Thank you, President Crow, for sharing the video message.

Dear Dean Carole Basile, esteemed guests, partners, colleagues, and friends,

Welcome to our 2025 Yidan Prize Conference: Meeting the future of teaching and learning.

It’s an honor to bring this conference to you with Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University.

Mary Lou Fulton College has a rich history of excellence, enhancing teaching and learning since its founding.

It has also continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of education. That focus on change and growth is clear in its new name: Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.

At the Yidan Prize Foundation, we share that commitment to championing changemakers and innovation.

We started the Yidan Prize in 2016 with a mission to create a better world through education.

Each year, we award two prizes to changemakers in Education Research and Education Development. These two areas work in harmony, deepening our understanding of learning sciences and effective policymaking, and transforming teaching and learning for all.

Our prize is designed for impact.

We champion ideas that are innovative, transformative, sustainable, and future-oriented.

Innovation drives progress, a belief that we share with our co-host.

We encourage the world to embrace bold ideas and champion solutions that shape the future of education.

All of this is a group effort. We do more together than we can ever do alone.

Bringing together researchers, educators, and partners helps scale solutions. It also creates a ripple effect that changes lives, communities, and our collective future.

The Yidan Prize laureates are at the forefront of driving change in education.

For some, that means expanding our understanding of teaching and learning. And using that in their work with educators to build effective, inclusive classrooms.

We see that in Micki Chi’s groundbreaking ICAP framework, and in the work of Linda Darling-Hammond at EdPrepLab.

By linking theory to practice, they foster a cycle of improvement and innovation.

Students also need to come to the classroom ready to learn. And they must believe that they can keep learning. This is where we see the power of Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset.

Changing how students think about themselves and their own potential makes a profound difference to what they go on to achieve.

And what of those who face barriers to learning like conflict and poverty?

Many of our laureates are focused on making quality education available to all.

Today, we will hear from Rukmini Banerji from Pratham Education Foundation, Vicky Colbert from Fundacion Escuela Nueva, Shai Reshef from University of the People, and Marwa Zahr from War Child Alliance.

Their work spans every phase of education from the early years to lifelong learning. But what they all have in common is reaching marginalized communities with a fair chance to access quality education and take charge of their own futures.

We also recognize that all our futures are challenged by human-made and natural crises. So it is vitally important that we understand the drivers of human progress to navigate challenges of today and tomorrow.

Wolfgang Lutz’s work demonstrates the essential role of education in global sustainable development. His models make a powerful case for investing in education as an absolute priority and keeping it at the center of our efforts to tackle climate change.

Our work is only possible through collaboration with our Yidan Prize laureates, their teams, and the wider education world. That’s why events like these are so important.

Today’s education system, developed in the past, is working at present; and has to cope with the future. To ensure its relevance, we must continually reflect on its past successes and failures, assess its current performance, and envision its future form.

The widespread application of ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and the like, serves as a stark reminder of AI's disruptive and transformative potential in education. These advanced AI tools are capable of generating innovative research ideas, outlining detailed research plans, and composing in-depth research papers. While students instantly love these chatbots, teachers need more time to catch up with it.

This marks a rough start of an uneasy process of change. Despite the turbulence, I remain confident in our ability to navigate these changes. After all, AI is reshaping the future in profound ways, and education's core mission is to equip the next generation for that future. With determination, we can find solutions to educate with AI.

Clearly, AI presents a unique opportunity to realize long-held aspirations for personalized learning, true education equity, and acts as a lifelong learning companion. The potential of AI in education is immense, and we must harness it fully.

And that’s why the theme of meeting the future of teaching and learning has never been more urgent.

Events like these have the power of bringing together bright minds from across sectors and disciplines. And we can also share, exchange, and spark new ideas.

In that spirit, I encourage you to make the most of the breaks and open house to start a conversation. Whenever we come together, we can make waves that extend far beyond this room.

Together, we work towards a brighter future for all.

Thank you.