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A Message from the Planning Committee

sotf logo

The Schools of the Future Planning Committee is pleased announce SOTF Reimagined! Given the ongoing uncertainty presented by the Covid-19 situation, the 2020 conference will be virtual. Additionally, since we are no longer beholden to a physical space, the dates have been changed to Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30. We are also pleased to offer this year’s conference at greatly reduced registration rates.

The change of format lends itself well to creativity and innovation. In redesigning the program, attendees will be able to access additional content and participate in multiple tracks, both features that are not possible with an in-person event. New features include:

  • 1 rate grants access to the entire 2-day conference program
  • Synchronous (live) and asynchronous (pre-recorded) sessions
  • Staggered breakout session times for real-time access to multiple tracks

As we have worked to reimagine the 2020 Conference, we have asked all speakers and presenters to ensure that their content is relevant and timely, taking into account all that has transpired as a result of shifting to distance learning this year. The goal of SOTF, as always, is to deliver a conference that helps inform best practices in education going forward. To that end, the planning committee is redesigning the Conference with that intention in mind. The landscape of teaching and learning has changed and this year's Conference aims to support educators as they design effective learning environments for whatever tomorrow may bring.

A Note About Will and Won't Be Recorded

  • Keynote Speaker Presentations will only be available live, during their scheduled session time, and will not be recorded.
  • Synchronous Breakout Sessions will be recorded during the conference and the links will be made available to all registered participants after the conference concludes.
  • Asynchronous Sessions will be made available to all registered participants at the start of the conference and will be available through 2020.
  • All recorded and asynchronous sessions will be available through 2020.
Keynote Speakers
  • Ron Berger - Oct. 29

    Ron Berger - Oct. 29

    Ron Berger is Chief Academic Officer for EL Education, a nonprofit school improvement organization that partners with public schools and districts across America, leads professional learning, and creates open educational resources. He is a well-known keynote speaker nationally and internationally on inspiring a commitment to quality, character and citizenship in students.
  • Michele Borba - Oct. 29

    Michele Borba - Oct. 29

    Dr. Michele Borba is an internationally recognized expert and author on children, teens, parenting, bullying and moral development. Her work aims to help strengthen children’s character and resilience, build strong families, create compassionate and just school cultures, and reduce peer cruelty. Her practical, research-based advice is culled from a career of working with over one million parents and educators worldwide.
  • Scott Barry Kaufman - Oct. 30

    Scott Barry Kaufman - Oct. 30

    Scott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He is interested in using his research to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. He is a professor at Columbia University where he teaches courses on creativity and well-being, and he is director of research at the 2e Center, Bridges Academy.
  • Ron Ritchhart - Oct. 30

    Ron Ritchhart - Oct. 30

    Ron Ritchhart is a Senior Research Associate and Principal Investigator at Harvard Project Zero where his work focuses on the development of school and classroom culture as prime vehicles for developing students’ as powerful thinkers and learners. Ron’s most recent book, Creating Cultures of Thinking, takes readers inside a diverse range of learning environments to show how teachers create classrooms where thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the day to day experience of all group members.
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Featured Speakers

 
Tim Leet
Tim Leet
Heart of Character, Executive Director
Steve Barrett
Steve Barrett
Director of Outreach, Wildwood School
Kristen Jacobsen
Kristen Jacobsen
Co-Director, 360 Thinking Cognitive Connections
Arnold Laanui
Arnold Laanui
Director of Extensions at Waipahu High School, Hawai'i Department of Education
Emily Ong
Emily Ong
Senior Manager, Girls Who Code
Dinah Becton-Consuegra
Dinah Becton-Consuegra
Director of Partnership Development, PBLWorks
Helen Turner
Helen Turner
Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade University in Honolulu
Jocelyn Wang
Jocelyn Wang
General Manager for Teacher Development & Management at the New Oriental Education
Niel Albero
Niel Albero
CAST as a UDL Implementation Specialist
Chip Donohue
Chip Donohue
Founding Director of the Technology in Early Childhood Center at Erikson Institute
Rodney Glasgow
Rodney Glasgow
Chair of the NAIS annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Lisa Guernsey
Lisa Guernsey
Director of the Teaching, Learning, and Tech program and senior advisor to the Early and Elementary Education Policy program @ New America
Scholarships Available

Learner Variabilities Scholarship

Thanks to a generous grant from the Oak Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Schools of the Future Conference is pleased to offer a limited number of needs-based Registration Scholarships for administrators and teachers from schools serving rural communities in Hawaii to attend the 2020 virtual Conference, taking place October 29 - 30. All educators meeting the eligibility criteria are able to apply, but preference will first be given to individuals on Hawaii Island followed by educators working in rurally located schools.

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be administrators or teachers currently employed by a Hawaii-based HIDOE public school, public charter school or independent school.
  • Preference will be given to educators from Hawaii Island and to those working at schools in rural communities.
  • Applicants must serve students with learning differences.
  • Each applicant must complete their own application.

Rural Communities:

  • As defined by the 2010 Census Report.
  • Schools located in all communities outside of Honolulu County (which includes Kailua, Kaneohe and Urban Honolulu) and Kahalui, Maui. (Table 3 of 2010 Census Report)

Please review the complete Learner Variability Scholarship Description and Criteria before applying.

A maximum of 3 scholarships will be awarded to educators from the same school. Awards will cover the entire SOTF registration fee. Applications will be accepted until September 15th or until the total funding amount has been depleted.

 

Student Call For Proposals

The reimagined virtual conference will include student presentations on both conference days. Student presentations will be scheduled according to the date preference noted in the form, but may be scheduled during any of the session blocks (between 10:30 am - 4:00 pm). Proposals will also be considered for both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (pre-recorded) presentations.

The purpose of these sessions is to give students the opportunity to teach the teachers. Student proposals should address best teaching practices and should inspire thinking about learning from the student's perspective. We ask that you ensure that your proposal is relevant and timely, given all that has transpired as a result of shifting to distance learning this year. We encourage you to consider all that has been learned during this extraordinary time and apply some of those takeaways to your presentation. The goal of SOTF, as always, is to deliver a conference that helps inform best practices in education going forward. To that end, the review committee will pay particular attention to whether proposals are reflective, in some way, of the teaching and learning environment we now find ourselves in.

All proposals can include up to 3 students and must include 1 teacher who will serve as an advisor and point person.

 

Conference Tracks

The Schools of the Future Conference explores a wide-range of topics and ideas. Conference tracks are offered as a means of illuminating content that is of most interest to attendees.

  • Early Childhood Learning
  • Learner Variabilities & Individualized Learning
  • Project-Based Learning
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Teaching and Learning with Technology
  • Best Practices in 21st Century Learning
  • Leading Schools of the Future
  • Cultural and Place-Based Education
  • Equity and Diversity