SCHOOL: THE AUDACITY TO FLY HIGH

SPEAKERS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
1st SESSION
“BONDS” IN THE TIME OF “CONNECTIONS”

Kai-Ming Cheng

Kai-Ming Cheng is Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong. He was Dean of Education, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Vice-President) and Senior Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor of the University. He is Honorary Professor in Peking University, Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University, and a few others. He taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education as Visiting Professor 1996-2007. He is now Director of Education Policy Unit at the Faculty of Education. Trained as a mathematician, he was a school teacher and a principal before he pursued doctoral study at the London Institute of Education. He has been involved in institutional evaluation and accreditation, policy discussion and training in higher education in China and various jurisdictions. He lectures at the National Academy of Education Administration, China, and SKOLKOVO, Russia. His current attention is on the fundamental changes in society and their challenges to education, and the attention to learning as the core business of education. He has been consultant with the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP and the Asian Development Bank. Locally he was member of the Education Commission and was instrumental in the on-going comprehensive reform which started 1999. He is on several global advisory committees, including the Yidan Price and the National Center for Education and the Economy (US).

Gianluca Argentin

Gianluca Argentin is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Milan Bicocca. His research focuses largely on the analysis of the school system, with a focus on inequality and on the teaching staff and its work dynamics. Methodologically, Professor Argentin consistently integrates sociological analysis with evaluative research approaches. He has actively contributed to the design and implementation of several controlled experiments, promoting an evidence-oriented approach in educational policies. He recently published with Il Mulino the volume “Our Everyday School. The necessary change” (2021).

Daniela Marzana

Daniela Marzana works in the field of group and community psychology with particular interest in action-research and the themes of youth social engagement, well-being and integration. She teaches “Dynamics and Processes in Institutions,” “Community Psychology,” and “Methods and Techniques for Conducting Groups” at the Milan and Brescia campuses of the Catholic University. Her research activity has mainly focused on migration processes (especially of young people) and the condition of NEETs in Italy and Europe.

Since 2012 she has been a member of the Youth Observatory of the Toniolo Institute where she conducts research on young adults, included in the annual Youth Report, and research on adolescents, which is published in the Generazione Zeta report every year.

She works as a consultant for the third sector, particularly in some Milan-based associations that deal with serious adult and youth marginalization, focusing on supervision and training activities.

Maggie Mac Donnel

Teacher. Feminist. Time Traveller … and Winner of the $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize.

Maggie MacDonnell, aka “The Million Dollar Teacher” was chosen from over 20,000 nominated teachers from 179 countries. From palm trees to polar bears, Maggie has spent decades teaching with and learning from resilient populations across the globe.

Maggie tears down the traditional classroom walls and co-creates new ones – rooted in a pedagogy of community, empowerment and woven together with empathy, love and relationships.

Maggie holds two honorary degrees, is a keynote speaker and teacher trainer. She continues to work in the Arctic, acting as an educational advisor to Inuit youth who have created a non profit called All Arctic.

Silvia Cataldi

Silvia Cataldi is Associate Professor of Sociology at Sapienza University of Rome and coordinates the degree course in Psychological Science and Techniques. Since her doctorate, she has been teaching sociology and research methods in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral school courses. Her research explores methodological aspects of social research, emerging patterns of cultural and social identity, social action regimes, social dialogue and public sociology. An innovative field of study, developed in an international network, concerns “social love” understood as public dimension of solidarity and non-instrumental actions, with a focus on social inequalities, processes of empowerment of vulnerable groups and sustainability. On these topics she has directed numerous national and international projects, also funded by European programs. At the international level he coordinates TG12 “Social Love and Solidarity” of the International Sociological Association and is Vice President of RN20 “Qualitative Methods” of the European Sociological Association.

