Seeing and Solving Through Multiple Lenses: New Ways to Transform Education

Why is solving educational problems so difficult? Too often, smart and well-intentioned people try to solve tough problems on their own, without the opportunity to learn from people different from themselves. The Learning Sciences Exchange (LSX) at New America works to help problem-solvers see through various lenses by drawing on talent from many sectors and applying the science of learning to help children and adolescents thrive.

This dynamic, full-day, hybrid event showcases three prototypes designed by 15 LSX fellows to address education’s challenges—unveiling new ways to bring joyful learning to homes and schools, foster middle-school students’ sense of belonging, and games designed with migrant children to create inclusive, welcoming classroom communities. The afternoon brings the announcement of our next cohort of LSX fellows, plus a fun-filled keynote chat on how research shapes quality kids’ media and tech, and vice versa. Panels feature new collaborations on family-to-school engagement, next-generation assessment, and what “co-design” looks like with children, parents, and teachers. The day promises many moments for discussion, interaction, and even game play—a model of how education should work! Don’t miss it!

AGENDA

All times are in Eastern Time. Additional speakers to be added as they are confirmed.

8:30 am Check-in and Coffee

9:00 am Welcome and Spark Talk

• Paul Butler, President, New America
• Yalda Tehranian-Uhls, Executive Director, Center for Scholars and Storytellers, UCLA

9:10 am What it Means to be Seeing and Solving through Different Lenses

• Lisa Guernsey, Director and Co-Founder of LSX, New America
• Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Co-Founder of LSX, Professor of Psychology at Temple University
• Roberta Golinkoff, Co-Founder of LSX, Professor of Psychology at University of Delaware
• Moderator: Gregg Behr, Executive Director, The Grable Foundation; co-author of When You Wonder, You’re Learning

9:30 am LSX Showcase: Three teams, Prototypes, and Video Stories

Joy Lives Here

• Michelle Dinneen-White, Executive Director and Founder of Play Smart Literacy
• Andrea Goldin, Neuroscientist at Torcuato Di Tella University, Argentina
• Benjamin Herold, Author and Freelance Reporter
• Elizabeth Kperrun-Eremie, CEO and Co-Founder of Zenafri Ltd, Nigeria
• Natasha Tarpley, Children’s Book Author
• Moderator: Sandy Wax, Co-Founder, Waxon Group

Building Belonging

• Jenny Anderson, Author and Freelance Writer
• Jon Hutchinson, Director of Training and Development at the Reach Foundation, United Kingdom
• Henry Samson Mafulul, Executive Director of the Jos Film Initiative, Nigeria
• Fernande Raine, Founder of the History Co:Lab
• Oana Negru-Subtirica, Associate Professor of Psychology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
• Moderator: Aashti Zaidi Hai, CEO, Global Schools Forum

SuperDiverse Gamekit

• Emer Beamer, Founder, Designathon Works, the Netherlands
• Bethany Koby, Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of FamStudio, United Kingdom
• Mariam El Marakeshy, Filmmaker, Multimedia Storyteller, Educator and Cultural Facilitator, Egypt
• Deena Weisberg, Assoc. Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Villanova University
• Margie Worthington-Smith, Member of the Research, Innovation and Development team for E3 in the Department of Basic Education, South Africa
• Moderator: Pauline Essah, Director of Research and Programs, Education Sub Saharan Africa

11:00 am Learn, Share, Ponder: “World Cafe” Style with the LSX Teams and Prototypes

[Note: From 11 am to 1 pm we will not be broadcasting. This is break for those joining us online]

12:20 pm Lunch: Mix, Match, and Play

1:00 pm Keynote Chat

A conversation with Rosemarie Truglio, Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop, and Annie Murphy Paul, Senior Writer at the Hidden Brain podcast and Author of The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

1:30 pm Announcing the Class of 2024-25 Focus Fellows and the Next Stage for LSX

• Elise Franchino, Program Manager for LSX, New America

2:00 pm Panels: Tackling Three Education Problems by Collaborating Across Sectors

• What Does it Take to Make Family Engagement Programs Really Work? | A conversation with Pennsylvania education leaders Tabitha Marino, Assistant to the Superintendent, New Castle Area School District; Erica Slobodnik, Principal, K-8, Duquesne City School District; Scott Miller, Principal, Avonworth Primary Center, Avonworth School District, and Yu-Ling Cheng, Director of Parents as Allies and Kidsburgh. Moderator: Heather Rieman, Director of Advocacy, America Forward
• How Can We Create Next-generation Assessments that are Meaningful? | Sharon Huang, Senior Associate, MDRC; Tammy Kwan, Founder and CEO, Cognitive Toy Box; Andres Bustamante, University of California-Irvine. Moderator: Elena Silva, Senior Director of PreK-12 Education at New America
• Why and How to “Co-design” with Children, Parents, and Teachers | Emer Beamer, Founder, Designathon Works; Medha Tare, Director of Research, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop; Sara Schapiro, Executive Director, Alliance for Learning Innovation. Moderator: Susan Rivers, Chief Scientist and Co-Lead, History Co:Lab

3:45 pm The Future of Seeing and Solving through Many Perspectives

• Michael H. Levine, Consultant and Former Senior VP of Learning and Impact, Noggin
• Ralph Smith, Managing Director, The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
• With final notes from Lisa Guernsey, Roberta Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

4:00 pm Conclusion

Many thanks to the following organizations and funders who made this possible.