2 December 2008

School administrators and policymakers from more than 30 countries have gathered in Seattle for the fourth annual School of the Future World Summit, hosted by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning. This global initiative is designed to help increase technology access for schools, foster innovative approaches to education, and provide educators with the tools to manage and implement change.

The theme of the summit, What’s Possible, will enable more than 250 participants to take part in a global discussion on what schools in the future can look like. They will discuss such factors as the challenges of implementing new policy and emerging trends as they prepare students for the future.

“Educators today face many economic and political challenges, including decreases in funding in tough economic climates as well as the pressure to generate performance results that allow students to compete on a global stage,” said Mary Cullinane, director of Innovation for US Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “We fundamentally believe improving education is a global imperative and strong investment is vital to our future success. This event will push people to collaboratively address new ways of thinking and provide specific strategies to implement within their local context, allowing them to turn possibilities into reality.”

Summit participants will explore the evolving role of technology as a disruptor and accelerator in education and address factors that enable sustained change and transformative innovation in classrooms. Attendees will learn from education, business and policy leaders who will discuss what’s possible with systems, processes and integrated technology in the context of a global economic crunch. Leading speakers include US Senator Patty Murray, author Michael Horn, Randy Fielding, chairman of school planning firm Fielding Nair International and Ian Bremmer, president of political consultants Eurasia Group.

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