Kaiser Permanente
- Foundation for Child Development
- The Joyce Foundation
- The Wallace Foundation
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Principal Sponsors:
- ACT
- AT&T
- Curriculum Associates
Major Sponsors:
- NWEA
- Renaissance
Supporting Partners:
- College Board
- ETS
- Lexia Learning
- Zearn
Look here to find answers to the most common questions about NASBE’s Annual Conference!
How much is conference registration?
Registration fees for Annual Conference 2022 are as follows:
Member Rates
- Full Conference, Early Bird: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NCOSEA: $500 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $600)
- NCSBEE: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NASBE Board Past Chair: $450
- Daily: $550
- Welcome Reception Guest: $75
- State Night Guest: $75
Non-Member Rates
- Full Conference, Early Bird: $1,250 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $1,500)
- NCOSEA: $500 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $600)
- NCSBEE: $800 (After 9/26/22, Regular Registration: $950)
- NASBE Board Past Chair: $450
- Daily: $650
- Welcome Reception Guest: $100
- State Night Guest: $100
I don’t want to attend the whole conference. Can I register for only the pre-conference sessions or a single day?
Yes. If you want to attend only one day of the Annual Conference, please select “single day registration” when you register for the day you plan to attend. For NASBE members, the fee is $550, for non-member, the fee is $650.
Do I have to register separately for the evening events?
No, it is included in your full conference registration. If you opt to being a guest, there is an extra fee. of $75 for members, and $100 for non-members.
Does NASBE make my hotel reservation?
No, all conference attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Please call the hotel directly at (602) 997-2626 or connect via its online reservation website to make your room reservation. To guarantee NASBE’s special group rate of $199 per night (plus applicable taxes), you must make your reservation no later than Monday, September 26, 2022 - after that date, higher rates will apply and rooms may not be available. Please identify yourself as a NASBE Conference attendee.
Making a reservation in NASBE’s room block is important. Meeting our financial obligations to the Hilton Omaha for our room block has a long-term benefit: It helps NASBE negotiate lower rates for our conferences in the future, and it lowers your out-of-pocket travel costs. When we fill our contracted room block, we avoid unnecessary financial penalties, which strengthen our negotiation efforts in the future to keep annual conference costs manageable.
How far away is the hotel from the airport?
The hotel is approximately 9 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
How do I access “PDA” funds for NASBE’s annual conference?
NASBE Professional Development Accounts (PDA) provide support to state board members who wish to participate in NASBE activities such as attending conferences, regional meetings, travel and other related activities. It is a perfect way to fund your trip to NASBE’s Annual Conference 2022! If your state has set up a PDA with NASBE, individual members may use available funds. Please contact Sharon Cannon for more information.
How are you keeping attendees safe during the conference? (COVID-19 Policy)
Your well-being is our top priority, and we are dedicated to ensuring attendees and guests have a safe environment at the 2022 Annual Conference. We will implement health and safety protocols in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the City of Phoenix and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Attendees will be required to follow the rules and regulations of the venues and the City of Phoenix as well as CDC guidelines.
Attending the conference does come with risk of illness. NASBE is working with the the Phoenix Resort at the Peak to optimize the safety of our attendees. Every effort will be made to adhere to physical distancing guidelines, cleaning and hygiene, minimizing food and beverage risks.
NASBE continues to ask that our meeting participants be fully vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 48 hours prior to their arrival at the Annual Conference in Phoenix. However, proof of either will not be required to attend. Face coverings are recommended. We will continue to implement social distancing in meeting spaces as much as possible and ask that attendees respect others’ masking preferences and personal space.
NASBE is monitoring the World Health Organization updates as well as the local CDC guidelines and the U.S. Travel Associations updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and we will adjust our plan as needed and work together to protect all attendees. By registering for the 2022 NASBE Annual Conference you assume, and release NASBE and all of its affiliates from all risks, claims, damages, losses, costs and expenses resulting from or arising in connection with your participation at the Annual Conference, all risks of harm, damage or illness.
What is your cancellation policy?
Registrations may be cancelled for a refund (less $100 processing fee) if cancellation request is received in writing by Friday, October 7, 2022. All cancellations must be submitted in writing and emails to nasbeconference@thebalcomgroup.com. After this date, if cancellations are COVID-19 related, please write to nasbeconference@thebalcomgroup.com and they will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Registration substitutions are accepted. The substitution deadline is Friday, October 7, 2022. All substitutions after this date will be processed on-site. Please email substitution requests to nasbeconference@thebalcomgroup.com .
All refunds are issued via original form of payment after the conference.
Are there sponsorship or advertising opportunities during the conference?
Yes! If you are interested in becoming a NASBE annual conference sponsor, please contact Paolo DeMaria.
This year, National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) sought conference session proposals to share and highlight the exemplary work by state boards of education on critical education issues at its Annual Conference in Phoenix.
Thank you all for your submissions, our program is now set!