Equity remains both a moral imperative and a leadership challenge. This session explores how school boards and superintendents are advancing equity across Colorado—supporting rural schools, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and communities most affected by funding and opportunity gaps. 

Session Chair: Dr. Starla Pearson

Starla Pearson, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Education Leadership and Policy Studies department of the Morgridge College of Education, earned a PhD from the University of Colorado in Educational Leadership, an MA from University of Northern Colorado in Interdisciplinary Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Black Hills State University. Before joining the ELPS faculty in 2022, she served as a public educator in Nevada and Colorado—high school English and middle school literacy teacher, mentor and staff developer, assistant principal, PK-8 principal, principal supervisor, and district executive director. She has been an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the University of Denver. For a decade, she was a consultant on the Colorado Department of Education’s State Review Panel, helping to oversee state accountability in schools and districts across Colorado.