2026 National Educator Shortage Summit
Alexandria, VA
Event Details
SAVE THE DATE!
National Educator Shortage Summit
The National Educator Shortage Summit: Building a Sustainable Educator Workforce is a highly interactive convening of P-20 stakeholders, bringing together PK-12 administrators, higher education leaders, state and local education agencies, and workforce partners to co-design solutions that strengthen the educator pipeline. This event moves beyond identifying the challenges of educator shortages to focus on actionable, data-informed strategies that sustain and support the education workforce.
Building upon the insights captured in Rewriting the Retention Playbook (2025), this year’s Summit emphasizes six critical shifts essential to building a sustainable educator workforce:
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Development & Career Management – Expanding from linear advancement to dynamic, non-linear career pathways.
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Employee Experience & Leadership – Equipping leaders to prioritize engagement, growth, and well-being.
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Well-being & Work-life Integration – Moving from reactive burnout responses to proactive, holistic wellness.
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Compensation & Benefits – Elevating transparency and understanding of total rewards and long-term value.
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Recognition & Appreciation – Fostering daily cultures of gratitude that celebrate all staff contributions.
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Strategic Retention – Aligning fragmented efforts into unified, system wide retention strategies.
Through structured collaboration, participants will engage in deep dialogue and practical planning that bridges preparation and practice, transforming one-off initiatives into coordinated, sustainable solutions. NESS provides a rare national space where policy, practice, and research intersect, enabling participants to share promising practices, analyze workforce data, and build shared strategies that are locally grounded yet nationally aligned. Above all, the Summit serves as a call to collaborative action, inviting all stakeholders to co-create a future in which every student is supported by a well-prepared, well-supported, and thriving educator.
Your agenda will include:
- Interactive discussions about barriers, challenges, successes and retention strategies
- Presentations from national data collectors and strategists
- Retention discussions
- Action planning for solutions
Who is invited:
- PK-12 Administrators
- Higher Education Representatives
- Agency/Department of Education Representatives
- Teachers/Other Educators (e.g., specialized instructional support professionals like school psychologists, speech and language therapists, nurses, paraprofessionals)
Registration & Hotel Coming Soon!
The Westin Alexandria
400 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, VA 22314
For More Information:
PLEASE NOTE: All registrations must be paid at the time of registration with a credit card.
Cancellation Policy: All registration cancellations must be made in writing & received no later than Friday, February 27, 2025 to receive a refund. A refund of the registration fee, minus a cancellation fee of $100, will be given for cancellations received by February 27, 2025. Refunds are not granted for failure to attend, late arrival or early departure, state or district travel restrictions, medical or weather-related cancellations. AASPA is not responsible for airfare, hotel or other costs associated with the conference if the registrant is unable to attend or if the event is rescheduled or transitioned to virtual. I understand that by selecting “Complete Registration” I agree to the above cancellation policy. No refunds will be issued for cancellation requests made after the deadline of February 27, 2025.
All cancellations/refund and transfer requests must be sent in writing; requests will NOT be accepted via phone. Email us at alexis@aaspa.org with your name and reason for canceling/transferring.
**For information on sponsorships for AASPA events, please contact Sandy Wachter at sandy@aaspa.org