This conference was held March 27-29, 2022, in Washington DC. View the tabs below to see the sessions and speakers in attendance.
Legislative Conference is an opportunity to engage with the leaders who shape federal education policy: members of Congress, senior officials at the U.S. Department of Education, and other prominent national education experts. Conference sessions will explore topics that are front and center for state boards.
Note: Session times listed below may shift slightly.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Registration All Day
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm – NASBE Board of Directors Meeting - closed to press
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – Government Affairs Committee Meeting - closed to press
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm – NASBE Social Gathering / Welcome Reception
(with remarks by U.S. Deputy Education Secretary Cynthia "Cindy" Marten.)
Monday, March 28, 2022
Registration All Day
7:30 am to 8:15 am – Breakfast
8:30 am to 10:15 am – Welcome and Opening General Session
Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (pre-recorded)
See You on the Other Side: Envisioning Education Post-COVID, Implications for State and Federal Policy: Presenters and participants look beyond COVID and offer thoughts on what we need to do now to lay the groundwork for a brighter future.
(Confirmed Speakers: Ray Hart, Council of Great City Schools; Andrew Rotherham, Bellwether Education Partners; Liv Birnstad, DC Student Board Member; Paolo DeMaria, NASBE President and CEO)
10:15 am to 10:30 am – Break
10:30 am to 11:45 am – Concurrent Sessions
Engaging Parents and Families: What the Polling Says: This session leverages polling information to reflect on the opinions and perspectives of parents and their views of the education experience of their students. Participants will have the opportunity to share challenges and engage with presenters on strategies for building trust among families and educators.
(Confirmed Speakers: Bibb Hubbard, Windy Lopez-Aflitto, and Eyal Bergman of Learning Heroes; Allison Slone, Kentucky State Board Member; Lori Morrow, Maryland State Board Member)
Getting Better at Getting Better: Innovations in Accountability, Assessment, and Supporting Improvement:
Presenters discuss emerging work in accountability and assessment and how those tools—and other innovations—can better drive improvement.
(Confirmed Speakers: Katie Caroll, NWEA; Ellen Forte, edCount, LLC; Christine Pitts, Center on Reinventing Public Education; Adam Ezring, Collaborative for Student Success)
11:45 am to 12:00 pm – Break
12:00 pm to 1:15 pm – Lunch Session
Advancing Early Care and Education: COVID Funding and Beyond: Federal officials and researchers discuss what trends they see from the states’ proposals and how states are using the funds to advance and sustain their early care and education system. Speakers will also discuss opportunities for state boards to promote cross-agency collaboration and provide oversight.
(Confirmed Speakers: Sara Mead, assistant superintendent of early learning, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education; Katy Neas, assistant secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education; Albert Wat, Alliance for Early Success)
1:15 pm to 1:45 pm – Networking Break
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm – General Session
Teachers as Drivers of Excellence: Short-Term Challenges, Long-Term Opportunities: Presenters explore both the short-term challenges our teachers are facing, such as fatigue, shortages, and mental health stress, as well as opportunities and strategies to better support and attract teachers long-term.
(Confirmed Speakers: Christine Benson, Illinois State Board Member; Sharif El-Mekki, Center for Black Educator Development; Willis Walter, Virginia State University; Ryan Saunders, Learning Policy Institute; Paolo DeMaria, NASBE President and CEO)
3:00 pm to 3:15 pm – Networking Break
3:15 pm to 4:30 pm – General Session
Remarks by Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee (pre-recorded)
Federal Landscape and Capitol Hill Preparation: This session is the perennial Legislative Conference briefing on federal issues and how to engage with members of Congress and agency leaders and staff. - closed to press
(Confirmed Speakers: Reg Leichty, Foresight Law + Policy)
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Registration All Day
7:30 am to 8:15 am – Breakfast
8:30 am to 9:45 am – General Session
Callings and Passions: The Power and Relevancy of Work-Based and Career Learning: Presenters explore what’s on the horizon in terms of state and federal policymaking and the continuing push for greater connections between academics, careers, and the workplace.
(Confirmed Speakers: Byron Ernest, Indiana State Board of Education; Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE; Cheryl Oldham, US Chamber of Commerce; Paolo DeMaria, NASBE President and CEO)
9:45 am to 10:15 am – Networking Break
10:15 am to 11:45 am – General Session
Wraparound Supports to Drive Student Success: Presenters discuss the whole child policy space with an emphasis on practical approaches to addressing social-emotional and mental health needs of students.
(Confirmed Speakers: Brigid Ahern, Turnaround For Children; Kevin Bokoum, Student Member, Maryland State Board of Education; Chris Soto, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education; Robert Vincent, SAMSHA; Scott Palmer, Education Counsel)
Afternoon – Members visit Capitol Hill to talk with their congressional delegations.
