Join us at ASU+GSV 2024
We are thrilled to attend ASU+GSV 2024 alongside our partners. Come learn how we’re amplifying solutions from the ground up by stopping by our lounge or visiting us at conference sessions!
Full Session Descriptions
The Choice Revolution: Exploring Microschools and ESAs
2023 saw several states introduce new K-12 ESA (i.e., Education Savings Account) programs to expand choice options for parents and students. Depending on the level of participation among eligible families, states and districts could see tens – if not hundreds – of millions of dollars redirected from public schools to private schools, hybrid homeschool models, and other curated learning models. The implications on the caliber and quality of public school options and experiences are potentially significant, creating further headwinds for districts and those students remaining in them. This session will explore how we capitalize on the promise and potential of expanding ESA programs while simultaneously protecting and strengthening our public education systems.
Building the Pipeline: How Charter School Innovation Supports the Future of Work
In this session, we delve into the transformative potential of charter schools. Imagine a world where every student can select a school that not only imparts knowledge but also tailors’ instruction and career pathways to their unique interests, all while collaborating with potential employers. Unfortunately, our current K-12 education system lacks the ability to create such personalized instruction for students that prepares them for college and careers, especially in high-demand professions.
Enter charter schools—dynamic public schools with the autonomy and flexibility to design innovative programs. Building the Pipeline explores specific examples of charter schools revolutionizing education by offering customized instruction and opening doors to exciting career paths. We’ll spotlight examples from across the nation, focusing on STEM careers, advanced manufacturing, and nursing. Join us as we discuss the policies needed to replicate successful charter school models and prepare students for the future of work.
What are ESA’s and Why are they Popular?
Come learn how Education Savings Accounts are supporting New Frontiers in education that empower families to lead their children’s educational journey and entrepreneurs to deliver dynamic education solutions for families. Explore how ESAs work, who is using them, and how ESA policies can be designed to support a vibrant education ecosystem that helps every student reach their full potential.
Solutions on the Sidelines: Policy and Funding Reforms Needed to Unleash Education Innovation
The American public continues to ask questions about the value of higher education. Millions of learners are swimming in education debt, and, at the same time, employers are struggling to attract skilled talent. New education-to-work models have emerged with outcomes that rival or surpass traditional college options, but current funding approaches are out of touch. Rather than alternative education options sitting on the sidelines, policy and funding reforms must make these equally as accessible as college – learners and employers deserve as much. Hear from the people influencing policy as well as a learner impacted by the very policies in need of reform.
Exercises in futility: Most efforts to transform schooling fall short. What should be done instead?
Industrial-style schooling is incapable of addressing the diverse needs of today’s learners. Growing numbers of students and families want new approaches to schooling, and major influencers across the education landscape—including philanthropies, advocacy organizations, and school system leaders—are putting critical money and effort behind initiatives to spur innovation and system redesign. To some extent, these efforts produce worthwhile improvements. But if the goal is to transform student learning, they largely miss the mark. The big question is: Why? In this session, Thomas Arnett, a senior research fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute and expert on disruptive innovation, will reveal where innovation investments can and can’t move the needle, and why this understanding will not only save the field millions in lost dollars and years of time, but ultimately bring student learning into the future.
Skills-Based Hiring is Not Just an Executive Order
Skills-based hiring may be the latest policy craze and for good reason. Hiring based on what people know and can do over a degree has been one topic that has brought together policy leaders on both sides of the aisle. In some states, governors have enacted executive orders, and in other states, legislation has been more prescriptive to the skills-based hiring framework. Across the board, the goal has been simple: remove degree requirements for certain public sector jobs as a way to boost the economy and bring more diverse and skilled talent to high-need roles.
The policy craze has seeped into private sector practice as major employers have also announced practices that favor aptitudes, mindset and skills, oftentimes over degrees.
What does the future look like across the country? Workforce leaders will discuss various policy actions and how they will ensure talent growth and development doesn’t stop with the executive orders.
Graduating Students with Less Debt and More Skills
Amidst rising concerns over the student debt crisis and the escalating cost of higher education, “Graduating Students with Less Debt and More Skills” emerges as a critical discourse on reshaping the value proposition of higher education. This panel brings together a distinguished group of leaders including Geordie Hyland, President & CEO of ACE; Nivine Megahed, President of National Louis University; Steven Taylor from Stand Together Trust; and Dan Fisher, President and CEO of ECMC Group. These panelists and leaders will delve into the impact of current models, potential for reform, and the role of institutions in fostering a more sustainable and value-driven educational ecosystem.
