C坦rdova will share her insights as a featured guest at the April Superintendents Summit in Denver, where district leaders from across the country are gathering to focus on leading with clarity amid rapid change.

In this conversation ahead of the summit, she offers a candid perspective on teacher retention, AI in schools, how to stay grounded when everything feels urgent���and what separates the leaders who truly thrive in chaos from those who simply endure it.

Dr. C坦rdova, you’ve sat in almost every seat in education���the classroom, the principal’s office, the superintendent’s office, and now the commissioner’s office. Which role changed you the most as a leader?

I���ve learned something fundamental in every role I���ve held. As I moved into roles with greater responsibilities and impact, I���ve strived to carry those lessons with me.

As a teacher, I learned the power of relationships and what truly motivates people. As a principal, I saw how the leader sets the tone for culture, expectations and vision. As a superintendent, I learned the importance of engaging the entire community while staying disciplined in measuring progress and results.

In my current role, I see more clearly than ever how policy influences practice���and how important it is to understand the reciprocal relationship between legislation and the realities on the ground.

The reality is, I���m still learning. Each role continues to stretch me in different ways.

Recruiting and retaining great teachers and leaders is one of the hardest things districts face right now. What are the districts that are getting it right actually doing differently?

The districts getting it right are thinking about the experience of being an educator, not just the transaction of hiring one.

They consistently do a few things well:

• Creating strong onboarding and support systems, especially in the first 2���3 years, when we lose too many people.
• Building leadership capacity at every level, not just relying on the principal to carry everything.
• Designing roles more strategically, including team-based models and differentiated responsibilities.
• And importantly, listening to their educators���and acting on what they hear.

The districts seeing progress are aligning their staffing, professional learning, and culture around a clear understanding. If we want great outcomes for students, we have to create the conditions where adults can do their best work.

If you could change one thing about how superintendents think about their role as a leader, what would it be?

If I could change one thing, it would be this: don���t try to do everything yourself. The superintendency is too complex���and too important���for any one person to carry alone.

Some advice I���d offer is:

1. Lean into your strengths. Know what you do well and don���t apologize for leading from that place.
2. Build a team that balances your gaps. Surround yourself with people who bring different skills, perspectives, and expertise���and trust them to lead.
3. Work closely with your board to keep the main thing, the main thing. When there is clarity and alignment around priorities, it becomes much easier to say no to distractions and stay focused on what matters most for students.

Superintendents don���t need to be everything���they just need to build and lead systems that work.

What separates the superintendents who thrive in chaos from those who endure it?

I am a big fan of Marcus Aurelius. One of his quotes that I love is, ���When you are distressed by an external thing, it���s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgment of it. And you can wipe this out at a moment���s notice.���

To me, that suggests we have the power to be in chaos without really experiencing it. We can reframe our responses to the crazy times we live in and lead with a sense of purpose that no one can challenge. The trick is to stay grounded in our purpose and values, no matter what else is happening.

AI is changing everything���what should superintendents be doing about it right now, not in five years? And any thoughts on how you might support superintendents in Colorado as they navigate the world of AI amid a social environment where school technology is in question?

In Colorado, we have partnered with the Colorado Education Initiative to develop the . It emphasizes flexibility and adaptability, as things are changing at an unprecedented pace.

A few things I would encourage:

• Start learning���personally and as a team. Use AI tools yourself. Understand what they can and can���t do.
• Create space for educators to experiment safely, rather than shutting it down out of fear.
• Focus on the instructional core���how does AI support stronger teaching, not just efficiency?
• And be clear about guardrails, especially around student data and ethical use.

Final question: When everything is on fire, how do you decide what actually deserves your attention as a leader? Any tips on how to help superintendents prioritize?

If your answer to these three questions is ���yes,��� then the matter likely deserves your attention. :

1. Does this directly impact students���and how?
2. Is this aligned with our highest priorities?
3. Should I be the only one working on this?

