George Couros is a worldwide leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading, and he has a focus on innovation as a human endeavor. Most importantly, he is a proud father and husband. His belief that meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts is modeled in his writing and speaking. In his 20-plus years in the field of education, he has worked at all levels of school, from K-12 as a teacher, technology facilitator, and school and district administrator, and is currently an Adjunct Instructor with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. George is also the author of the books The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity, Innovate Inside the Box, the “Because of a Teacher” series as well as his latest book “What Makes a Great Principal.” George is also host of the popular education podcast “The Innovator’s Mindset.” 

He has keynoted hundreds of conferences, including national conferences on five different continents. His work has been translated into multiple languages due to its worldwide impact.

You can learn more about George at his website georgecouros.com

Keynote Title: Laying the Foundation for Innovation in Education

Description: Initiating change is the best approach to managing the transformations we wish to see in our schools and classrooms. As we prompt our staff to create innovative learning opportunities for ALL students, we must identify the foundational elements required to foster and support teachers in their methodologies, and understand their significance. We cannot be content with simply leading; we must also create innovative educational environments that are suited for today and tomorrow by focusing on evolving past forms of leadership.

How do we ensure that our educators, communities, and students receive support without feeling overwhelmed? Embracing the “Innovator’s Mindset” is essential when innovation becomes a necessity rather than an option for all learners, including ourselves. The essence of innovative teaching and learning lies in four critical areas that demand our deeper thought and encourage us to broaden our perspectives. These include new learning opportunities and emerging technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence), which together forge an environment that nurtures our students to become leaders not just of tomorrow but of today.

It’s crucial that every learner in our schools achieves success in ways that are meaningful to them. Let’s engage in redefining our fundamental elements to aid those we serve in finding their unique paths to success.

Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen is Chief Program Officer at Grantmakers for Education, a member organization that serves as a trusted partner for education philanthropists as they adapt to the changes impacting our world. She brings to the role more than twenty-five years as an educator and advocate working to shift the foundational values and approaches that undergird America’s education system. Ulcca is a first-generation American who began school as an English-language learner; she was the first in her family to complete college and graduate school. Along the way, she lived and studied in other countries, experiencing how different systems approach learning and define achievement. Her own experiences have fueled her desire to interrogate and advocate for an expanded vision of what it means to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education in America.

Ulcca began her career as an elementary school teacher in Newark Public Schools. During her twenty-five year career she has gained experience across the non-profit, public, and philanthropic sectors, in the US and abroad, leading programs, conducting research and crafting policy. She has worked with educators, students, communities, business, and civic leaders to support developmentally-aligned, human-centered learning experiences that unlock the unique potential of individual learners regardless of their background, circumstances, cognitive or physical differences. She is especially committed to bringing a racial justice and equity lens to the expansion of this educational approach. An internationally-recognized expert on educational transformation at the level of instruction, assessment, organizational design and policy systems, Ulcca has addressed audiences at conferences including World EduLead, SxSW Education and Aurora Institute’s annual forum, and is a two-time TEDx speaker. Her award- winning book, The Future of Smart, was released in September 2021. The book traces the deep roots of America’s dominant approach to education, illuminates why so many reform and innovation efforts over the last three decades have fallen short of our aspirations for children and proposes a path forward.

Ulcca holds a BA in Philosophy and German from Drew University where she was also licensed as an early childhood/elementary teacher with a focus on special education. She earned her Ph.D. in Education and Philosophy from Oxford University and a JD from Harvard Law School. She has been recognized nationally for her work in education as a Harry S. Truman Scholar; a British Marshall Scholar; and a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. Ulcca and her family are based in Denver, CO where her two sons attend Denver Public Schools.

Keynote Title: The Future of Smart: Human-Centered Education in the Age of AI

Description: This lively and thought-provoking keynote will take us on a journey that covers history, science and philosophy, exploring what it means to thrive as human beings in a complex and ambiguous world driven by unprecedented technological change. Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen is an internationally-recognized futurist, author of the award-winning book The Future of Smart, host of The Future of Smart podcast, and two-time TEDx speaker whose work has been featured by The Washington Post, NPR, and COP26. An expert and thought leader on what it takes to build education systems and workplaces that reflect what we know about human development, the science of learning, and the realities of a changing world and workforce Dr Hansen works with schools, professional organizations, policymakers, and families around the world to transform how we think about and organize education to better align with the realities of the world today.

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research has appeared in several top-tier academic journals. She is co-editor of four books and is co-author of the multiple award-winning book Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces (2021) where she examines her concept of Archeology of Self ™ in education. For three years in a row, she was named one of EdWeek's EduScholar Influencers -- a list of the Top 1% of educational scholars in the United States -- a highly selective group of 200 scholars (chosen from a pool of 20,000). At Teachers College, she is the founder of the Racial Literacy Project @TC, and the Racial Literacy Roundtables Series, where for 15 years, national scholars, teachers, and students facilitate conversations around race and other issues involving diversity. Yolanda appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright” (2016), a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou, and Defining Us, Children at the Crossroads of Change, a documentary about supporting and educating the nation's Black and Latinx males youth. In 2024, Yolanda was recognized with the prestigious Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award from New York University. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems, was published in March 2020. Her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles, was published in July 2021. Yolanda opened the 2022 TEDx UPENN conference at the University of Pennsylvania with her TEDx Talk: Truth, Love & Racial Literacy. Connect with Yolanda on Twitter at @RuizSealey and on Instagram at @yolie_sealeyruiz

Keynote Title: Cultivating Student Belonging in Education: Racially Literate Strategies and Insights 

Description: In this EARCOS Keynote address, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz underscores the essential role of fostering belonging in schools. Drawing from her Racial Literacy Development Model (RLDM), Dr. Sealey-Ruiz will explore how the RLDM's vital components can enhance belonging and well-being among educators and students alike. Advocating for educators to actively show empathy, understanding, and collaboration, this Keynote Address emphasizes the need to create communities of care and belonging as a foundation for building equitable and inclusive environments for all students.