North Carolina
In 2003 The Hunt Institute convened the North Carolina Legislators Retreat – a “meeting of the minds” that brought together North Carolina policymakers, state, and national resource experts, and education practitioners to have a candid dialogue about critical issues in public education, co-chaired by former Republican and Democratic governors of North Carolina Jim Holshouser and Jim Hunt.
In 2013, the Retreat was renamed the Holshouser Legislators Retreat in honor of the late Governor Holshouser for his overall commitment to education. The event’s purpose is to ensure bipartisan collaboration in the name of quality education for all students in North Carolina. Policymakers from both sides of the aisle are provided with carefully researched information in a space where they can delve into the specifics of education policy – outside of the walls of the legislature and away from the daily pressures of their positions, lobbyists, and media. Unlike any other convening in the nation, the Retreat has become a model for other states interested in the complexities of education policy.
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Virginia
The Hunt Institute began working with the Virginia legislature in 2015 during the first annual Virginia Education Summit. The Summit is a convening of the Virginia House Education and Senate Education and Health Committees. Similar to the Holshouser Legislators Retreat, the Summit brings policymakers from both sides of the aisle together to carefully research and discuss the most pressing issues facing the Commonwealth’s education system, as policymakers speak with state and national resource experts on those issues.
Through the sharing of best practices and provision of data on the Commonwealth’s education landscape, The Hunt Institute works to help policymakers set their legislative agendas for both the short- and long-term.
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Missouri
In January 2019, The Hunt Institute held the inaugural convening of Missouri legislators at the Missouri Legislators Retreat in Jefferson City, Missouri. Legislators from education- and workforce- related committees in both the House and Senate joined key state education leaders, national experts, and The Institute team to engage in conversations around the importance of high-quality early childhood education, strong school leadership, responsive teacher compensation systems, and innovative methods for preparing tomorrow’s workforce.
Building on the first Retreat’s success, the second was held just 10 months later in November 2019, focusing on prenatal to age three policy, rural schools, teacher recruitment, and Career and Technical Education (CTE). The third annual Retreat took place virtually in February 2021, and retreats took place in person in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
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North Dakota
The first annual North Dakota Legislators Retreat took place virtually in December 2020. Hosting 31 legislators from both chambers and parties, the Retreat discussed a number of topics important to North Dakota’s education system and brought in both state and national experts to discuss best solutions for North Dakota’s students. Topics covered included: supporting equity for birth – age five, student behavioral health and well-being, and recruiting and retaining rural teachers. In-person retreats have taken place in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
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Illinois
In August 2021, The Hunt Institute held its inaugural convening of Illinois legislators at the Illinois Legislators Retreat in Chicago, Illinois. This Retreat specifically focused on diversifying the educator workforce throughout the state. Legislators from the entire legislature joined key state education leaders, national experts, and The Institute team to engage in conversations around the history of racial and ethnic diversity in Illinois’ schools, the impact of a diverse teacher workforce, teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention, and the influence of strong school leadership.
Since then, The Hunt Institute has held an Educator Diversity Summit as well as a second retreat in 2023. A recent was held in April 2025.
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New Mexico
The Hunt Institute held its inaugural New Mexico Legislators Retreat in May 2025 in Albuquerque. The Retreat brought together 29 legislators from both chambers and parties to engage in important education policy conversations with local and national experts. A few of the topics discussed included embedding quality into early learning, literacy instruction, education support for military families, and persistence and supports in higher education.
A second retreat will be held in May 2026.
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Oklahoma
In January 2022, The Hunt Institute held its first Oklahoma Legislators Retreat in Oklahoma City. Education and workforce-minded members from the OK House of Representatives and the Senate will attend for discussions spanning the education continuum.
A fifth retreat was held in December 2025.
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