DU Convenes Colorado School Board Leaders for Third Annual Symposium
Amid mounting challenges in public education, school board directors from across the state gathered for a day of exchanging ideas, building connections, and turning insight into action.
Schools across Colorado are facing a convergence of challenges—from funding uncertainty to teacher shortages to rapidly evolving technology. At the end of April, the state’s public education leaders gathered at the University of Denver for a day focused on navigating those realities together.
The third annual School Board Symposium, hosted by the Morgridge College of Education's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, convened school board directors, superintendents, and community advocates from 29 districts, representing a mix of rural, urban, and suburban communities.
The symposium offered an opportunity for these leaders to connect and share ideas around the theme, “What Board Members Need to Do Now: Research, Policy, and Practical Insight for Today’s Education Landscape.”
The event’s agenda—which covered everything from federal policy and artificial intelligence in education to student support systems, teacher retention, and declining enrollment—was based on the concerns of education leaders, who described “a need for clarity in the midst of constant change,” says Lolita Tabron, associate professor and organizer of this year’s event.
What makes this moment especially complex, she explains, is that all of these challenges are happening at the same time. Many school boards are getting pulled into urgent day-to-day issues and public pressures, which can make it difficult to keep their attention on long-term goals and overall strategy.
“At its core, the symposium is about supporting the people who are making some of the most important decisions in public education,” Tabron says. “They deserve space to step back, reflect, and engage with ideas that are both thoughtful and practical.”
From research to real-world practice
The event began with a keynote from Carrie Sampson, an associate professor at Arizona State University whose research focuses on school board governance and equity. From there, attendees participated in breakout sessions designed to bring together multiple perspectives and encourage conversations grounded in research as well as real-world experience.
“That balance is central to how we designed the symposium,” Tabron says. “Research helps us understand patterns and possibilities, policy shapes the conditions leaders are working within, and practitioners bring the reality of what implementation looks like. When those perspectives come together, the conversation becomes much more meaningful and actionable.”
While the issues they discussed reflect national trends, the symposium also focused on how those challenges show up differently across Colorado’s diverse communities.
Tabron says school board directors often share that they simply need time to process together—to compare experiences, hear what others are doing, and figure out whether they’re facing a common challenge or a situation that is unique to their district.
Many school board members serve in volunteer roles and may not have formal training in education, so the symposium is intentionally designed to meet them where they are and provide insights they can put to use right away.
“Our hope is that participants leave not just informed, but more confident in how they approach their role and the decisions in front of them.”
For the University of Denver, the symposium is also a way to strengthen its role as a partner to school districts across the state, helping translate research into practice to support better decision-making in education.
Tabron says universities need to do more than produce knowledge—they also have a responsibility to make it accessible and useful for the people who do the work every day. The symposium reflects that idea in practice, serving as more than a one-day event and instead part of an ongoing effort to build relationships, support continuous learning, and create lasting impact in schools and communities.
“What we’ve seen over time is that these conversations stay with people,” Tabron says. “They create space for leaders to pause, reflect, and think differently about their roles.”
As school board members return to their districts, the goal is that the insights and connections they have gained will help them navigate complex decisions with greater clarity and confidence—ultimately benefiting students across Colorado.
