Day 1

While COVID-19 has driven record numbers of students to sign up for online education in the region, there is uncertainty about its availability and impact. How can platforms reach more students? How can learning engineering and experimentation improve outcomes? What can be done to reach the students who need the most help? Learn how leaders in the region are answering these questions, and the biggest areas for additional work.

Nafez Dakkak, Queen Rania Foundation & Edraak; Rana Dajani, We Love Reading; Saif Rayyan, J-Wel; moderated by Kyle McEneaney, Schmidt Futures.

Because of COVID-19 school closures, students are likely to experience the most significant learning loss in math. Can online tutoring help students get back on track? What does tutoring at scale look like? Leading experts will discuss what is already happening, and what needs to be done to realize the potential of high-dose tutoring.

Alan Safran, Saga Education; Richard Tong, Squirrel AI; Monica Bhatt, University of Chicago; moderated by Julia Quinn, Citadel.

With the sudden transition to online learning, the nation is is being confronted by how little we know about how children learn effectively in such settings. Rather than continue to underinvest in research, how do we build the infrastructure for continued experimentation and better test and scale what works? Leading voices will discuss how to build a research infrastructure during the pandemic and how it can serve during this crisis and beyond.

Mark Schneider, The Institute of Education Sciences; Amanda Rosenburg, Google edu; Neil Heffernan, ASSISTments; Alejandro Gibes de Gac, Springboard Collaborative; moderated by Kumar Garg, Schmidt Futures.

The pandemic has made clear the value of data science as a topic of study. Now more than ever, students need to know how to understand key issues like probability and false positives. In this session, we will discuss how math literacy can be infused with more data science.

Steven Levitt, University of Chicago; Kathi Fisler, Bootstrap & Brown University; Ruthe Farmer, CS for All; moderated by Bill Tucker, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

India – a place of deep contrasts – offers the world a set of ideal conditions for learning innovation. On the one hand, the education technology market is large and booming, 472 million children, close to $2B in investment capital in the past five years and the recent arrival of India’s edtech ‘decacorn’. At the same time, COVID-19 has revealed widening issues of access to digital learning, with 15% of rural households and 42% of urban households online. The needs are deep and wide, with 22 official languages and a massive migratory workforce. Come hear how key leaders in India are rising to meet this moment and make India’s learning ecosystems more resilient to serve children and adults during COVID-19 and beyond.

Vamsi Krishna, Vedantu; Neera Nundy, Dasra; Ashish Dhawan, CSF; moderated by Ajoy Vase, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

As students across the globe transition to online learning, the effects of the digital divide have never been more acute. This will be an opportunity to learn from innovators who are working to deliver digital learning while also expanding access through creative low-tech interventions.

Moitshepi Matsheng, Young 1ove; Aditya Krishnan, Teach for India; Sneha Sheth, Dost; Richard Tibbles, Learning Equality; moderated by Peter Bergman, Teachers College, Columbia University.

China was the first country to grapple with mass school closures due to COVID-19. In this session, experts will address how they navigated uncharted waters and what their experience has to offer the rest of the world.

Xiangen Hu, University of Memphis; Joy Chen, TAL; Elle Wang, Arizona State University; moderated by Samuel Ching, Schmidt Futures.

In conjunction with the Futures Forum on Learning, Schmidt Futures is helping launch a new tools and technology competition, with up to $1M in awards planned. Join this conversation to learn more about how you can get involved.

Kumar Garg, Schmidt Futures and competition judges Peter Bergman, Teachers College, Columbia University; Katrina Stevens, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; Julia Quinn, Citadel; Katy Knight, Siegel Family Endowment