Here are three exclusive videos that were produced to screen for governors and gathered influencers at the February event:

Raising the Bar on Education 鈥� What鈥檚 at Stake

When Students Dream: Inspired by Education

Why Governors Must Lead the Way

The day鈥檚 three invited guests were Govs. John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Roy Cooper (D鈥揘orth Carolina), and Jeff Colyer (R-Kansas), all joining Axios executive editor Mike Allen onstage for a conversation about education. Our complete coverage of their appearances:

COLORADO

Carolyn Phenicie recaps: Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper on school safety, turnarounds & showing taxpayers a return on their education investment

Watch the full interview:

Exclusive backstage audio:

NORTH CAROLINA

Emmeline Zhao recaps: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: More than low tax rates & quality of life, CEOs care about education and a skilled workforce

Watch the full interview:

Exclusive backstage conversation:

KANSAS

Carolyn Phenicie recaps: Kansas Gov. Colyer talks about state鈥檚 school funding lawsuit, standing firm against school closures & arming teachers

Watch the full interview:

Exclusive backstage conversation:

3 VERY DIFFERENT GOVERNORS, 3 VERY SIMILAR CHALLENGES FOR EDUCATION

Andrew Brownstein notes some powerful themes among the day鈥檚 different conversations: 鈥淏ridging America鈥檚 urban-rural divide through education 鈥� 3 governors from very different states say they all face the same issues of school funding, safety & dropouts鈥�

The governor鈥檚 answer: Assuming that there鈥檚 a 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all solution鈥� for improving education outcomes.

That sounds somewhat simplistic. Who鈥檚 in favor of one-size-fits-all solutions? But among splintering Democrats these days, those can be fighting words 鈥� words that may haunt Hickenlooper if he pursues a much-talked-about presidential bid.

The governor spoke at 鈥淩aising the Bar: A Conversation on Education,鈥� an event moderated by Allen and presented by 社区黑料 and the Walton Family Foundation. Govs. Jeff Colyer of Kansas and Roy Cooper of North Carolina also spoke at the town hall event.

Hickenlooper said he once assumed that the silver bullet for poor education outcomes was a longer school day and longer school year. Instead, what he and other Colorado political and education leaders created there is a full plate of options for parents, especially in Denver, where a 鈥減ortfolio鈥� district offers families the ultimate in school choice: traditional, charter, or experimental schools run by the district.

But allowing parents robust choice isn鈥檛 popular among the new left Democrats, the very same Democrats who in California, for example, , Dianne Feinstein, for her re-election bid.

Her fault? She wasn鈥檛 as progressive as rival state Senate leader Kevin DeLeon, not as fiercely anti-Trump.

At that same San Diego meeting where Feinstein was shunned, the new left Dems did their best to create a platform that would force charter schools to behave more like district schools 鈥� thus pushing parents back into one-size options. The dynamics are pretty simple: The teachers unions rule the Democratic Party, and the unions dislike the mostly nonunion charters, which they accuse of sapping money from district schools.

Can they succeed? In some instances, yes. Not long ago, the teachers unions in Massachusetts led a successful campaign to prevent any expansion of charters in that state, thus restricting school choice to parents who can afford to buy homes in high-performing suburban communities.

So, yes, the new left has that clout, especially as Democrats are scrambling to push back against anything supported by President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Trump and DeVos like charters and choice? Discussion over.

What Hickenlooper and others achieved in Denver represents the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, a wing that supports charter school options for low-income parents 鈥� and a wing that has seen its momentum sapped by the new left.

Yes, saying education leaders should avoid 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥� solutions sounds like a bromide. But not for a Democrat considering national office in an era of Donald Trump pushback. Those are fighting words.

While it may sound like the setup for a bad joke, the description aptly describes the former lives of three governors 鈥� John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Roy Cooper (D鈥揘orth Carolina), and Jeff Colyer (R-Kansas) 鈥� who graced the stage last Friday at 鈥淩aising the Bar: A Conversation on Education in America.鈥� The Washington event was moderated by Axios鈥檚 Mike Allen and presented by 社区黑料 and the Walton Family Foundation.

Allen peppered the governors with questions about what their past jobs taught them about education and how those lessons help them navigate their current roles. While none is a political neophyte, all three manage states with strong divisions: Republican against Democrat, affluent/poor, urban versus rural. These divides call for a common touch on hot-button issues from gun violence to education funding.