If not, you might consider delegating, delaying, or even dropping the matter. But, it���s not always that simple.

My advice���or guidance���to superintendents is to be explicit about your top two to three priorities, and then protect them relentlessly. Use them as a filter for decisions, for meetings, and for how you spend your time.

Staying focused on your top two to three priorities is what keeps you focused when everything around you feels like it���s competing for attention. It���s not easy to do, but the payoff can be enormous.

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, a nonpartisan think tank based at Georgetown University, has reviewed at least 35 State-of-the-State addresses so far this year.

Increased���but highly targeted���funding formulas

At least seven governors intend to increase education spending. Kay Ivey (R-Ala.) proposed the largest education budget in state history. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Laura Kelly (D-Kan.) also promised to raise funding to historic levels.

More on K12 policy: Will the midterm elections have any effect on Trump���s K12 agenda?

Some governors want to move away from across-the-board spending. Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.) planned to push $565 million through a new adequacy formula aimed at schools that need funds most, tying dollars to outcomes. Matt Meyer (D-Del.) is considering a need-based funding formula, while Mike Kehoe (R-Mo.) plans to “modernize” its allocation.

Curbing phones, social media and AI

Of the eight governors targeting cell phone use, leaders in Utah, Connecticut and Maine pushed bell-to-bell bans that would require collecting devices, providing storage and enforcing new rules.

Governors in New York, Pennsylvania and Florida want to restrict social media and AI use and implement apps that can flag students planning to harm themselves or others.

These proposals would require districts to tighten tech policies, vet vendors more comprehensively and get buy-in from parents.

Localized and sector-specific workforce pipelines

Aligned with the Trump administration’s calls to prioritize workforce training, governors are creating stronger career pathways in fields such as healthcare, construction and technology.

Maura Healey (D-Mass.)油said she would help create 100,000 apprenticeships over the next 10 years in the building trades. Leaders in Alaska, Hawaii and South Dakota also committed to increasing apprenticeship pathways.

Similarly, the governors of Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island, Hawaii and West Virginia plan to expand career and technical education.

Higher education accessibility will play a larger role in student workforce preparation. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) vied to make the first two years of college free while tightening articulation agreements between district CTE efforts through concurrent enrollment.

Patrick Morrisey (R-W. Va.) is interested in micro-credentialing and project-based STEM models, signaling district-level scheduling and staffing innovations ahead.

Private partnerships fuel early learning

Seven state governors plan to expand early childhood programs. Universal pre-kindergarten is in line for funding in California, New York and Kentucky. Four states are seeking support from the private sector to fund such programs.

Nutrition policy is moving from access to quality

While governors in Connecticut, Hawaii and Kansas spoke about expanding free meal programs, a pair of leaders want to set ingredient standards and restrict additives.

Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) proposed removing artificial dyes from school meals, and Newsom from California planned to eliminate ultra-processed foods from cafeterias.

Movement toward quality ingredients will affect procurement, vendor contracts and kitchen training.

Red states commit to Trump’s policies

Governors in conservative-majority states vied to carry out priorities supported by the Trump administration.

Leaders from South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri planned to opt into the federal tax-credit scholarship enacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The scholarship would fund families’ private school tuition payments and tutoring at select schools.

Governors in Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska and West Virginia aim to prevent transgender male athletes from competing in women’s sports.

Protection from ICE

Governors from New York and Connecticut promised to prevent “masked federal agents” from entering schools and daycares and “continue to protect schools from ICE.”

FutureEd’s tracker will be updated as more State-of-the-State speeches are delivered.

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“The shutdown proved an argument that conservatives have been making for 45 years: The U.S. Department of Education is mostly a pass-through for funds that are best managed by the states,” she argued in an op-ed published by .

She claimed that the 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, came at an inconvenient time for students, yet they continued going to class, teachers got paid and there were no disruptions in sports or bus routes.

