SXSWEDU2016

Regardless of one’s nationality, ethnicity and/or social class, everyone is familiar with, and has knowledge of, hip hop. Yet, hip hop culture, which is youth culture, is stigmatized, marginalized and prohibited from school settings. If youth culture is deemed irrelevant, does that affect their academic achievement and their self worth? Is there a correlation to the high school graduation rate? This panel includes teachers, professors, and popular rappers who will pose this essential question: Can hip hop’s presence in social media and pop culture be leveraged to prepare students for careers and college?

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

The Playground provides a destination for attendees to explore, discover, participate and learn with like-minded individuals. Fueled by innovation through discovery, the Playground hosts a number of educational pursuits highlighting maker, STEM, gaming, virtual learning, accessibility, arts integration and more. Visit sxswedu.com/Playground to learn more.

Mentoring has long been known to demonstrably change outcomes for at-risk students. But what if the role model charged with mentoring students was the best in the world at their chosen field? Steve Mesler, three time Olympian and Olympic Gold medalist, co-founded an ecosystem that creates just that. Classroom Champions, an international mentoring and character development nonprofit, flips the classic mentoring model on its head. Steve will discuss how, through partnerships with educators, mentors can create powerful one-to-many mentoring relationships between the world’s greatest athletes and classrooms in underserved communities across North America.

Max Ventilla AltSchool – Founder & CEO SXSWedu 2016 Featured Session Silicon Valley + Education = Real Change? Why does Silicon Valley think it can impact education? With over $1.6 billion invested in EdTech companies in the first half of 2015 alone, leading technologists and venture capitalists are placing a big bet on education. Max Ventilla, Founder/CEO of AltSchool, will discuss applying a startup mindset to schools, empowering educators to become 21st century knowledge workers, bringing entrepreneurism into the classroom and using technology that’s not screen time.

SXSWedu 2016 Opening Keynote Helping Different Kinds of Minds Solve Problems Temple Grandin – Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences – Professor of Livestock Behavior & Welfare Temple Grandin is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. Dr. Grandin both inspires and motivates through her powerful story. Watch her SXSWedu Conference & Festival opening keynote presentation, Helping Different Kinds of Minds Solve Problems. Learn more at http://sxswedu.com/

Kids come to school with a lot of feelings: fear, anxiety, abandonment and confusion. Educators teach SEL skills like empathy, persistence and problem-solving to support them, but too often kids find themselves on playgrounds, sports teams and even in homes where these skills are not valued or modeled. In this session, the panelists will share the four key components of Spark, a community-wide SEL initiative currently being implemented in Newtown, CT, including in-person SEL training, game-based assessment and personalized skill-building, community and parent training and brain health education. They will share how the components work together, how the speakers are ensuring they work and how these tactics can work for you! – See more at: http://schedule.sxswedu.com/events/ev…

The SXSWedu Expo is a free event designed to encourage and inspire learners of all ages to identify and reach their education and career goals. In 2015, the Expo brought close to 6,000 Central Texas students, parents and educators together at the event. Join us for this year’s Expo on Tuesday, March 8 from 9:00am – 5:00pm at the Austin Convention Center as it continues to grow its support for the local community.

The SXSWedu® Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, film screenings, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change.

For the last two hundred years, research universities have been engines driving human progress and have paved a pathway of opportunity for individual students, citizens, nations and humanity as a whole. Advances in the learning sciences, digital technologies and global collaboration provide an unprecedented and historic opportunity to re-envision the research university in the new millennium. This session will focus on key trends impacting the research university, examples of alternative prototype curricular models and a new design intended to advance intellectual and creative freedom and to accelerate learning, discovery, creation and invention well beyond existing frontiers.

The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states increased flexibility. This represents a marked shift in federal control to states, presenting state and local stakeholders with an important opportunity to redefine what student success looks like and the goals of our nation’s education system. This session will identify key opportunities within the Every Student Succeeds Act for new systems of assessments and accountability that support personalized learning (PL) and competency-based education (CBE). Panelists will focus specifically on critical next steps for state and local leaders as well as strategies for maintaining the law’s fundamental commitment to equity for all students.

In this fireside chat with Education Week editor Sean Cavanagh, littleBits Founder & CEO Ayah Bdeir will discuss the role of Maker Education in classrooms, libraries and makerspaces. Using examples of students solving real world problems using littleBits and other Maker tools, Ayah will argue that Maker Ed should push beyond career preparation and strive to create active and creative citizens of the world. The session will conclude with an important announcement about a new initiative.

The Rather Prize is a $10k prize given to the person behind the best idea to improve education in the state of Texas. The statewide prize is open to students, teachers and administrators in Texas. During the session, the prizewinner will present their idea as part of a discussion with Dan Rather, TV journalist and Rather Prize co-founder, and Martin Rather, Rather Prize Operational Director. We will begin with a discussion of Dan Rather’s Texan education, shifting to Martin Rather discussing the Rather Prize details and then the winner’s presentation followed by an open Q&A.