Hickenlooper, who has been with Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio and eyeing a possible 2020 presidential bid, told Allen, 鈥淕overnors are generally less partisan.鈥� It鈥檚 a mindset often lacking in today鈥檚 politics, whose slogan, he joked, could be 鈥淎nger is the new black.鈥� His background as a restaurant manager 鈥� and the first brewer to govern a state since Sam Adams was elected in Massachusetts in 1792 鈥� taught him that 鈥渢here鈥檚 no margin, nor profit, in having enemies.鈥�

鈥淣o matter how unreasonable that person is, listen,鈥� Hickenlooper said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always a tomorrow.鈥�

It鈥檚 a helpful posture in one of the purplest states in the country. named him 鈥淭he Middleman鈥� for traversing the strange politics of one of the nation鈥檚 swingiest of swing states, where pot is legal and taxes cannot be raised without a vote by the people.

The fissures can be seen in fierce inequities in education funding and quality. All three governors have been embroiled in major litigation surrounding school equity 鈥� where the fault lines are not only between urban and rural populations, but within cities, as students in depressed urban centers struggle to keep up with their more affluent suburban peers.

One of Cooper鈥檚 first acts as governor of North Carolina was to weigh in on a 20-year-old case in which the state Supreme Court declared that the state constitution guarantees every child 鈥渁n opportunity to receive a sound basic education.鈥�

In Colorado, Hickenlooper was governor in 2014 when his state鈥檚 Supreme Court ruled that funding cuts of nearly $1 billion per year since 2010 did not violate the state鈥檚 constitution. But the problems persist. In his final in January, the governor said Colorado remains three-quarters of a billion dollars below school funding levels required by the state constitution to keep pace with inflation and enrollment growth. 鈥淚f we are being really blunt,鈥� he said during the address, 鈥渋t hurts rural Colorado more than the Front Range,鈥� referring to the urban stretch along the southern Rocky Mountains.

And in Kansas, Colyer, on the job but a few weeks, faces a school funding battle that . The that a new funding system wasn鈥檛 equitable enough.

鈥淚 am the 10th governor in a row with litigation hanging over his head,鈥� Colyer told 社区黑料. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been over 50 years. We鈥檝e had all kinds of fits and starts over the years.鈥�

It鈥檚 clear he鈥檚 itching to plow forward. Colyer says he will be keeping 鈥渁 surgeon鈥檚 schedule, not a politician鈥檚.鈥� Translation: Long hours, high engagement. 鈥淲e have to end our litigation so we can move,鈥� he said.

But time may not be on his side. The former lieutenant governor has only until August before he faces a potentially daunting Republican primary for the seat vacated by his predecessor, Sam Brownback, who left to become U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

David Kensinger, who managed Brownback鈥檚 2010 campaign, likes Colyer鈥檚 chances. He told the that Colyer鈥檚 background growing up in rural western Kansas and then starting a successful surgery practice in populous Johnson County would give him broad geographic appeal.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a guy who can speak to the concerns of the whole state, urban and rural,鈥� Kensinger said.

That鈥檚 an increasingly necessary trait at a time when President Trump鈥檚 election has exposed deep chasms 鈥� political, cultural, and economic 鈥� between rural and urban America. A 2017 of nearly 1,700 Americans found that nearly 7 in 10 rural residents say they have different values than people who live in big cities, including about 4 in 10 who say their values are 鈥渧ery different.鈥� Meanwhile, half of urban residents say their values differ from rural people鈥檚, with less than 20 percent of urbanites saying rural values are 鈥渧ery different.鈥�

In North Carolina, the chasm is evident in the economic hubs of Charlotte and the Research Triangle, home to Bank of America and Pfizer, and the rest of the state, mostly rural, where industry has departed and the economy remains depressed. Rural areas face huge dropout rates and a gaping skills gap.

鈥淲e have growing, thriving urban areas, and rural areas that have been left behind,鈥� said Cooper. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got more and more of a divide in ability.鈥�

For Cooper, a onetime Sunday school teacher whose mom taught public school, education offers a way out. But one obstacle is that many states are cutting individual income taxes and corporate taxes 鈥渁t the expense of education.鈥�

鈥淪tates cannot print money,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e see some of the aftereffects of this in some of the Midwestern states that have decided to go this route. It is intolerable.鈥�

Cooper did not mention Kansas by name, but he may as well have. When Brownback was governor, Kansas offered steep tax cuts for businesses and individuals 鈥� but instead of a promised economic boom, the cuts busted the state鈥檚 budget, causing what called 鈥渁n explosion of red ink.鈥� The politics continue to be tricky for Colyer, who is promising to end the state鈥檚 education funding quagmire without raising taxes or closing schools.

