Two Decades at NASDTEC: Reflections on the People and Policies Behind Educator Quality

My first NASDTEC Annual Conference was in 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. I was serving at the West Virginia Department of Education at the time, in the early stages of what would become a long and deeply meaningful career at the intersection of educator recruitment, preparation, assessment, and licensure.

I had no way of knowing then how formative those early experiences would prove to be. The relationships I began building in those early years, and the conversations that unfolded across conference rooms and hallways, would go on to shape my understanding of education policy in ways that still inform my work today.

Learning Across States and Systems

Since that first conference, I have had the privilege of attending nearly every NASDTEC Annual Conference—representing the West Virginia Department of Education, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Pearson, and now Passage Preparation. Each organization offered a distinct vantage point, and each conference deepened my appreciation for just how interwoven the components of our work truly are: recruitment, preparation, assessment, certification, and retention do not operate in isolation. They form an ecosystem, and the health of that ecosystem depends on the strength of every contributing element.

Perhaps more than anything else, NASDTEC has been a space to listen and hear directly from state agencies, educator preparation programs, and the practitioners working to build and sustain a pipeline of qualified educators. Those conversations—candid, nuanced, and often urgent shaped my understanding of where the system works well and frankly, where it falls short.

They also shaped my conviction that high standards for entry and strong candidate support are not competing priorities. They are complementary ones. That conviction is at the core of why Passage Preparation exists and what drives all aspects of our work.

Connecting Policy, Preparation, and Practice

One of the clearest lessons from nearly two decades in this space is that certification policy, candidate readiness, and preparation program design are not separate conversations. They are deeply linked and decisions made in one arena have real consequences in the others.

Policy established at the state level, often shaped by national dialogue, defines the standards that preparation programs must help candidates meet. Those programs, in turn, shape the educators who enter classrooms, lead schools, and influence student outcomes for years to come. The stakes at every point in that chain are high.

Understanding this interconnectedness has been central to my professional work and continues to guide how Passage Preparation approaches its mission. The standards that govern entry into the teaching profession exist for good reason: they are designed so that every student has access to an educator who is genuinely prepared to meet their needs. But high standards are only meaningful when aspiring educators have access to the preparation and support they need to meet them.

That is the gap Passage Preparation is designed to close. Our platform provides rigorous, accessible preparation resources built specifically to help candidates navigate the licensing process with confidence—supporting the pipeline at precisely the point where many promising educators are most at risk of stepping away.

A Network and Friendships That Last

One of the most enduring outcomes of my time with NASDTEC has been the professional network and personal friendships built along the way. Over the years, I have developed deep working relationships with state policymakers, agency leaders, and nationally recognized experts in educator licensure and preparation across the country.

These are not merely professional contacts. They are colleagues who share a genuine commitment to this work and people who challenge my thinking, strengthen my perspective, and continue to inspire me as both my role and the broader landscape of educator preparation evolve. The informal conversations that happen at NASDTEC are often as valuable as the formal sessions, and the relationships formed there have been a constant source of insight and motivation throughout my career.

Looking Ahead: NASDTEC 2026

This year, I have had the honor of serving on the planning committee for the NASDTEC Annual Conference. Being part of the team shaping the agenda has offered a deeper appreciation for both the relevance and the urgency of the topics our field is grappling with from persistent educator workforce challenges to meaningful innovations in certification and preparation program design.

The 2026 agenda reflects the complexity of our current moment and the genuine opportunities before us. I encourage anyone working in this space to engage with it.

👉 Explore the full 2026 NASDTEC Annual Conference agenda

Continuing the Conversation

I look forward to reconnecting with longtime colleagues, deepening existing partnerships, and meeting new leaders committed to advancing educator quality at every level of the pipeline.

At Passage Preparation, our work is continuously informed by conversations like those that happen at NASDTEC. The challenges and ideas surfaced in those exchanges drive us to develop solutions that are genuinely aligned to the real needs of candidates, educator preparation programs, and state and local education agency partners. We believe that a well-supported, well-prepared educator workforce is essential and that strengthening the pipeline begins with giving aspiring educators the tools they need to meet the standards our students deserve.

If you are attending this year’s conference, I hope we have the opportunity to connect.