After another fantastic SXSW EDU, we’re excited to share highlights from the conference. This year’s schedule featured a number of panels exploring important questions about the future of education. Panelists highlighted themes such as innovative funding models to drive education R&D, ways to reimagine pathways from K-12 to career, and the importance of designing tech-driven tools for research and learning with student needs at the center.
Here are some of our takeaways from this year’s slate of sessions.
And, if these snippets spark your interest, explore the full sessions by accessing the audio recordings below.
Innovative Funding Models for Education R&D
“There’s a lot of capital out there that’s more open to risk. Philanthropy is one of them.” – Michele Leardo, Walton Family Foundation
Across these four sessions on funding strategies, panelists discussed the need for diverse models that can support a range of solutions and methods for gathering data to better serve our overburdened education system. Whether launching a new school, investing in research talent, or backing a breakthrough innovation goal, these discussions explored how different funding approaches and partnerships can drive meaningful impact in education.
Reimagining Pathways From K-12 to Career
Sessions to know:
- Industry-Aligned K-12 Pathways & the STEM Jobs of Tomorrow
- Reinventing High School for the 21st Century & Beyond
“Students are craving a real-world experience. They just want to be set up for success in what’s next. [So,] we’ve started to give them the microphone in really powerful ways, and they’re telling us that high school matters and that we need to figure out ways to transform it.” – Sarah Navarro, XQ Institute
These sessions brought together thought and industry leaders to talk through forward-thinking models to equip students for post-secondary success. Panelists shared how they are rethinking education approaches and programs to be responsive to student career needs in an ever-evolving economy—from new frameworks to assess 21st-century skills to strengthening employer engagement in K-12 and higher education for improved work-based learning opportunities.
Designing Student-Centered Tools
Sessions to know:
“I really believe that we are seeing more and more how the intersection between technology and research can work together to accomplish outcomes. I really believe we will eradicate illiteracy in our lifetime.” – Rebecca Kockler, Magpie Literacy
New tools are constantly being developed to support learning in the classroom. In the session “EdTech for Every Learner,” speakers considered how we can ensure that new technologies positively impact learners in every community. Meanwhile, the panel “Data-Driven Equity: R&D Platforms for Math Learning” examined how ed tech platforms can serve as powerful tools for research, collecting insights that can help innovators, researchers, and educators make math more accessible and engaging for students.
Ready to dive in and learn more? Access the audio recordings for each of these sessions below:
- Seeding Innovation: The Power of Breakthrough Funding
- EdTech for Every Learner
- Industry-Aligned K-12 Pathways & the STEM Jobs of Tomorrow
- Early-Stage Funding for K-12 Schools
- Innovate & Educate: Diverse Funding Models for Ed R&D
- Reinventing High School for the 21st-Century and Beyond
- Data-Driven Equity: R&D Platforms for Math Learning
- Building and Broadening the Education R&D Enterpris