SASUP 10th Annual Conference
School-University Partnerships – Rising to the Challenge
October 14–16, 2026
WCU Biltmore Park Campus, Asheville, NC
The Southeastern Association of School-University Partnerships (SASUP) is pleased to hold its tenth annual conference at the Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park campus in Asheville, North Carolina. The purpose of the conference is to provide a space for dialogue and discovery about genuine collaborative partnerships between P–12 institutions and institutions of higher education. SASUP invites proposals that address at least one of the following six strands:
Preparation of Teacher Candidates
Preparation and Development of Teacher Leaders
Preparation and Development of School Leaders and Leadership Pipelines
Collaboration between P-12 Educators and IHEs
P-12 Student Learning
Research That Informs the Field
Within each of these strands, presenters should address the conference theme: School-University Partnerships –Rising to the Challenge.
This year’s conference is set in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, a cultural region characterized by resilience, shared purpose, and collective effort—essential ingredients of successful school-university partnerships. SASUP invites participants to explore innovative approaches to partnership that rise to contemporary educational challenges through collaborative efforts to realize positive outcomes for students and teacher candidates, enhanced capacity to ensure resilience and sustainability, and exemplary programs and practices that advance the education profession through partnerships.
· School-university partnerships engage diverse and interconnected constituent groups in work on behalf of schoolchildren and the professionals who serve them. These collaborative efforts elevate the common good through learning communities designed “to improve student learning, prepare educators through clinical practice, engage in reciprocal professional learning, and conduct shared inquiry” (NASUP Mission). How does your partnership honor differing ideas, perspectives, and lived experiences while fostering collaboration? How does your partnership promote the “common good” while operating in a context of political divisions, economic uncertainty, and wavering public confidence in the school system?
· School-university partnerships help enhance capacity to traverse the varied and ever-evolving terrain of education over well-worn, established paths and new, freshly blazed trails. The Southern Appalachians have a dynamic landscape that is transformed by changes in elevation as well as the passing of the seasons. Sometimes the transformations are gradual and predictable and can be approached and managed with careful preparation and planning, while other times they are sudden and dramatic and may bring unwanted or unanticipated obstacles, disruptions, and distractions. How does your partnership add to or enhance capacity for constituents to face enduring and emerging challenges? How do you ensure your partnership is resilient and will be sustainable in the future?
· Strong, sustained school-university partnerships rise like majestic peaks on the horizon of the education profession. They serve as inviting exemplars of what lies ahead when schools, universities, and the surrounding community come together to ensure excellence in education. From these elevated vantage points, successful partnerships inspire the field to see further, think differently, and move forward together with purpose. What exemplary programs and practices can your partnership share with others? How has your partnership been innovative and creative in advancing its mission?
Tentative Schedule
Day 1: Pre-conference – October 14 (Optional Ticketed Event): The Catamount School, Western Carolina University
Day 2: Main Conference Day 1 – October 15 Morning General Session and Keynote Morning; Concurrent Sessions I & II; Networking Lunch; Afternoon Concurrent Sessions I, II, & III; Evening Social Event
Day 3: Main Conference – October 16 Morning General Session and Keynote; Morning Concurrent Sessions I, II, & III; Annual Business Meeting and Closing Remarks
Call for proposals will be posted in mid-March at SASUP.ORG.
See you in Asheville!
About SASUP
SASUP is a non-profit professional organization which provides resources, professional development and advocacy for the Professional Development School model in teacher education. An annual SASUP conference functions to support and advocate for collaborative partnerships across the P-12 and IHE community as a center for inquiry that leads to the discovery and sharing of knowledge that shapes educator practice and leadership. If you mean inserting a flyer into a document, email, website, or printed material, here are concise instructions for common scenarios.