With the shutdown behind us, she said she is “emboldened” to return the power of education to the states, clarifying that federal support would be protected.

“It simply means the end of a centralized bureaucracy micromanaging what would be a state-led responsibility,” she wrote. “Funding for low-income students and students with disabilities predates the Education Department and will continue indefinitely.”

She added that education is best managed by those closest to families. The feds have already started by partnering with agencies better suited to manage current federal programs and to support state and local leaders in their oversight.

For instance, the Education Department is working with the Department of Labor to coordinate federal workforce development programs and has launched the integrated state plan portal to streamline workforce development, including adult education and family literacy programs.

McMahon is also in the middle of her 50-state listening tour, gathering insight from students, teachers and education leaders about the innovation strategies they’re using to improve learning outcomes. She underscored油that she is committed to minimizing the federal micromanagement “with every tool at our disposal.”

“I know that education is best managed by educators and leaders closest to families, because I have witnessed innovative schools and outstanding educators delivering for students across the country,” she wrote.

‘This is just the beginning’

The Trump administration’s focus on restoring education is just the start of a process to make these changes permanent, McMahon added. In higher education, for instance, they aim to reduce tuition costs through measures outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act while incentivizing degrees that award students with “hard skills.”

Colleges and universities have also been tasked with scrapping discriminatory programs and admissions policies. Take Harvard, which sued the Trump administration in April for after the university refused to change its hiring and admissions policies. The federal court has since blocked Trump’s ability to withhold the more than $2 billion in research grants.

McMahon concluded with a promise to succeed where President Ronald Reagan and other conservatives could not by relying on input from students and families “who have been utterly failed by the broken status quo.”

“The Schumer shutdown underlined just how little the Department of Education will be missed,” she wrote.

More from 91心頭: First look at immigration enforcement���s impact on test scores

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That’s at least the case in Florida, where illegal immigration enforcement reflects the priorities of the Trump administration to protect Americans “.”

In August, Gov. Ron DeSantis of a first-of-its-kind law enforcement operation targeting illegal immigration���the Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation. It’s part of a multi-agency immigration enforcement detail targeting illegal aliens with criminal records, fugitives and repeat immigration violators.

The operation sends one message: “Florida will not tolerate lawlessness within its borders,” according to a press release. As of Aug. 22, nearly 200 individuals had been apprehended.

Such enforcement led to reports of increased fear among families at the start of the school year. In Miami-Dade County, at least 82,000 students are English language learners, many of whom come from “mixed-status” families, where members have varying immigration statuses, the 油reports.

In April, several Florida universities also signed agreements to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to aid the federal government in its immigration crackdown, according to . The agreement, 287(g), allows local law enforcement to act as immigration officers.

“We can confirm that we have signed the 287(g) agreement,” a University of Florida spokesperson told the news outlet at the time. The agreement delegates to local officers “the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

What the research says

A from the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals first-of-its-kind data from a large urban school district in Florida and the effects of the surge in immigration apprehensions.

While test scores have dropped, students are less likely to be involved in disciplinary incidents at school.油These effects were especially pronounced among middle and high school students.

The behavioral change likely results from students’ overall fear of arrest by immigration authorities. They are also getting more support from their school, including more sympathy from administrators when addressing misbehavior.

“Teachers and principals might be more lenient towards similar behaviors from students who experience hardships due to increased immigration enforcement,” the research reads.

Read the working paper .

More from 91心頭: 5 concerns students now have about AI

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According to a press release from the Education Department, funds will be distributed to the following programs over five years to support the expansion of education options for parents and their children:

State Entity Grants: Nearly $294 million will go to six states over the next five years to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools.

Model Development and Dissemination Grants: Twelve new grants totaling $27.6 million will provide tools and resources for charter schools.

Charter Management Organization Grants: $263 million���the highest amount in the history of the program���will be awarded to 22 organizations to replicate and expand 147 charter schools across the country.