America is on a journey of innovation to catalyze blended learning in schools nationwide. Join Scott Ellis, CEO of The Learning Accelerator, for a discussion of the progress we have made and what comes next: we have cultivated the enablers for scale like Internet connectivity and professional development, and over the coming months the focus will be on transforming teaching and learning in the classroom and then measuring impact. Bonus: discover how Indiana Jones will show us the path forward!

Campbell Brown, Jonathan Alter, Reihan Salam, Roland Martin Is 2016 the year America’s public education crisis will take center stage in the presidential election? Thought-leaders and political journalists sound off on this question and explore how and why the challenges and opportunities facing our country’s K-12 education system must matter in the 2016 election. K-12 education regularly ranks as an issue voters are most concerned about, but it is often overlooked in debates and along the campaign trail. Amid rising concerns about income disparity, economic opportunity and racial equality, the panel will discuss how education policies have factored into the 2016 election cycle so far, and how this urgent issue can still shape November’s contest. Campbell Brown The Seventy Four – Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder Jonathan Alter – Journalist Reihan Salam National Review – Exec Editor Roland Martin News One Now/TV One Cable Network – Host & Managing Editor

9% of students from low-income communities earn a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s vs 77% of their wealthy peers. That’s a statistic that we want to change. Since its launch in 2010, Beyond 12 has coached over 7,000 college students using near-peer, virtual coaches and an analytics platform. While its current model works, the organization aspires to serve 250,000+ students annually. With the help of visionary funders like Google, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Tipping Point Community, and the creative minds at IDEO, Beyond 12 is re-imagining college coaching to scale its student impact, and create a human-centered design model for the field. And yes, there is an app involved.

Superintendent John White will describe how the state of Louisiana partners with leaders in business and industry as well as local educators to create meaningful career pathways in high school for all kids. Through this effort, Louisiana is making sure every child is prepared with the skills and knowledge they need to go on to college or into the workforce after graduation. Deidra Jackson Gayle Flowers John White Lyndsey Layton

Max Ventilla AltSchool – Founder & CEO SXSWedu 2016 Featured Session Silicon Valley + Education = Real Change? Why does Silicon Valley think it can impact education? With over $1.6 billion invested in EdTech companies in the first half of 2015 alone, leading technologists and venture capitalists are placing a big bet on education. Max Ventilla, Founder/CEO of AltSchool, will discuss applying a startup mindset to schools, empowering educators to become 21st century knowledge workers, bringing entrepreneurism into the classroom and using technology that’s not screen time.

There was some eye rolling when 11 major public research universities (a sector normally competing in rankings and football) announced they were going to come together and share their successes and failures in order to scale innovation. Collaboration in education has not always delivered; but two years later, those 11 schools have developed a proven method to source and scale innovation. Come learn how 11 seeming “frenemies” are closing the innovation gap to serve their students. They’ll talk about how they quickly test new technologies and approaches, share what’s working and deploy successful ideas across some of the largest universities in the country.

As digital innovation and technology continues to reshape the classroom and unlock possibilities for teachers and students, we need policies that can support and accelerate that innovation toward improving student outcomes. What those policies should look like – and the ultimate goals of the policy environment overall – continues to be the sticking point: from tackling funding to student and teacher assessment to making decisions about technology buying and implementation. Can we agree on fundamental education technology policy objectives? And can we find the right ways to get there quickly?

Fewer people are becoming teachers. Both the percentage and number of higher ed students with an education major have steadily dropped each year since 2010. Enrollment in teacher prep programs has fallen by 30 percent. Schools are struggling to find teachers for areas like science, math and bilingual education. The K12 student population is more racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse than ever, but teachers in the US are nowhere near as diverse as their students. Almost half the students are minorities, yet fewer than 1 in 5 of their teachers are nonwhite. Let’s look at what’s causing a shortage in teachers, particularly teachers of color, and how we can recruit future educators.

The landscape of higher education is quickly changing in the United States. The concept that a four-year degree guarantees a lifetime of success has been proven to be unrealistic in today’s job market. How do learners gain the skills and access necessary to be a part of the technology sector? What does education need to look like to keep up with market demands? What will happen to universities if they don’t evolve? In this presentation, Jim Deters, CEO and co-founder of Galvanize, will explain the tectonic demographic shifts causing these changes, how education providers need to step up to meet market demands, and what modern education will look like in the coming decades.

