How might we design AI not just to personalize learning, but to truly make it personal, enabling each learner to discover and design their own purpose?

What would professional development look like if it mirrored the learning experiences we aspire to give young people—human-centered, delightful, and deeply relevant?

In this rich and forward-looking conversation on The Learning Future Podcast, host Louka Parry is joined by Sunanna Chand, Executive Director of the Reinvention Lab at Teach For America. Together, they explore the future of learning, focusing on how artificial intelligence (AI), human-centered design, and learning ecosystems can unlock new educational possibilities.

Sunanna shares insights into Future Shock, a project-based program that equips young people with the skills to design their own futures—combining interest-based learning with strategic uses of AI.

She also reflects on the need to design professional learning for educators with the same joy, relevance, and depth we desire for students. The conversation touches on AI’s potential as both a partner and a risk, advocating for technology that enhances human connection rather than replacing it.

Together, Louka and Sunanna unpack how we might move from standardized education to personalized, purpose-driven learning while acknowledging the real constraints educators face. They stress the power of networks, radical imagination, and equitable design in reshaping learning for the 21st century.

About Sunanna Chand:

Sunanna Chand is the Executive Director of the Reinvention Lab at Teach For America, where she leads future-focused R&D efforts to reshape education through design, equity, and innovation. With a background spanning learning ecosystems, human-centered design, and system transformation, she previously led Remake Learning, fostering district-level change through powerful cross-sector networks.

A passionate advocate for learner agency and equity, Sunanna explores how tools like AI can support—not supplant—human connection in education. She is a national voice for reimagining what high-quality, personal, and purposeful learning can look like for all young people.

Stay Connected with Sunanna Chand:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunannachand/

Learn more about the Reinvention Lab: reinventionlab.org

Stay Connected with Louka Parry:

For the latest learning innovation follow Louka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loukaparry/

Share your thoughts by visiting www.thelearningfuture.com

Tune in to be inspired, challenged, and reminded why love truly is at the heart of learning.

Tune in to be inspired, challenged, and reminded why love truly is at the heart of learning.

Share your thoughts with us on social media or visit our website www.thelearningfuture.com.