ASU+GSV Summit

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Carolina Recchi, CEO at EdSights; Lev Gonick, Enterprise Chief Information Officer at Arizona State University; Christina Yancey, Vice President at AIR (American Institutes for Research); Emily Smith, VP, Strategic Partnerships at CollegeVine; JC Bonilla, COO and Head of AI at Element451; and Tim Renick, Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University.

As institutions pursued stronger engagement and retention, a new wave of Agentic AI tools promised personalized outreach, predictive support, and 24/7 responsiveness. This session explored the transformative potential of scalable connection, early risk detection, and enhanced student experience—while acknowledging that the reality is still unfolding.

Speakers examined critical questions around whether student voices should serve as the key KPI, whether these systems can truly lower costs, empower staff, and increase persistence, and how institutions should evaluate the trade-offs between automation and meaningful human support. The conversation also addressed essential human considerations including privacy, authenticity, and agency as higher education navigates the line between automation and co-intelligence.

By exploring both the promise and the complexity of Agentic AI, this session highlighted how colleges and universities are rethinking recruitment, retention, and student engagement strategies to build more responsive, ethical, and effective systems for learner success.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Kevin Guthrie, President at ITHAKA; Chris Ferguson, Executive Vice Chancellor of Finance and Strategic Initiatives at California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office; Abby Snay, Deputy Secretary, Workforce Strategy at California Labor and Workforce Development Agency; Brenda Thames, President/CEO at El Camino College; and Anna Silk, Partner at BCG.

Across the country, colleges and workforce systems have been rethinking how learning is recognized so students can receive credit for the skills they gain through work, military service, apprenticeships, and industry certifications. This session explored how expanding Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), aligning credentials with industry demand, and improving credit mobility and the portability of learning records across institutions and employers can create faster, more affordable pathways into high-demand careers—particularly for working adults.

Drawing on lessons from California’s large-scale credentialing reforms and Ithaka’s strategic research on student mobility, credit transfer, and outcomes, speakers highlighted practical strategies, emerging models, and policy enablers that other states and systems can adapt to improve equity, reduce time to completion, and strengthen economic mobility.

By examining how credentialing systems can evolve to better reflect real-world skills and learner mobility, this conversation showcased how colleges, workforce leaders, and policymakers are building more flexible, inclusive pathways to opportunity for the future of work.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Jamie Reffell, Chief Product Officer at Clever, Inc.; Dan Meyer, VP User Growth at Amplify; Christian Pantel, Chief Product Officer at D2L; Dr. Kimberly Smith, Executive Director at Jackson Public Schools; and Erin Mote, CEO at InnovateEdu.

As AI and consumer platforms entered classrooms, the line between technology designed for engagement and technology designed for learning had become increasingly blurred. This session explored the design gap between consumer-grade tools and education-focused technology, examining how learning science, procurement, and policy shape what actually reaches students.

Speakers discussed how rapid evidence and outcomes-based contracting can help schools distinguish between tools that simply make answers easier and those that make thinking deeper. Rather than debating whether technology belongs in schools, the conversation focused on defining what quality looks like when learning—not engagement—is the primary goal.

By confronting the challenges of design, implementation, and accountability, this session highlighted what it takes to ensure educational technology supports meaningful cognitive development and stronger student outcomes in an AI-enabled era.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Dave Duke, SVP & Chief Product Officer at McGraw Hill; Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin; Anne Jones, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Arizona State University; Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education at Superhuman; and Camilla Roberts, Director, Honor and Integrity System; President Emerita, Kansas State University; and ICAI.

In the age of AI, academic integrity had shifted from offensive cheating to defensive coping, as students navigated pervasive tools and unclear expectations. This session examined why detection alone would not solve the challenge and introduced an emerging paradigm: moving integrity upstream.

The conversation explored how institutions can foster productive struggle and authentic learning by setting clear norms, using collaborative AI intentionally, and emphasizing the learning process over the final product. Integrity experts and technologists shared practical, real-world strategies for redefining academic integrity beyond surveillance and enforcement.

By focusing on proactive system design rather than reactive detection, this session highlighted how schools and institutions can build a sustainable culture of integrity—one that supports authentic learning, clarifies expectations, and prepares students to engage responsibly with AI in education.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Sven Schütt, CEO at IU Group; Eilif Serck-Hanssen, CEO at Laureate; Laura Kakon, Former Chief Growth & Strategy Officer at Honoris United Universities; Abdujabbor Abduvohidov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Central Asian University; and Lucy Stonehill, CEO at Alwin Education Limited.

Around the world, higher education institutions have been growing and evolving under constraints that differ markedly from those in the United States. Drawing on experience across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and beyond, this session explored how many global university groups have built scalable models without relying on high tuition or rigid academic pathways. Instead, these institutions have developed flexible credit structures, employer-aligned programs, innovative financing approaches, and AI-enabled teaching and student support.

This conversation brought together leaders of major non-U.S. higher education organizations to discuss what they have built, why it works, and which lessons matter most for institutions navigating change in any system. Speakers examined how global models are redefining access, scalability, and workforce alignment while offering practical insights for colleges and universities seeking to evolve in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

By looking beyond the U.S., this session highlighted how alternative higher education frameworks can inform the future of institutional design, student success, and sustainable growth worldwide.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured John Danner, CEO at Flourish Schools; Renato Feder, Secretary of Education São Paulo at Secretaria da Educação do Estado de SP; Susana Martinez, Governor at Governor Susana Martinez; Victoria Pylvainen, Senior Vice President at LearningMate; Don Soifer, CEO at National Microschooling Center; and Michael Horn, Author of Job Moves.

