What a terrific time we had in Denver celebrating NASBE’s 60th year and learning from top thinkers in education! We hope each session of the Annual Conference gave you a new idea or inspired you and that your conversations with colleagues from other state boards of educations enhanced your professional learning. While we hope that […]

NASBE members spent a fascinating two days in Washington, D.C., where they discussed a wide range of policy issues with some of the nation’s leading education experts. From the first session—an insider’s look at how federal policy gets made—to the Hill conversations with Sen. Johnny Isakson from Georgia and Rep. Bobby Scott from Virginia, we […]

What a terrific Annual Conference we had in Atlanta! We hope our keynote speakers left you inspired, our sessions delivered the right information to advance equity and excellence for every student in your state, and that you also had a little fun! The NASBE team left energized too: We are already brainstorming a long list […]

This blog post was originally published by New America and the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO). High-quality early learning requires a high-quality workforce with specialized knowledge and skills. To better support this under-resourced and complex workforce, state education agencies (SEAs) and state boards of education can use their policy levers to investigate and influence […]

What a great time NASBE’s Annual Conference 2016 was!  We hope our keynote speakers left you inspired, our sessions provided you with new ideas, and our “down times” gave you a chance to connect with old friends and board colleagues. The NASBE team left energized too: We are already brainstorming a long list of great […]

This blog post was originally published on Ferpa Sherpa’s Parent Perspectives on Privacy blog. As ordinary Americans listen to an endless loop of Christmas carols, buy last-minute presents, and look forward to a couple days (or weeks) off, student data privacy geeks like me are gearing up for the new year. 2015 was an incredibly […]

NASBE’s Annual Conference 2015 is behind us now: We are unpacking boxes, writing thank-you notes to our presenters, and brainstorming a long list of great ideas for future conferences and NASBE work. The consensus around here is “Gosh, what a fun, informative, and relevant conference that was!” And, that is just what we were hoping […]

NASBE Deeper Learning Director Ace Parsi guest blogs on Getting Smart about our recent study group report on student engagement. Also read Parsi’s Education Week blog commentary. Imagine if we built a theme park—including the water slide, roller coaster, and all the other bells and whistles—and no one showed up. Or, imagine if you worked for […]

In The State Education Agency: At the Helm, Not the Oar, Andy Smarick and Juliet Squires do a great job explaining the challenges state education agencies face when they try to make lasting reforms. But as they advocate for smaller SEAs that do most of their work through contracts and partnerships, they ignored a significant […]

Education policy advisors and advocates attended a reception to celebrate my appointment as Executive Director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. The event was co-hosted by Adam Shapiro and Social Driver. The special guest was U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine who spoke eloquently about his connection to Kris and the importance of school […]

On the Road #3 – The Plan (Arizona) According to the laws of Arizona, the state board of education is directed to “Determine the policy and work undertaken by it.” In other words, as a body whose existence is spelled out in the state’s constitution, the board has both the opportunity and the responsibility for […]

On the Road to the New State Board Member Institute I had no idea my first slide was going to turn out to be a laugh line. Let me explain: When you give a lot of speeches, you pretty much know when people are going to laugh. So as I prepared my presentation to board […]

On the Road 1 – Sitting at the board table in Rhode Island It has been a few years since I sat at a board table. So I was thrilled when Eva-Marie Mancuso, who chairs the Rhode Island Board of Education, extended me that courtesy at their regular July meeting on July 15, which also […]