CUE 2017 National Conference

When we analyze the US education system and classrooms across our nation, we see dramatic differences and gaps in innovation. Side-by-side images of classrooms from 1917 and one from 2017, yields eerie similarities in many schools today, even with the 100-year difference. What can be done? How can schools and classrooms transform from those from the industrial era where desks are in rows, students are facing forward, and have teachers always front and center to ones that are student centered, personalized, and leverage the power of technology? Districts and schools across the nation are transforming into ones that are Future Ready, revamping such aspects as teacher empowerment, personalized professional learning, innovative learning spaces, community partnerships, digital learning initiatives, among others. This keynote will inspire school leaders and provide free tools and resources to empower them to transform their districts, schools, and classrooms into ones that better prepare students for the world they face tomorrow.

Tom Murray serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education. He has testified before the US Congress and works alongside that body and the US Senate, the White House, and the US Department of Education. Murray serves as a conference keynote, was named one of “20 to Watch” by NSBA,” and “Education Policy Person of the Year” by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015.