The CEEDAR Center, in collaboration with the IRIS Center, hosted a convening for our intensive TA participants from across the United States in June of 2016.  Representatives from the CEEDAR state teams met to network with a focus on teacher and leader preparation reform and policy levers that can influence improvement and coherence. On the final day of the meeting, Sue Swenson, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education delivered a riveting keynote address that looked to American history for keys to the future of public education.