Denver, CO — June 2025 — Dr. Karen Sanzo, Executive Director of the Old Dominion University Center for Educational Innovation & Opportunity (CEIO), joined national education leaders in Denver this month to call for a bold expansion of research and development (R&D) infrastructure across public education systems.
At the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Conference on Student Assessment, Dr. Sanzo served as a featured panelist in the session “Innovate or Stagnate: Transforming Education Through Strategic R&D.” The discussion focused on one of the most persistent challenges in the field: the absence of systemwide structures to pilot, refine, and scale meaningful educational innovations.
Dr. Sanzo shared how CEIO is advancing this work in Virginia by building partnerships across K–12 school districts, universities, and workforce sectors—most notably through the state’s College Partnership Lab School initiative. Under her leadership, CEIO is launching 4 lab school partnerships across high-growth industries such as aerospace, computer science, maritime engineering, and STEM this fall.
These schools serve as living laboratories—places where real-world learning models are tested and refined with direct input from educators, industry experts, and higher education partners.
Sanzo was joined on the panel by:
- Sasha Rabkin, Chief of Program Strategy and Innovation, Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF)
- Jill Zimmerman Pinsky, Managing Director, Watershed Advisors
- Leslie Colwell, Partner, Transcend
- Ron Sandlin, Chief Innovation Officer, Indiana Department of Education
Together, the panel outlined a roadmap for how states can embed R&D into continuous improvement systems, foster partnerships across sectors, and commit to long-term strategies that scale what works.
Dr. Sanzo’s work at CEIO demonstrates the unique and critical role universities can play in leading statewide education innovation. Through lab schools, educator preparation, workforce-connected programming, and cross-institutional collaboration, CEIO is helping to build the foundation for an R&D ecosystem in education—one that supports both innovation and equity.
The session marked a growing national consensus: transforming public education demands more than pilot programs. It requires deep investment, sustained commitment, and leadership that spans policy, practice, and research.
