Decision Time: The Future of Teaching and Learning in the AI Era

Francie Alexander is an industry leader in the fields of early childhood education, literacy, and intensive intervention for striving reading and math students.

Francie currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Text Project. She served for almost 10 years on the PBS Next Generation Media Advisory Board. She was previously Chief Academic Officer for Scholastic. She has been a frequent guest on NBC’s TODAY Show, has written columns for The New York Post, and was “The Book Nanny” for Los Angeles Family Magazine. Additionally, Francie has authored more than 50 books for children, including the STEM Curious George Readers.

Francie is a former member of the National Assessment Governing Board. Before her time at HMH, Francie held key positions in both state and federal education agencies. Francie also served as the Associate Superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the California Department of Education. She is in the California Reading Hall of Fame, and she received the annual Marcus Foster Award for contributions to Literacy for All in California.

Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and senior partner at Bellwether, a national nonprofit working to transform education so young people can achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and thriving communities. He is known for heterodoxy, empiricism, and student-focused pragmatism, working at the intersection of research, policy, news media, and practice. In addition to Bellwether, he founded or co-founded two other education organizations, served at the White House as special assistant to the president for domestic policy during the Clinton administration, and twice served on the Virginia Board of Education under governors from both political parties.

A longtime independent voice in national education debates, Rotherham writes the blog and newsletter Eduwonk.com and has authored or edited four books on education policy, along with 450-plus articles, papers, and book chapters. His research and media work have earned national awards.

Rotherham is on advisory boards for organizations including the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, RAND, and the National Association of State Boards of Education’s EdTech Advisory Group on AI.

Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is former Senior Advisor and Deputy Director in US Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he focused on PK-16 education across five communities in four states. He also led several strategies to help close the racial and economic achievement gaps in Washington State’s educational system as well as support the growth and sustainability of the state’s public charter school sector.

He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester, NY School District. Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School District saw substantial improvements in student performance. Mr. Brizard’s experience also includes a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education. He served as a Regional Superintendent, supervising more than 100 schools in the Borough of Brooklyn and he also served as the system’s Executive Director for its 400 secondary schools. He is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.