Rebooting High School: Hackers, Revolutionaries & Redesigners Take on 'Learning 2030'

WATERLOO, Ontario, September 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

This weekend, some of the world's brightest minds in education will gather to re-invent what high school could be like for the newborns of 2013.

Equinox Summit: Learning 2030 begins September 29, 2013 in Waterloo, Ontario Canada.

"Our approach to high school education must change, and quickly," says Learning 2030 curator Dr. Michael Brooks. "With an increasingly uncertain future ahead, we can't afford an approach to high school education where the next Einstein, Curie or Mandela can fall through the cracks."

Catching up to 2030

What should high school be like for the newborns of 2013? It's a question that requires long-range thinking and strategies; longer than the term of any world leader or policy-maker.

To come up with an answer, Learning 2030 will combine the expertise of experts currently working in education (like former Former Senior Director for Global Education Strategic Partnerships for Microsoft Corporation Greg Butler, Jennifer Groff of the MIT-spinoff Learning Games Network and "Street-Fighting Mathematics" author Sanjoy Mahajan) with the energy of an ambitious group of young leaders (including youth speaker Nikhil Goyal, author of "One Size Does Not Fit All" and US$100,000 Thiel fellowship recipient Noor Siddiqui, who's working to "empower the bottom billion") to propose the most effective high school environment for the teenagers of 2030.

"You only have to look 17 years into the past to see how drastically things can change," says Brooks. "In 1996, the Internet was in its infancy and almost every telephone on Earth was attached to a copper wire.

"Yet, many high school classrooms today don't look much different from the classrooms of 1996…or even the classrooms of 1896: students seated in rows of desks, facing forward toward the teacher. Chalkboards may be giving way to computerized SMART Boards, but the basic principles haven't changed.

"This is a moment where the world can reinvent high school for the 21st century."

A blueprint for learning, worldwide

Over this never-before-attempted weekend, representatives from around the world - including Brazil, Canada, Finland, India, Singapore, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States- will explore best practices and promising initiatives in education in a series of "anything-goes", "no-holds-barred" behind-closed-door meetings where each person will be free to speak their mind and put even the most contentious ideas on the table.

When the dust clears, participants will emerge with the Equinox Communiqué, their combined plan for how to build high schools that prioritize problem solving, critical thinking, and innovation.

Watch LIVE, in-person, online

Watch the public sessions of Learning 2030 online LIVE at wgsi.org

Highlights

      September 29, 2013 at 2 pm EDT: Gallup Education Executive Director
      Brandon Busteed's keynote address (and other presentations) at the
    - Learning 2030 opening ceremonies
      September 30 to October 2, 2013 at 8:30 am EDT: Panel discussions that
      deal with topics from hacking a unique path through high school to the
    - end goals of education
      September 30 to October 3, 2013 at 10 pm EDT and October 3, 2013 at 5 pm
      EDT: Live broadcasts of The Agenda with Steve Paikin, the flagship
      current affairs program of TVO, the Equinox Summit's presenting media
    - partner
      October 3, 2013 at 2 pm EDT: The recommendations of the summit
      participants will be presented in the Equinox Communiqué (an early
    - version of the Equinox Blueprint)

Archived video of these live streams will be available for viewing at wgsi.org/video

Free tickets to attend Learning 2030 public events in person are available at wgsi.org/events

About the Inaugural Equinox Summit: Energy 2030

In June of 2011, the first Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 brought visionaries and experts together to create a technological roadmap for a low-carbon, electrified future.

You can view the presentation of the 2011 Equinox Communiqué at bit.ly/18kWBBO

You can read the recommendations in the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 Blueprint at wgsi.org/energy2030

About the Waterloo Global Science Initiative

Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI), a non-profit partnership between Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the University of Waterloo, a pairing that has previously resulted in the distinguished Perimeter Scholars International program and the University of Waterloo's pioneering Institute for Quantum Computing.

The mandate of WGSI is to promote dialogue around complex global issues and to catalyze the long-range thinking necessary to advance ideas, opportunities and strategies for a secure and sustainable future through the Equinox Summit Series, Equinox Blueprints and Impact Activities.

Image with caption: "When the dust clears on October 3, 2013, participants will emerge with the Equinox Communiqué, their combined plan for how to build high schools that prioritize problem solving, critical thinking, and innovation. (CNW Group/Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130926_C4695_PHOTO_EN_31383.jpg

Image with caption: "Learning 2030 Summit Curator Dr. Michael Brooks is leading the team charged with assessing promising learning pathways for the decades ahead. (CNW Group/Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130926_C4695_PHOTO_EN_31387.jpg

Image with caption: "Starting September 29, 2013 some of the world's brightest minds in education will gather at Equinox Summit: Learning 2030 to re-invent what high school could be like for the newborns of 2013. (CNW Group/Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130926_C4695_PHOTO_EN_31385.jpg

For more information on WGSI or Learning 2030, contact: 
Hayley Rutherford
Communications Coordinator
Waterloo Global Science Initiative
T +1-226-268-7440
hrutherford@wgsi.org