Think Tank Celebrates Innovation in Education

Solving critical challenges in education will require creative solutions, and thoughtful teams of people dedicated to realizing their impact. Last Friday’s one-day conference at HGSE, Education Innovation in Comparative Perspective, was evidence of growing interest in approaching education transformation and reform through entrepreneurship.

“It is a good day for education,” declared master’s student Maung Nyeu, as he made his group’s opening remarks. His words characterized the mood, as participants of the event organized by Professor Fernando Reimers gathered in the early morning to listen and share innovative ideas on education between cups of coffee and tea. The conference was the culmination of the spring course taught by Reimers, Education Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in Comparative Perspective, and included 20 presentations from student groups.

Students presented business plans that they had developed, offering new ideas aimed at tackling some of the most intractable problems in education around the world. Each panel of student projects also received open feedback, and interchanged with discussants, including experts on education and entrepreneurship from across Harvard, as well as entrepreneurs and leaders from local and international businesses, consulting companies, colleges, and research centers. Among those who served as discussants and attended the event were the faculty chair of Harvard’s Innovation Lab, HBS Professor Joseph Lassiter, who teaches the new Harvard course on innovation and entrepreneurship; partners at the Parthenon Group; a trustee of Olin College; and several senior staff international development firms.

One attendee, Gustavo Herrero, director of HBS Research Center in Latin America, said, “Coming from the Business School it is very inspiring to see this focus on innovation in education reflected in these plans.”

Selected student groups presented throughout the day on topics ranging from the problem of educating marginalized indigenous children of the Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh, to the use of innovative technologies to change the workflow of teachers, and the possibility of addressing trauma through music therapy for children in the West Bank. While business plans themes varied, the groups shared a commitment to disruptive change through simple and cost-effective solutions that emphasize sustainability and scalability, key concepts covered in Reimers’ course.

Master’s student Isabel Schwartzman presented with her group on an innovative math curriculum designed for Brazilian public schools. She was impressed with the care and consideration with which the discussants read and reviewed their work. “We got some great insights from the discussants,” she said. “They gave us very concrete advice that is directly applicable to improving the design of our business plans.”

An afternoon panel on Global Education featured three plans, Diploventures, American Global Scholars Program, and LingoTrotters, all focused on increasing students’ access to global competency development and intercultural exchange. Babson College President Leonard Schlesinger was the panel’s discussant and provided astute feedback to presenters, noting that all teams had identified a critical need in education, and should continue to iterate, “it’s time to pivot.”

“We need to create the Swiffers in education,” challenged Reimers, referring to the floor cleaners by Procter & Gamble that changed the way we perform the simple yet burdensome task of cleaning our floors. While we may not be there quite yet, the conference was an exciting opportunity to break free of the accepted modes of thinking about and approaching problems in the field of education.

The spirit and diversity of the conference and its participants served as an inspiring reminder for students that they are not alone in trying to change the field of education. The communities and opportunities at Harvard serve to cultivate and develop students’ ideas, and offer critical resources and support networks that help catalyze plans into action, leading to disruption and innovation in education.