We are excited about this year's conference keynotes and session speakers, including:
- Brigid Ahern, Turnaround For Children
- Christine Benson, Illinois State Board Member
- Eyal Bergman, Learning Heroes
- Liv Birnstad, Student Member, DC State Board of Education
- Kevin Bokoum, Student Member, Maryland State Board of Education
- Katie Carroll, NWEA
- Janet Cannon, NASBE Chair and Utah State Board of Education
- Paolo DeMaria, NASBE President and CEO
- Sharif El-Mekki, Center for Black Educator Development
- Byron Ernest, Indiana State Board of Education
- Adam Ezring, Collaborative for Student Success
- Ellen Forte, edCount, LLC
- Ray Hart, Council of Great City Schools
- Bibb Hubbard, Learning Heroes
- Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE
- Reg Leichty, Foresight Law + Policy
- Windy Lopez-Aflitto, Learning Heroes
- Sara Mead, Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
- Lori Morrow, Maryland State Board Member
- Katy Neas, assistant secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
- Cheryl Oldham, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Scott Palmer, Education Counsel
- Christine Pitts, Center for Reinventing Education
- Andrew Rotherham, Bellwether Education Partners
- Ryan Saunders, Learning Policy Institute
- Allison Slone, Kentucky State Board Member
- Chris Soto, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education
- Robert Vincent, SAMSHA
- Willis Walter, Virginia State University
- Albert Wat, Alliance for Early Success
- and many more!
We look forward to seeing you at NASBE's 2022 Legislative Conference! The conference will be held in-person only. Registration fees are as follows:
- State Board of Education: NASBE Member, $525
- State Board of Education: NASBE Non-Member, $725
- All other NASBE Legislative Conference Attendees, $725
- Daily Rate Monday, NASBE Member, $325; Non-Member and Other Attendees, $525
- Daily Rate Tuesday, NASBE Member, $275; Non-Member and Other Attendees, $475
Online registration is now closed. Those still interested in attending the conference may register onsite at the event. Please direct registration questions to Sharon Cannon.
The 2022 conference will be held in-person only at the The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel.
The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel
1177 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Attendees are responsible for making hotel reservations. Please call the hotel directly at (202) 862-1600 or connect via its online reservation website to make your room reservation. To guarantee this special group rate of $319.00 per night plus applicable taxes, you must make your reservation no later than Friday, March 18, 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.
Making a reservation in NASBE’s room block is important. Meeting our financial obligations to The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel 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 annual conference costs manageable.
Attendees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements. 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.
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.
Legislative Conference 2022: Frequently Asked Questions
Look here to find answers t the most common questions about NASBE’s Legislative Conference!
How much is Conference Registration?
- State Board of Education: NASBE Member, $525
- State Board of Education: NASBE Non-Member, $725
- All other NASBE Legislative Conference Attendees, $725
- Daily Rate Monday, NASBE Member, $325; Non-Member and Other Attendees, $525
- Daily Rate Tuesday, NASBE Member, $275; Non-Member and Other Attendees, $475
I don’t want to attend the whole conference. Can I register for a single day?
Yes. If you want to attend only one day of the conference, please select “Daily Rates” in the Registration Fees section of the registration form. Choose the day you would like to register for.
Where is the joint dinner with Council of Chief State School Officers?
Hosting a joint dinner with CCSSO to kick off our respective legislative conferences is something we all look forward to. This year, however, our organizations came to a joint decision to prioritize the health and safety of attendees over hosting the dinner. Both organizations are abiding by the COVID safety protocols and requirements of the District of Columbia. Hosting a joint dinner would make it difficult to adhere to social distancing and room capacity requirements. We hope to resume this special convening next year.
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 Legislative Conference, so we have implemented a few health and safety protocols in accordance with the District of Columbia Mayor's Order 2021-148 - Vaccine Entry Requirements (VaxDC) that were recently updated. You can read more about the order and guidelines here.
Currently, COVID-19 community levels are declining in our area. The Madison, Washington, DC - A Hilton Hotel does not require guests to be vaccinated and masks are optional indoors in accordance with the updated requirements of the District of Columbia, and the CDC. NASBE continues to ask that our meeting participants be fully vaccinated or take a COVID-19 test prior to attending this in-person event. Face coverings are recommended. We will continue to implement social distancing in meeting spaces 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. Every effort will be made to adhere to physical distancing guidelines, cleaning and hygiene, minimizing food and beverage risks. The Madison participates in the Hilton Event Ready and CleanStay program which is continually being evaluated and updated to ensure guest's safety. We will adjust our plan as needed and work together to protect all attendees.
Does NASBE make my hotel reservation?
Please call the hotel directly at (202) 862-1600 or connect via its online reservation website to make your room reservation. To guarantee this special group rate of $319.00 per night plus applicable taxes, you must make your reservation no later than Tuesday, March 7, 2022. After that time, 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 Madison Hotel 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? Are there airport shuttles available?
The hotel does not provide an airport shuttle. However, taxis and Uber/Lyft serve each airport. Reagan National Airport: The hotel is 5 miles from the airport, and accessible via Metro or taxi. The closest metro stop is McPherson Square (blue, orange, silver line trains), located about 5 blocks from the hotel. Dulles International Airport: The hotel is 27 miles from the airport and accessible via taxi or Metrobus connecting to Metrorail (blue, orange, and silver line trains). BWI Marshall Airport: The hotel is approximately 35 miles from the airport, and accessible by MARC train, Metro, or taxi.
How do I access “PDA” funds for NASBE’s Legislative 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 2022 Legislative Conference! If your state has set up a PDA with NASBE, please contact Sharon Cannon for a withdrawal request form.
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, March 18, 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 and refunds will be issued after the conference.
Attending the conference? We're pleased to offer the official NASBE Legislative 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.