As of August 1, handgun license holders in Texas can carry handguns on college campuses. Senate Bill 11, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015, gives university presidents the authority to establish rules governing the campus carry, but lawmakers have been clear that the intent of the law must be upheld. Many faculty, students and parents fear the consequences of guns on campus while others feel the law enables them to defend themselves in the event of a school shooting. What will the policies look like and how can Texas become a leader for other states implementing similar laws? Join us for a discussion on how schools are addressing safety issues, alleviating fears and implementing the new law.

For over a decade the Finnish education system has been a destination for thousands of practitioners, researchers and politicians. They have visited Finnish schools to find out what makes Finland one of the best performing education nations in the world. In this session, panelists will explain the basics of Finland’s educational success, consider what others can learn from the Finns and introduce HundrED, an ambitious education project creating 100 scalable educational innovations and sharing them for free with the world. Learn more at http://sxswedu.com/

Initiatives to increase graduation rates are underway nationwide, but students who have dropped out are still being left behind. The window for earning a diploma has closed on tens of millions of Americans who have “aged-out,” leaving them underprepared for the demands of the workforce and often bound in poverty. It’s not just a social issue; these underserved populations represent a cost totaling trillions in the coming decades. We can curb that trend with smart, cost-effective workforce development initiatives, but we have to act now. We’ll discuss innovative ideas that reengage adult students, reactivate their potential and prevent them from being left behind in the 21st century economy.

Best known for her work as a pioneering game designer and author of the bestselling books Reality is Broken and SuperBetter, Jane McGonigal, PhD, has also spent the past decade working as a futurist. Watch her SXSWedu 2016 keynote, How to Think (and Learn) Like a Futurist, now! Learn more at http://sxswedu.com/

In a recent survey of female college students by the AAU, 23% said they experienced unwanted sexual contact carried out by force or threat of force, or while they were incapacitated due to alcohol and drugs. This topic is the focus of an Interim Charge presented by Texas House of Representatives Speaker Joe Straus to study current initiatives at higher ed institutions and make recommendations toward the prevention and elimination of sexual assault on campuses. Annie Clark, Executive Director of End Rape on Campus and an expert on campus sexual assault, testified before the House Committee earlier and with the Committee’s Chair and Vice Chair will further explore this important topic.

California has built broad support for educational changes that have sparked divisive battles in other states. The “California Way” involves stakeholder alignment that starts with the highest levels of state government and includes deep work with innovative labor-management partnerships. The panel will analyze the relationships between the “what” of CA’s approach (new standards, new funding models, new accountability system) and the “how” of California’s work (innovative team-based, collaborative models). Panelists will provide first-hand insight into the exciting potential and successes to date, as well as the sometimes difficult struggles encountered by California.

Aimee Woodall, Ankur Thakkar, Don Yu, Eric Waldo 220+ million social media impressions, 500 media hits and a rap video starring First Lady Michelle Obama. That kind of buzzy entrance is necessary to capture the attention of Generation-Z, today’s high school students. Gen-Z is the most educated, connected and altruistic generation and they are making decisions about their education, careers and lives. That is why, as part of her Reach Higher initiative, the First Lady launched Better Make Room, a bold public awareness campaign that celebrates education and gives Gen-Z a space to share their story. It’s a grassroots campaign that gains momentum with every tweet, YouTube video and Vine post, all while making room for students’ voices. Aimee Woodall The Black Sheep Agency – CEO & Founder Ankur Thakkar Vine – Head of Editorial Don Yu Civic Nation – Dir, Better Make Room Campaign Eric Waldo Office of the First Lady – Exec Dir First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative

John Katzman, Lillian Mongeau, Michael Petrilli For over 25 years, the US has made academic standards a key component of K-12 reform, and is now five years into a multi-billion dollar effort to revamp K-12 learning through the Common Core. However, that effort is under attack from the left and right, and faces a new challenge in the form of parental opt-outs from testing. Join us for a debate about whether to defend the Common Core, bury it, or transform it into something better. John Katzman Noodle – CEO Lillian Mongeau The Hechinger Report – West Coast Correspondent Michael Petrilli Thomas B Fordham Institute – Pres – See more at: http://schedule.sxswedu.com/events/ev…

Laureate of the 2015 WISE Prize for Education, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi will share her inspirational experience in rebuilding Afghanistan’s educational landscape in the past two decades. Blending storytelling and lessons learned, Dr. Yacoobi will unveil a fascinating and challenging life story, which echoes that of her country and people. From working in refugee camps in Pakistan to supporting underground schools during the Taliban regime until today, Dr. Yacoobi’s groundbreaking and visionary approach has empowered 12 million Afghans through education.

