Policy and Funding:

1C. Education Policy: Improving Public Education in Illinois

2A. Every Student Succeeds Act: Implications for Illinois and the City of Chicago

3A. Funding Change: Challenges and Opportunities in K-12 Funding

Equity and Employment:

1D. The Role of Education in Advancing Leaders of Color to Management Positions

2C. Generation: Tackling Global Youth Unemployment through Education

Technology:

1B. Using Data to Drive Student Outcomes and Opportunities

3B. How Technology and Data Supports Equity and Personalized Learning

Early Childhood:

1A. Behavioral Insights and Early Childhood Development with Professor Ariel Kalil

2B. Scaling Early Childhood Education Opportunities

Personal Impact:

2D. Letters to My Younger Self: Reflections from Leaders in Education

3C. Beyond the Classroom: How to Make an Impact in the Education Ecosystem

Welcome Remarks - Dean Stacey Kole, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Keynote Speaker - Janice Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools

Lunch will be served during the keynote

1A. Behavioral Insights and Early Childhood Development with Professor Ariel Kalil

Join professor Ariel Kalil from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy for a discussion on her research regarding the relevance of behavioral economics and neuroscience in improving child development.

Featured speaker:

Ariel Kalil - Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, Director of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy

1B. Using Data to Drive Student Outcomes and Opportunities

The how, what, and why of using data to improve outcomes and opportunities for students is more popular now than ever before in education. Learn how the Noble Network of Charter Schools is using data to improve college access based on student financial needs, academic abilities, and career goals. The session will explore how these same data driven principles can be applied in a variety of educational settings to improve student outcomes and opportunities.

Featured speaker:

Matt Niksch - Chief College Officer, Noble Charter School Network

1C. Education Policy: Improving Public Education in Illinois

What are the most pressing issues in K-12 education in Illinois? Where has progress been made and what does the road ahead look like for Illinois and Chicago? Join researchers, thought leaders, and policymakers for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of education in Illinois. Learn about key challenges facing schools and proposed policy solutions to address them.

Featured speakers:

Elliot Ransom (Moderator) - Co-CEO of UChicago Impact, Urban Education Institute

Ginger Ostro - Executive Director-Advisor, Advance Illinois

Abigayil Joseph - Chief of Staff to Board President, Chicago Board of Education

Lee Hart - Program Officer, Education, Chicago Community Trust

1D. The Role of Education in Advancing Leaders of Color to Management Positions

What factors are impeding a more equitable distribution of management positions for leaders of color in the US? What changes do we need to make in the education landscape to ensure that? What are some of the best practices being applied across the country? Leaders from various education organizations will share their personal perspective on the topic and what their organizations are doing to bring about change.

Featured speakers:

Janine Franklin (Moderator) - Project Director for Urban Labs, The University of Chicago

Tim King - Founder & CEO, Urban Prep Academies

Tamara Prather - Executive Director Chicago, Surge Institute

Maurice Swinney - Chief Equity Officer, Chicago Public Schools

2A. Every Student Succeeds Act: Implications for Illinois and the City of Chicago

In partnership with EPSA at the Harris School of Public Policy, this panel will discuss the new Illinois Every Student Succeeds Act Plan, which was created as part of the 50-year re-authorization to expand public education. This replacement of the No Child Left Behind Act charged each state to engage with local stakeholders and communities to design a plan that included ambitious long-term goals, provide support for low-performing schools, challenge academic standards and assessments, and determine universal indicators of school quality and student progress. After months of listening to constituents and key stakeholders, the Illinois State Board of Education's plan was approved on August 30, 2017. Already in its first year of implementation, this act has large policy implications for current Illinois students and schools as well the future of the state's education system. Hear perspectives from leaders working within this policy change in Illinois' and Chicago's schools.