Developer Grants: $10.7 million will fund seven new projects to open new or expand charter schools in states that do not have a Charter Schools Program grant.

State Facilities Incentive Grants: $126 million across three new grants will help states enhance and administer facilities aid programs.

Credit Enhancement Grants: $95.4 million in five new grants will support eligible entities that demonstrate innovative methods of helping charter schools acquire, construct or renovate facilities.

An additional $51.7 million in supplemental funding will be distributed to existing State Entity grantees to support the creation or expansion of charter schools focused on civics education, career and technical education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, among other models.

“A one-size-fits-all education system is not working for our students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Charter schools allow for innovative education models that expand learning opportunities for students.”

The growth of charter schools

These investments come as charter school enrollment continues to grow nationwide. According to preliminary data from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which was provided to 油last week, charter school enrollment has increased by 492,210 students (14.7%) nationwide from the 2019-20 school year to the 2024-25 school year.

States like California, Texas and Florida are leading the charge as they have the highest share of charter school enrollment, based on from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Public school enrollment in Florida has witnessed steep declines in recent years, Axios油, largely in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to expand school choice options.

Just two weeks ago, Florida’s board of education signed off on a major expansion of charter schools, allowing them to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools, according to the .油Lawmakers argue it’s a reasonable solution for addressing school closures, aging facilities and post-pandemic student struggles.

“We have operators that want to come in and give the best education to those who are in schools that haven’t been getting the greatest education,” state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fla., said on the House floor earlier this year.

The legislation also loosens restrictions outlined in Florida’s program, an initiative that incentivizes charter school operators to open schools serving students from persistently low-performing public schools within a five-mile radius. Now, charters can operate within school walls.

The bill also requires public school districts to provide the same facilities-related services to the charter schools, including custodial work, maintenance, nursing and other services.

“All common indoor and outdoor space at a facility such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, recreation areas, parking lots, storage spaces and auditoriums, without limitation, must be shared proportionately based on total full-time equivalent student enrollment,” read the program rules.

According to the油Associated Press, public school advocates argued against the school board’s proposal, including one India Miller, who labeled Schools of Hope as “parasitic” to public schools.

“To me, it would be like asking Home Depot to give Lowe’s space in their store and pay all of their infrastructure costs,” Miller told the board. “It just does not make sense to me.”

More from 91心頭: 3 ways schools are reversing math declines

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PEN America, a nonprofit free speech advocacy organization, has been recording nationwide book bans for the last several years. According to a released last week, a trend that originated with “parental rights” legislation in Florida and other states has now reached the federal level.

“Since returning to office, the Trump 91心頭istration has mimicked rhetoric about ‘parents’ rights,’ which, in Florida and other states, has largely been used to advance book bans and censorship of schools, against the wishes of many parents, students, families and educators,” the report reads.

In the 2024-25 school year alone, PEN America recorded 6,780 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts. The organization defines book banning as:

“Any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by government officials, that leads to a book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”

Altogether, since July 2021, the organization has identified 22,810 cases of book bans across 45 states and 451 public school districts.

Most banned titles

As for the 2024-25 school year, some 3,752 unique book titles were targeted across 87 school districts nationwide. The most banned books include:

1. A Clockwork Orange (23 bans)
2. Breathless油(20 bans)
3. Sold油(20 bans)
4. Last Night at the Telegraph Club油(19 bans)
5. A Court of Mist and Fury油(18 bans)
6. Crank油(17 bans)
7. Forever…油(17 bans)
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower油(17 bans)
9. Wicked油(17 bans)

Florida led the nation with 2,304 instances of book bans last school year, following the passage of multiple laws, pressure from local groups and elected officials, as well as direct threats to educators’ professional licenses if they fail to comply, according to PEN America.

Utah and South Carolina last year introduced mechanisms to create state-mandated . Utah’s HB29 mandates statewide bans, making it the first instance of a state releasing an official list of books that are illegal to stock on school shelves.