Gennaro Iorio

Gennaro Iorio is Full Professor of Sociology at the University of Salerno. He teaches History of Sociological Thought (three-year degree), Sociology of Innovation (master’s degree) and History and Methodology of Science (PhD). He is director of the Department of Political and Social Studies and coordinator of the doctoral school Education and Social Research. Society and Teaching Learning. He is vice-president of WG-08 Society and Emotion of the International Sociological Association. His most recent research interests include: Social Theory, Critical Theory. He published Sociology of Love in 2014 and an English (2016) and Portuguese (2021) edition. He recently published with Silvia Cataldi Social Love and the Critical Potential of People (Routledge)

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

2nd SESSION
THE SCHOOL IN THE WORLD AND THE WORLD IN THE SCHOOL

María  Nieves Tapia

María Nieves Tapia is the founder and Director of the Centro Latinoamericano de Aprendizaje y Servicio Solidario (CLAYSS). Between 1997 and 2009, she initiated and coordinated national service-learning programs of the Argentine Ministry of Education as well as the Solidarity Schools Program of the City of Buenos Aires.

She is the author of 12 books and more than a hundred articles in several languages, has taught courses and lectured on five continents, and has received numerous international and national awards.

She is a founding member of the International Association of Researchers in Service-Learning and Community Service (IARSLCE) and the Ibero-American Service-Learning Network (REDIBAS).

In 2019, she was named a member of the International Academy of Scholarship on Community Engagement (ACES). In 2023, she was awarded the “Distinguished Career Award” by IARSLCE.

A graduate in History from the Joaquín V. González Institute, she has taught at the University of Buenos Aires, the Catholic University of Argentina and FLACSO Buenos Aires. With Uniservitate, CLAYSS’s global program for Catholic universities, she collaborates in the Global Education Pact called for by Pope Francis.

Nick Chambers

Nick Chambers is the founder and CEO of Education and Employers, a UK based charity launched in 2009 which aims to  “provide children and young people with the inspiration, motivation, knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to help them achieve their potential”. Nick started his career as a science and technology teacher and saw first-hand the impact on young people’s aspirations and motivation from their encounters with the world of work. The charity connects schools and colleges with volunteers from the world of work at scale, quickly, easily and for free using innovative state-of-the-art matchmaking technology it has developed called Inspiring the Future. The charity also undertakes research into the effectiveness of employer engagement and works with a wide range of partners and governments internationally.

Nando Dalla Chiesa

Nando Dalla Chiesa insegna Sociologia della criminalità Nando Dalla Chiesa teaches Sociology of organised criminality at the University of Milan, where he is the rector’s delegate for the area of studies on organised crime and education for an anti-mafia culture. He is president of the Italian Scientific Society for Mafia and Anti-Mafia Studies (SISMA) and honorary president of Libera. He collaborates with the Humbolt University in Berlin, the Alta Escuela in Mexico City and the Department on Organised Criminality of the Pontificia Academia Mariana Internazionalis. He has been a parliamentarian for three legislatures. A columnist for Il Fatto Quotidiano, he is the author of numerous books, in which he addresses crucial issues related to the Mafia and the importance of culture in schools. These include Per fortuna faccio il prof (2018) and La legalità è un sentimento.  Manuale controcorrente di educazione civica (2023)

Ann B. Friedman

Ann B. Friedman is the Founder and CEO of Planet Word and the developer behind the restoration of the Franklin School, the museum’s home. She was a beginning reading and writing teacher in Montgomery County, MD, for 9 years until her retirement in 2011. From 2010-2016, she served as the Chair of the Board of the SEED Foundation, the parent body of the only U.S. public, inner-city, college-prep boarding schools, where she remains a board member. Ms. Friedman is a director of the American Alliance of Museums and serves on the board of the Aspen Music Festival and School. She is a trustee of the Downtown D.C. Foundation. She is a graduate of Stanford University and earned master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and American University. She is married to N.Y. Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman. 

Connie Fortunato

Connie Fortunato is the Founder and President of Canticum Novum International, which comprises two divisions: Music Camp International (MCI), and Musedics International. Both of them are organizations that empower and transform lives through the power of music. Their focus is not to produce professional musicians, but to bring dignity, hope, self-confidence and healing to children and young people, especially those in underserved and difficult situations. Her work began in the early 1990s, inspired by witnessing the conditions of Romanian orphans after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu. This led her to use music as a therapeutic tool for children who had suffered trauma.