On the national level, perhaps nowhere is the urban-rural divide more evident than in the polarization over guns, pitting small-town residents for whom hunting is a way of life against urbanites who are increasingly leery of the status quo. The debate rekindled anew when a gunman wielding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

For Hickenlooper, the shooting marks a potentially important shift, not only in the debate over gun violence but in the way denizens of the two Americas see and understand each other.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a reflection of the continued divide between rural America and urban America,鈥� he told Allen. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost a different facet of what Lincoln talked about: 鈥楢 house divided against itself shall not long stand.鈥� We鈥檝e got to fix it.鈥�

The urban and suburban elites, he said, can afford to listen better. 鈥淎nybody who lives in an urban area and thinks they鈥檙e not dependent on where their food comes from is crazy,鈥� he noted. But even in Colorado, which he acknowledged is 鈥渁 representation of the Old West,鈥� he is beginning to see a softening of once-entrenched positions.

鈥淚 think this might well be a tipping point,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are thinking, 鈥楳aybe assault weapons belong in a shooting range and don鈥檛 need to be taken home.鈥� 鈥�

The perennial American push for job growth 鈥� and outcry against overseas outsourcing 鈥� has hovered at the top of the economic and policy agenda: and sweetening the pot of perks to get them to move their operations to areas that need jobs. But, according to Cooper, those might not really be the things companies care most about.

鈥淚 talk to CEOs all over the world 鈥� and the No. 1 thing they ask me is, 鈥楧o you have the people, do you have the workforce?鈥� 鈥� Cooper told Axios鈥檚 Mike Allen last Friday in Washington, D.C. 鈥淭hat question comes before taxes. It comes before quality of life. It is the No. 1 question. If you do not have that workforce, they will not come.鈥�

Cooper鈥檚 comments came at 鈥淩aising the Bar: A Conversation on Education in America,鈥� an event moderated by Allen and presented by 社区黑料 and the Walton Family Foundation. Govs. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Jeff Colyer of Kansas also spoke at the town hall event.

On a personal level, Cooper said, those CEOs care most about where their children can go to school if the company relocates. But to have the quality schools, and a skilled and educated workforce to attract corporations to bring jobs, states must put dollars into education and increase teacher salaries.

鈥淚f we could treat our teachers and principals and our school support personnel like the professionals they are, recognize how critical their job is, that they are shaping the workforce for the future, that we not put them down,鈥� Cooper told 社区黑料 in an interview. 鈥淚 can go through the whole list [of my own public school teachers], and I tell these teachers, 鈥榊ou are making a difference. I remember who they were, these kids will remember who you are in helping shape their lives, and what better way to have a positive effect.鈥� 鈥�

Watch Gov. Roy Cooper鈥檚 backstage chat with 社区黑料:

One of the biggest mistakes states are making, Cooper said, is cutting taxes to the point that they can no longer adequately fund education. That鈥檚 what his predecessor, onetime political foe Gov. Pat McCrory, did, and Cooper criticized North Carolina for cutting individual income and corporate taxes over the past several years 鈥渁t the expense of education.鈥�

鈥淪tates cannot print money. States cannot lift the debt ceiling,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e see some of the aftereffects of this聽in some of the Midwestern states that have decided to go this route. It is intolerable.鈥�

Watch Gov. Roy Cooper鈥檚 full conversation with Axios鈥檚 Mike Allen:

On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the Nation鈥檚 Report Card, North Carolina students in math and reading in 2015, the latest year for which data are available. North Carolina high school students graduated at a rate of 86 percent in 2016, two percentage points better than the national average of 84 percent.

But those modest educational wins over national averages aren鈥檛 translating to the workforce. North Carolina鈥檚 unemployment rate was a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent in December, compared with the national 4.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And those figures are even more dire when broken down by educational attainment: Nationally, the unemployment rate for high school graduates with no college experience in 2016 was 4.6 percent. That rate climbs to 6.5 percent for those without a high school diploma.