“Opposing this will no longer take just counter-efforts to any one of these threats; it will require a similarly committed effort, rooted in recognition of the fundamental right to read,” PEN America wrote.

More from 91心頭: Poverty���not income���is the most important factor in determining college success

Read the full report .

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Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s latest reminds districts of their obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.

The directive comes during the same week her department launched investigations into laws in California and Maine that prohibit school personnel from disclosing a child���s gender identity to parents. The agency in recent weeks has also been aggressively investigating what it considers potential Title IX violations where males have allegedly been allowed to participate in girls’ sports.

More from 91心頭: Plans to close Education Department face a new challenge

���Parents are the most natural protectors of their children. Yet many states and school districts have enacted policies that imply students need protection from their parents,��� McMahon said Friday.

���These states and school districts have turned the concept of privacy on its head���prioritizing the privileges of government officials over the rights of parents and wellbeing of families,” she added.

The letter contends districts and students are creating “gender plans” and hiding these plans from parents by declaring that they are not official education records covered by FERPA. The agency also accuses districts of not notifying parents of their rights under FERPA.

McMahon acknowledged that FERPA does not oblige school officials to inform parents about any student information. But, she noted, the law does allow parents to request and review their child’s education records. FERPA does not distinguish between an ���official student record��� and a ���cumulative file,��� which means parents should be able to see any information a school collects about a student.

The Dear Colleague Letter has ordered state education departments to provide “assurance” by April 30 that school districts and other local education agencies are complying with FERPA and PPRA.

“Going forward, the correct application of FERPA will be to empower all parents to protect their children from the radical ideologies that have taken over many schools,” McMahon concluded.

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���This administration may claim to be stopping waste and fraud, but it is clear that their only mission is to take away the necessary services, resources, and funding that students and their families need,��� New York Attorney General Letitia James . ���This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal.”

James is part of a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

More from 91心頭: Expert warns schools may face a ���fiscal buzzsaw��� this year油

Earlier this week, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon油initiated a at her department, laying off about half of the agency’s staff. She called the move the “first step” in closing the agency but has said that funding for key K12 programs such as Title I and IDEA won���t be interrupted.

The Trump administration���s goal is to eliminate ���red tape��� that holds up education funding and give more financial control to states and districts, McMahon said in a Fox News interview.

���[Trump has] taken bureaucracy out of education so that more money flows to states, and better education is closest to kids, with parents, with local superintendents, with local school boards,��� she said. ���I think we���ll see our scores go up with our students when we can educate them with parental input as well.���

The coalition’s lawsuit warns that the department will be “incapacitated” by the cuts and its remaining staff would not be able to perform essential functions, such as providing services to students with special needs, investigating civil rights complaints and dispensing financial aid to college students.

James notes that she and similar coalitions have in recent weeks secured injunctions against the Trump administration’s efforts to , access U.S. citizens’ Treasury data and withhold funding from the National Institutes of Health.

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But first, lawmakers will have to agree on what the program looks like.

Gov. Greg Abbott, the torchbearer in Texas��� voucher movement, has insisted that the Legislature pass a ���universal��� program that would make every Texas student eligible to access taxpayer-funded education savings accounts���a voucher-like policy that would give families direct access to state funds they could use to cover the costs of tuition, uniforms, home schooling and other education-related expenses.

Read more at .

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Private school vouchers are a program where a family can take public dollars to spend on private school tuition. Arguments in favor of a system like this have been made since the 1950s, when famous libertarian economist Milton Friedman argued that allowing school vouchers would improve educational outcomes for children by increasing parental choice, promoting competition among schools, and reducing government inefficiencies.

Friedman���s arguments came under fire in the decades hence, not the least of which in the public policy classic Exit, Voice, and Loyalty, where German Economist Albert Hirschman argues that Friedman overlooks an important mechanism available to parents in struggling schools: their ability to voice their concerns through the democratic process.

Read more at .

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