Featured speakers:

Gordon Wright (Moderator) - Acting Executive Director, Education Post

Jason Helfer - Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Illinois State Board of Education

Ben Boer - Former Deputy Director, Advance Illinois

2B. Scaling Early Childhood Education Opportunities

Learn about the future of early childhood education as demand grows and policy changes across Chicago. This panel will focus on the challenges with implementing early learning opportunities in the public sector by hearing from a variety of perspectives.

Featured speakers:

Tenisha Jones (Moderator) - Independent Collective Impact Consultant

Cornelia Grumman - Program Director (Education), McCormick Foundation

Samantha Aigner-Treworgy - Chief of Early Learning, City of Chicago

Alison Baulos - Executive Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development

2C. Generation: Tackling Global Youth Unemployment through Education

What are the challenges that traditional education encounters to bridge the gap between youth unemployment and entry-level job vacancies? What can we learn from the successful rapid-training educational model of Generation? Generation, winner of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) award in 2018, is a non-profit founded by McKinsey & Co. which tackles global youth unemployment through an innovative model of rapid training for high-demand professions, combined with employability and social-support services. With 70% of the 20,000+ graduates placed in jobs 1 year after graduation, learn how Generation provides a successful training model from which other educational models can benefit.

Featured speaker:

Sean Segal - COO of Generation USA

2D. Letters to My Younger Self: Reflections from Leaders in Education

What does it mean to be a leader in the education sector? Come listen to stories from individuals who have had influence in education in a variety of ways. We've asked our panelists to write a one-page letter to their younger self, reflecting on what they wish they had known, their trials and triumphs, and advice to emerging leaders in the education sector. A guided Q&A session will follow.

Featured speakers:

Harry L. Davis - Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Shanti Elangovan - Founder and CEO, inquirED

LaTanya D. McDade - Chief Education Officer, Chicago Public Schools

Edwindra (Eddie) Johnson - Chief of Staff to the CEO, Intrinsic Schools

Michelle Oliva - Co-Founder and Director, EduDream

3A. Funding Change: Challenges and Opportunities in K-12 Funding

What funding challenges do schools face today in terms of infrastructure, programs, and operations? How do schools and districts make the most of limited resources? In what ways are funders across the public and private sectors working to catalyze change and sustain effective K-12 schools? Join leaders with diverse backgrounds in the public, private, and social sectors for a thought-provoking discussion on current challenges and opportunities with funding in the education space.

Featured speakers:

Kelly Jones (Moderator) - Chief External Relations Officer, A Better Chicago

Beth Purvis - Senior Program Director of Education & Character Program, Kern Family Foundation and former Secretary of Education for the State of Illinois

Beth Swanson - Vice President of Strategy and Programs (Education), Joyce Foundation and former Deputy for Education in the administration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel

3B. How Technology and Data Supports Equity and Personalized Learning

What edtech tools do teachers leverage in the classroom to empower students and improve outcomes? How do different types of schools think about incorporating these tools and approaches? Join us to hear from representatives from Intrinsic Schools, CPS and LEAP Innovations on how they deliver personalized learning for their students.

Featured speakers:

Amy Huang (Moderator) - Senior Director of Programs, LEAP Innovations

Harpreet Gill - Director of Information, Intrinsic Schools

Ashley Jarrell - Teacher Leader, Stagg School of Excellence

Sara Moses - Teacher, Intrinsic Schools

3C. Beyond the Classroom: How to Make an Impact in the Education Ecosystem

What different types of organizations exist in the education sector that support teachers and students? How do these organizations work with schools to ensure success? How and why did leaders at these organizations decide to join them? Come hear from leaders at One Million Degrees, iMentor, AUSL and Education Pioneers about how the work they do impacts and empowers the students in their communities.

Featured speakers:

Annie Davis-Korelc (Moderator) - Senior Director-Regional Programs, Education Pioneers

Marlene Aponte - Director of Coaching, AUSL (Academy for Urban School Leadership)

Jason Friedman - Executive Director, iMentor Chicago

David Scherer - Co-Founder and Board President of One Million Degrees and Principal at Origin Investments