In 2002, she officially launched Canticum Novum and its flagship program, MCI, known for integrating children from diverse backgrounds, including those from orphanages, impoverished communities, and those with disabilities. Connie’s methods focus on creating a positive and encouraging environment where all children can discover their musical talents, regardless of their past experiences or abilities. Their aim is not only to teach music but also to build confidence, social skills, and a sense of belonging.

Connie has received numerous accolades for her work, including an honorary Ambassadorship of Peace from Ukraine. Her camps also place a strong emphasis on the inclusive power of music, with a focus on helping children discover their dignity and potential through creative expression.

 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

3rd SESSION
CREATING TODAY THE SCHOOLS OF TOMORROW

Ha Vinh Tho, PhD

Ha Vinh Tho was the Program Director Gross National Happiness (GNH) Center Bhutan from 2012 to 2018.

As former Head of Training, Learning and Development at the International Committee of the Red Cross, he has trained humanitarian professionals working in war zones and emergency response in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
He is a visiting professor in adult education and humanitarian work in several Universities (UCL/Belgium, Geneva/Switzerland, Schumacher College /UK, Hue University / Vietnam.

He is a well-known international speaker on GNH, Happiness and Wellbeing and beyond GDP for education, business and communities.

Together with his wife, Lisi, he is the co-founder of Eurasia Foundation (http://eurasia-foundation.org), a humanitarian NGO developing educational programs for children and youths living with disabilities, as well as ecological projects in Vietnam for 20 years.

He is the author of several books and articles and wrote the Happy Schools in Vietnam Curriculum an innovative educational program introducing Mindfulness, Social and Emotional Learning and Care for the Planet in the Vietnamese education system.

Hon Hekia Parata

As New Zealand’s Minister of Education from 2011-2017, Hekia Parata led a comprehensive overhaul of the education system, focusing on collaboration, and data-driven uplift in learning outcomes and student achievement. She improved the funding model for schools, taking a social investment approach for better student results, and updated the Education Act to focus on student achievement, digital integration and online learning. Specific successes included:

Improved achievement: Created clear national education priorities and made schools more accountable for student outcomes. By 2015, 85% of students left school with at least a university entrance equivalent level qualification.

Improved collaboration amongst schools: Strengthened the education system’s response to shared challenges, lifting Māori and Pasifika student achievement. 200 communities of learning were formed involving over 1,000 schools, parents and community leaders.

Improved access to early childhood education: Ensured that 98% of children starting school had participated in early learning.

Improved literacy and numeracy among students: Created progression and consistency benchmarks, learning items for primary school student performance and using data to track learning progress against national standards in reading and mathematics.

Improved funding system for primary and secondary schools: Developed a social investment approach focusing on equity and individual student needs.

Parata has received recognition for her contributions to public service and continues to be active in governance and education

Andreas Schleicher

Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international projects that have created a global platform for policy-makers, researchers and educators across nations and cultures to innovate and transform educational policies and practices. He has worked for over 20 years with ministers and education leaders around the world to improve quality and equity in education. Before joining the OECD, he was Director for Analysis at the International Association for Educational Achievement (IEA). He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the “Theodor Heuss” prize, awarded in the name of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany for “exemplary democratic engagement”.  He holds an honorary Professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

Peeter Mehisto

Peeter Mehisto has sparked ideas and facilitated stakeholder cooperation leading to the launch of substantial new public programmes. He has supported the development and management of bilingual education, at the primary, secondary and/or university levels in Asia, North America and Europe, including in Finland and Estonia. His books include three with Cambridge University Press. These have been addressed to teachers, school administrators, regional and/or national officials. In addition to those publications, his latest co-authored book is entitled Lessons from Estonia’s Education Success Story. Exploring equity and high-performance through PISA (Routledge).