And about 85 percent of the jobs that will be available in 2030 , according to a 2017 report by the Institute for the Future. Compounding that challenge in North Carolina is a gaping urban-rural divide, as well as the fact that 鈥� and one-fifth of them have parents who aren鈥檛 working at all. So growing opportunities outside the research and financial hubs of Charlotte and the are key to equity and boosting the state鈥檚 economy.

Of North Carolina鈥檚 100 counties, 13 surround the Triangle 鈥� home to major corporations like Cisco Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer. To the southwest, Mecklenburg County encapsulates Charlotte, home to Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Those 14 counties alone house nearly 36 percent of the entire state鈥檚 workforce, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To address these issues, Cooper , an initiative announced earlier this month to raise workforce development to the top of North Carolina鈥檚 priorities.

This means bringing businesses together, he said, to 鈥渓ower the thresholds of educational attainment鈥� and help students, as well as those hiring, understand that two- and four-year degrees do not need to be the universal prerequisite for all types of employment 鈥� that other types of certifications can provide career opportunities. It also means working with companies to create internships and apprenticeships to learn and communicate more about what human capital businesses need.

Cooper鈥檚 subdued, collaborative 鈥渞ecruiter鈥� approach is perhaps heretical in a political climate fueled by sensation and fury. Throughout his onstage discussion Friday, as well as in a subsequent backstage interview with 社区黑料, not once did Cooper use the words 鈥渇ight鈥� or 鈥渂attle鈥� to describe the revolution he is leading on education 鈥� despite the state of political combat he鈥檚 been in, even since before his inauguration.

The Democratic former state attorney general defeated McCrory, a Republican, in 2016 by a slim 0.2 percent 鈥� just over 10,000 votes 鈥� and only after a month-long postelection stalemate, ballot recounts, and statewide acrimony over the fiercely contested race. McCrory鈥檚 one term in office was embroiled in a national firestorm for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The run-up to that election was scrutinized nationwide and so heated that comedian Will Ferrell showed up to a tailgate at North Carolina State University .

And amid the charged rhetoric in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting that killed 17 people earlier this month, Cooper鈥檚 rallying cry for a crusade against firearms in schools was similarly resolute.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� Cooper said of President Trump鈥檚 proposal . 鈥淎ll options have to be on the table to prevent this senseless gun violence, and we鈥檝e got to do something. Hopefully, hopefully, we鈥檒l see this push to get something done. The president has said that he was going to do some things, but he said some things before that he hasn鈥檛 done, so we鈥檒l see.鈥�

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer has only been on the job a few weeks 鈥� and he鈥檚 ready to get moving.

But there鈥檚 a longstanding issue in his way: a decades-long tussle between lawmakers and the state Supreme Court over school funding.

Colyer ascended to the top job Jan. 31, when the U.S. Senate approved former Gov. Sam Brownback as ambassador at-large for international religious freedom. Fights over school funding in Kansas , with a flurry of activity in recent years after lawmakers, following Brownback鈥檚 plan to slash taxes, made huge cuts to state spending, including on schools.

The that a new funding system 鈥� which included a tax hike passed by lawmakers over Brownback鈥檚 threatened veto 鈥� wasn鈥檛 enough, nor was it equitable. Justices said the legislature must come up with a new funding system by April 30 so it can be reviewed before next year鈥檚 appropriations go to districts.

鈥淚鈥檝e told the people that I鈥檓 only going to sign something that ends the litigation and doesn鈥檛 force schools to close. I think we can get there. 鈥t won鈥檛 be easy. And it won鈥檛 be a short solution. We鈥檙e thinking longer-term,鈥� Colyer said Friday.

He spoke to 社区黑料 after his appearance at 鈥淩aising the Bar: A Conversation about Education in America,鈥� an event moderated by Axios鈥檚 Mike Allen and presented by 社区黑料 and the Walton Family Foundation. Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina and John Hickenlooper of Colorado also spoke at the town hall event.

Here鈥檚 Gov. Colyer鈥檚 conversation with Allen:

And here鈥檚 his quick one-on-one chat with 社区黑料 backstage at the Washington, D.C. town hall:

Colyer said he believes an equitable system can be reached without a tax increase and that the ongoing litigation is holding back some long-term planning. Legal proceedings will take some time, but 鈥渨e can all move forward in a constructive manner鈥� to improve education if everyone agrees to a final plan, he said.

Colyer, like Cooper and Hickenlooper, also discussed school safety and shootings in the wake of the Valentine鈥檚 Day killing of 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The solution will be multi-faceted, Colyer said.

