2026 COSB Leadership Institute: Building Capacity

COSB Leadership Institute 2026 — Building Capacity: Strengthening the people, systems, and practices to serve every student who is blind or has low vision

Join the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) for a full day dedicated to building the capacity of our field so that every learner who is blind or has low vision is served by strong people, sound data, and sustainable practice. This year's Institute brings together directors, principals, coordinators, teachers, and leadership fellows from across the country to share what's working, tackle shared challenges, and leave with concrete tools we can put to use right away.

The day is organized into five sessions, each designed to build a different dimension of our capacity.

Building Capacity: Student Readiness & Leadership Growth opens the Institute. After welcoming new members, we'll explore how to prepare students who are blind and have low vision for college success. Then we'll move into two facilitated roundtable discussions: the first focusing on the practical realities of running a school or agency, the second focusing your own growth as a leader.

Building Capacity in Families and Teachers turns to the people closest to our students. Sessions spotlight the 4to24 app as a tool for empowering parents and students, and show how competency-based, asset-based practices can transform Expanded Core instruction.

Building the Workforce: Recruiting, Retaining, and Growing Talent confronts one of the field's most pressing challenges. Hear how the Tennessee School for the Blind is defining a standard for strong instruction, and learn strategies for attracting, retaining, and developing new teachers from an award-winning program leader.

Building Leadership Capacity: Harnessing Data demonstrates how leaders can turn information into action by streamlining outreach and service delivery and by using a national needs assessment to make defensible, data-informed decisions that strengthen advocacy and staffing.

Celebrating Our Capacity Builders closes the day as we honor this year's POSB and COSB award winners and the community that makes their work possible.

Throughout the day, you'll connect with colleagues, engage with our sponsors, and invest in both your students and yourself. Breakfast, lunch, and breaks are built in—so come ready to learn, share, and build capacity together.

Registration opens at 7:30 am. We look forward to building capacity together in 2026.