NASBE’s Annual Conference empowers state board members to leverage their role in the education. 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.
NASBE’s 2025 Annual Conference will be held in-person October 27-29, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
Now Open: Call for Annual Conference Session Proposals!
Read Our Session Proposal Guide 2025
Want to Learn More?
NASBE will host an informal Q&A with prospective submitters on Friday, June 13, 2025, 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 to join the event.
Coming soon! We expect to open registration in early summer.
The 2025 conference will be held at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center at The University of Texas.
AT&T Hotel and Conference Center (hotel website)
1900 University Avenue
Austin, TX 78705
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
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 27-29, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
What is the NASBE Annual Conference?
NASBE’s Annual Conference empowers state board members to leverage their role as leaders in education. 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 improve student outcomes, 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 Austin, Texas. Conference sessions will mostly be held during the day on Tuesday, October 28 and Wednesday, October 29, NASBE’s Annual Business meeting occurs on the late afternoon of October 29, 2025.
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 Makes a Successful Conference Session?
Please read through our full proposal guide, examples of successful proposals, and utilize our online submission portal to guide you. 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.
Find last year’s agenda and sessions selected by state board members as relevant to their ongoing work here.
What Types of Sessions Are Offered at the Conference?
The NASBE Annual Conference aims to provide a variety of session formats to allow members to craft a conference experience that best aligns to their unique learning needs. NASBE will match your session proposal to the best format.
- General sessions offer an opportunity to address the full conference audience and typically follow the format of either a panel discussion or single keynote speaker. General session formats can include traditional length sessions (60–75 minutes), which are highly competitive for acceptance, or shorter “lightning round” sessions designed to rapidly build awareness and foundational knowledge of board members on specific topics (30 minutes). Lightning round general sessions may kick off lunch conversations; or occur immediately before networking breaks to promote subsequent peer-to-peer discussions.
- Concurrent sessions are an opportunity to interact directly with state board members in a small group setting. These sessions may be led by a single presenter, feature a panel discussion, and often highlight current research or explore problems of practice in states. Audience engagement is a critical component of these smaller sessions (50–75 minutes). Concurrent sessions also include roundtable discussions designed to support members in sharing successful strategies, board initiatives, and lessons learned around key issues. Longer concurrent sessions (90 minutes) focus on interactive skill building or take a deeper dive into a topic. These sessions may coincide with, cross over, or extend beyond concurrent session blocks.
What Topics Are State Boards Eager to Learn About?
Each year, NASBE surveys state board members to identify the most pressing issues on state board agendas. These survey results help frame the Annual Conference agenda. Proposals should align with at least one of the following nine conference strands, which reflect broad state board priorities. NASBE encourages the submission of proposals that address cross-cutting issues from multiple strands and topics. Proposals that do not address any of the nine conference strands will not be considered.
- Metrics and Measures for Continuous School Improvement
- Recruiting and Retaining High Quality Educators
- Education Governance and Board Operations
- Mathematics Education
- High School Design for College and Career Success
- Early Childhood and Elementary Education
- Education Technology and Artificial Intelligence
- Student Wellness
- Curriculum and Instructional Materials
Examples of cross-cutting session proposals might include expanding career and technical education programs to engage students and reduce absenteeism, leveraging AI resources in mathematics education, or assessments that support competency-based approaches.
What are Presenter Responsibilities?
Proposers of an accepted session are required to register all individuals who are delivering the proposal for the NASBE Annual Conference. The cost associated with attending the conference, including registration, travel, lodging, and meals is the responsibility of the proposer for any and all session presenters. For the 2025 Annual Conference, NASBE offers a reduced registration for presenters ($650). Additionally, students who either present or attend the NASBE Annual Conference will receive complimentary registration to encourage student voices in education policy discussions. Presenters are not provided with honoraria. For special circumstances, NASBE may, at its sole discretion, waive or reduce registration fees for a presenter if the cost of attending creates a hardship for the proposer.
Presenters are expected to provide presentation materials in digital form, handouts, and/or follow-up materials for participants before, during, or after the event. If a session proposal is accepted, NASBE staff may edit session titles and descriptions for clarity. Proposers and presenters will also work with an assigned NASBE staff member before the conference to refine the session and ensure its success.
When are Proposals Due?
NASBE welcomes session proposals from those interested in equipping state boards of education with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to lead in public education. Proposals must be submitted through this online platform by June 30, 2025. The session lead will be notified by August 15, 2025, if their presentation proposal is selected.
How are Proposals Selected?
The proposal selection process is highly competitive. Less than 30 percent of submitted proposals are selected for presentation. NASBE selects only a limited number of proposals reflecting a mix of topics and formats. For 2025, there are approximately 12 to 15 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.
NASBE values the Annual Conference’s role in facilitating productive exchange of diverse perspectives that can create lasting channels for sharing evidence-based strategies and solutions. 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. Find last year’s agenda and sessions here.
Want to Learn More?
NASBE will host an informal Q&A with prospective submitters on Friday, June 13, 2025, 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 to join the event.
Ready to Submit Your Proposal?
After you've read our full session proposal guide, submit your conference proposal using our online submission portal. To access the submission form from the portal, click the submit button and log in or create an account when prompted. Proposals must received by June 30, 2025.
NASBE offers multiple ways to partner at our premier membership meeting, the NASBE Annual Conference. Please contact NASBE President and CEO Paolo DeMaria to learn more about becoming a NASBE sponsor.
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