鈥淭here isn鈥檛 just one simple solution. The mental health issues are important,鈥� he told 社区黑料. One of his acts as governor was a in Hays, Kansas, a mental health center for K-12 students, he noted.

During his town hall conversation with Allen, Colyer said the Kansas response to school shootings will be led at the local level 鈥� but that President Trump鈥檚 proposal to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus 鈥渕ay be a good solution.鈥�

Andrew Brownstein contributed reporting to this story.

To get more sorely needed education funding in Colorado, policymakers have to prove to voters that schools are getting results, Gov. John Hickenlooper said.

鈥淎t a certain point, I think, what the voters want to see is, if we鈥檙e going to increase taxes, what are we going to get for it? … I鈥檓 not sure anyone鈥檚 been able to demonstrate that to them successfully, that 鈥楬ere鈥檚 how we鈥檙e going to use the money, and here鈥檚 the increase you鈥檙e going to get from it, the increase in performance,鈥� 鈥� said Hickenlooper, a Democrat who will end his two terms in office this year.

Hickenlooper spoke to 社区黑料 ahead of his appearance at 鈥淩aising the Bar: A Conversation on Education in America,鈥� an event moderated by Axios鈥檚 Mike Allen and sponsored by 社区黑料 and the Walton Family Foundation. Gov. Roy Cooper, Democrat of North Carolina, and Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer also spoke at the town hall event.

Here鈥檚 audio of my exclusive backstage conversation with the governor:聽

And video of Hickenlooper鈥檚 conversation with Allen:聽

Hickenlooper, in his , said Colorado remains three-quarters of a billion dollars below school funding levels required by the state Constitution to keep pace with inflation and enrollment growth.

All tax increases must go before Colorado voters, who historically have not backed most of them. The state spent $9,245 per student in 2015, , citing Census figures. That put it at No. 39 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia; the national average the same year was $11,392.

That low funding 鈥渕akes it really difficult for us to compete for teachers, to do all the things you need to make school districts,鈥� Hickenlooper said.

This year, he has focused in particular on rural schools, where teacher shortages are a growing problem, and has advocated for $10 million to $20 million in additional funding for recruitment there, he said Friday.

Testing, particularly in the two decades since the passage of No Child Left Behind, has been the key metric for measuring schools鈥� success. But Colorado has been an epicenter of the opt-out movement, and state lawmakers prohibited the state education board from lowering a school鈥檚 ratings if fewer than 95 percent of students take required tests. That stance , as the law requires 95 percent test participation.

Although Colorado did have 鈥渢oo much testing,鈥� and testing used for teacher bonuses and compensation resulted in harmful 鈥渢eaching to the test,鈥� exams are important, Hickenlooper said.

Most students would understandably opt out of exams if given the choice 鈥� the real hurdle is convincing parents of their merit, the governor said.

鈥淭he challenge here is, when opting out becomes acceptable to parents, then we鈥檙e in trouble. We need to reach out and begin that conversation with parents again, to say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 you want to know how your school is doing?鈥� 鈥� Hickenlooper said.

Many Colorado parents would praise their children鈥檚 schools and teachers while panning public schools writ large, he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a big disconnect. That鈥檚 why we need assessment, testing,鈥� he added.

A key to improving education is also being willing to make big changes at schools that aren鈥檛 performing well, Hickenlooper said during the town hall event.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be willing to step up and try to provide the tools for a massive changeover. But in some schools, the culture is so bad you need to close the school, clean it out, and then reopen it. That has, in many cases, proven successful,鈥� he said.

Hickenlooper also talked at length about school safety. Both the 1999 Columbine school shooting and the 2012 Aurora movie theater assault occurred in his state, and he oversaw passage of several gun control measures after the Aurora attack.

He panned President Trump鈥檚 recent proposal to allow teachers to carry weapons on school grounds, saying most educators think it鈥檚 a 鈥渢errible idea.鈥�

Training and background checks are important, but 鈥渉aving guns so available to so many people makes the task of keeping schools safe almost impossible,鈥� he said.

Hickenlooper also said he believes the country is at a tipping point on gun control.

鈥淲e are allowing ourselves to be terrorized. If you were someone in a basement in Leningrad and you wanted to hurt America as badly as you could, what better way than to make our children feel that they鈥檙e unsafe in school?鈥� he asked.