In a Multiple Choice world, accountability had to become smarter—and more urgent. As learning expanded across public, private, charter, microschool, homeschool, hybrid, and AI-enabled models, this session examined a critical question: not whether accountability matters, but how to design it to actually improve outcomes for kids. Speakers addressed the reality that too many students are still leaving school without mastery in reading, math, and core subjects.

This conversation confronted the tension head-on by exploring which measures drive real learning, how to balance flexibility with shared expectations for mastery, and how accountability can evolve to support personalization without lowering the bar. Panelists examined the future of assessment in an increasingly diverse educational ecosystem and considered how smarter accountability systems can support innovation while keeping student outcomes at the center.

As educational choice expands, this session highlighted the importance of building accountability frameworks that preserve rigor, strengthen transparency, and ensure that diverse schooling models remain focused on meaningful student achievement.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Amar Kumar, CEO at KaiPod Learning; Allison Serafin, Vice President at Building Hope Impact Fund; Kelly Smith, Founder/CEO at Prenda; Robin Winder, Chief Academic Officer at FlexPoint and Florida Virtual School; Caroline Allen, Chief Program Officer at Center for Education Reform; and Kerry McDonald, Author of Joyful Learning.

The fastest-growing schools in America no longer looked like the schools of the past. Microschools, virtual schools, hybrid programs, homeschools, and other new models had moved from niche to mainstream as families demanded personalization, flexibility, and specialization—and as districts sought new ways to meet students’ needs. Educators were increasingly stepping into entrepreneurship and leveraging technology to expand access for their students.

This session examined both the promise and the operational realities of building and scaling schools today. Speakers explored the policy and structural challenges leaders must navigate, including zoning codes, accreditation rules, evolving state policies, complex ESA payment systems, and tight capital markets. The conversation got real about the friction leaders face while spotlighting the conditions that allow innovation to flourish.

As the next generation of schools is being built in real time, this session highlighted the leaders shaping what makes that growth possible and explored what it takes for new school entrepreneurs to successfully launch, sustain, and scale transformative education models.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Jason Palmer, Co-Founder & President at Socrait; Heather Anichini, President & CEO at The Chicago Public Education Fund; Jim O'Neill, President, Core and Supplemental Solutions at HMH; Jodi Feikema, Chief Academic Officer and Provost at American College of Education; Megan Mitchell, Teacher & EdTech Consultant at ABC Unified School District and Mitchell Method Consulting; and Mahnaz Charania, Chief of Transformation at TNTP.

For decades, the magic of teaching—mentorship, relationships, and instructional judgment—had been increasingly crowded out by administrative burden, fragmented tools, and unsustainable expectations. As AI reshaped work across every sector, this session examined a defining question for education: whether technology can finally return time, focus, and humanity to educators, or deepen the strain.

The speakers explored how teaching can evolve into a more sustainable, high-impact profession by redesigning the work itself. District leaders, degree-granting programs, funders, and builders examined how AI-enabled systems, new operating models, and educator-centered design can reduce operational friction, strengthen instructional presence, and improve student-teacher relationships. Rather than replacing teachers, these approaches aimed to decouple routine tasks from the core work of learning, allowing educators to focus on judgment, connection, and craft.

Moving beyond the burnout narrative, panelists shared how schools and organizations are rethinking recruitment, development, and day-to-day practice to build a profession designed for longevity and purpose. The conversation explored what it takes to move past vacancy-filling and toward a future where teaching is once again a role of influence, growth, and deep human impact in an AI-enabled world.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Matt Miller, CEO & Co-Founder at OKO Labs; Kim Smith, CEO/Founder at LearnerStudio; Maria Ortiz, Assistant Superintendent of High Schools at City of Newark Schools; Colin Kaepernick, CEO at Lumi Story AI; and Greg Toppo, Senior Writer at The 74 Million.

As AI increasingly took on routine cognitive work, the true advantage shifted to what only humans can do well: think about their thinking, exercise judgment, adapt in unfamiliar contexts, and frame problems worth solving. This session brought together education leaders, system builders, and innovators reimagining how schools cultivate the durable skills AI can’t replicate: metacognition, executive function, adaptability, discernment, and complex problem-solving. The conversation explored how new school models and emerging EdTech tools have moved beyond content mastery to help students learn how to learn. From classroom practice to system design, speakers examined what it takes to prepare students to work alongside AI—not in competition with it—and how K–12 education must evolve to develop the human capabilities that matter most in an AI-powered future.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Ali Bebo, Chief Human Resources Officer at Pearson; Omar Abbosh, CEO at Pearson; Gian Paolo Perrucci, Technology Officer at Pearson; and Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems.

The speakers explored why past conversations about the future of the learning leader have often missed the mark, and what becomes possible when learning leaders effectively partner with CEOs and technology teams around data, intelligence, and organizational capability. Dr. Sandra Loughlin examined how learning leadership must evolve beyond traditional models to better align with business priorities and enterprise transformation.

The session also featured a fireside conversation with an exemplary CEO, CHRO, and CTO trio, illuminating what businesses truly need from the next generation of learning leadership. Through this discussion, the panel highlighted how today’s learning and people leaders can step into this expanded role with greater confidence, clarity, and influence by directly shaping organizational capability and strategic outcomes.