Bev Perdue, Jose Frausto, Kerry Gallagher, Matthew Worthington Policymakers can have a big impact on what happens in the classroom—both good and bad, if you ask educators. Today, there’s a lot of exciting innovation taking place in classrooms across the country and teachers and principals are at the crux of it. So how can policy support or hinder innovation? Join a former governor for a frank conversation with administrators and teachers about Ed Tech policy issues of the day. From data privacy to Bring Your Own Device models to broadband access, savvy, policy-smart educators will share their perspective on policy discussions and give real world insights on how federal and state policy impact their work. Bev Perdue Whiteboard Advisors – Former Governor Kerry Gallagher St John’s Preparatory School – Digital Learning Specialist Jose Frausto Enrico Tonti Elementary School – Technology Teacher Matthew Worthington KIPP Austin Public Schools – Digital Learning Coord

In 2006, Tim King opened the first Urban Prep campus with a simple goal: improve the educational outcomes for African-American males. Since then, Urban Prep has achieved a 100% college acceptance rate for its graduates, grown from one school to a network of schools, created an innovative program supporting college students, launched a workforce development program and served over 2,000 young African-American males. On the 10th anniversary of opening the first school, Tim reflects on his journey as an educator, what it took to build the country’s first network of public charter high schools for boys and the secret to Urban Prep’s success. (Hint: there’s no secret)!

As with any endeavor a student pursues—chess, violin or skateboarding—the key to success on the SAT is dedicated practice. At SXSWedu 2014, the College Board announced plans for a new SAT, including an unprecedented partnership with Khan Academy to offer a free, personalized practice platform. Today, every student with access to the internet has access to world-class tools for focused and productive SAT practice. This has dramatic implications for equity in our world. Join panelists as they discuss how they teamed up to ignite a practice revolution that empowers students with the skills to do their best on the SAT, in college and beyond.

If you had the chance to change the world, what would you do? Recognized as one of CNN’s 10 Visionary Women in 2014, Ari Horie, Founder and CEO of Women’s Startup Lab (WSLab) shares how finding your passion and unleashing your inner entrepreneur leads to unwavering leadership. We achieve great things in the pursuit of passion. Positively impact the lives of others and awaken your inner entrepreneur, because we are all born to lead!

This panel will address future efforts to encourage socioeconomic equality in schools by addressing how to move toward a world in which no child will attend a school of high poverty—schools in which more than 50% of the students are poor. The panel will discuss recent efforts to encourage school integration nationwide by creating magnet schools, adopting inter-district transfer programs and other district-wide strategies for achieving socioeconomic diversity. The panel will address possible policy solutions for the future that could be implemented at either the federal or state level to improve the economic and racial diversity of schools.

Join motivational speaker and author Lizzie Velasquez for an intimate conversation about her journey from cyber bullying victim to anti-bullying activist. Lizzie will talk candidly about her experiences in school, giving the talk of her life and what she’s learned over the last year from the success of her award-winning documentary, “A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story.” Lizzie, a much sought after global speaker, will also discuss how we can all—students as well as parents—be activists for change.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

SXSWedu Launch is a fast-paced, live startup competition for education entrepreneurs designed to highlight emerging innovations impacting the world of teaching and learning. Ten early-stage education startups have been selected to compete in the fifth annual Launch competition. While these startups vary in location, mission, structure and the challenges they hope to solve, they all share a passion and desire to create positive change in education. All ten Launch 2016 finalists will take a turn pitching their education startup to the judging panel and live audience in this fast-paced kickoff to the competition.

Opening Remarks – Paul Reville The End of Average – Todd Rose Are you above average? Is your child an A student? Every day we are measured against averages, and we’re judged on how far from them we fall. Indeed, measuring ourselves against the average is so ingrained in our consciousness that we don’t even question it. But what if that’s not the best way to judge success and failure? In Todd Rose’s new book “The End of Average,” he demonstrates that no one is average. And that, he argues, has enormous practical consequences. While we know people learn in distinctive ways, schools and businesses have been designed around the so-called “average person.” This model ignores our differences and fails at recognizing talent. It’s time to change it. Rethinking High School: Activating Innovation – Russlynn Ali The American public high school was invented more than a century ago, and it has remained frozen in time. As the modern world has moved on, our students are falling further and further behind. The answer? Reimagine high school itself. Russlynn Ali, former Assistant Secretary, Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education, will share lessons from a movement doing exactly that. What happens when the inventors of the next American high school include the actual stakeholders: students, teachers, community leaders and beyond? Learning as a Lifestyle: Passion, People, Purpose – Connie Yowell LRNG is tackling the nation’s opportunity gap by starting where youth are, enabling young people to pursue their passions, connect with peers and mentors and find fulfilling 21st century opportunities and jobs. CEO Connie Yowell will discuss how LRNG is building an ecosystem of learning that combines in-school, out-of-school, employer-based and online learning experiences into a seamless network that is open and inviting to all youth. Through the LRNG platform and digital badges, LRNG is opening paths to higher education and employment. Learn how cities, businesses, nonprofits and schools can join the movement to ensure all young people can develop their full potential in the connected age.