The Schools of the Future Conference is excited to feature student presentations once again as part of this year's offerings. We welcome proposals for both in-person and pre-recorded presentations, which will be included in a digital program accessible exclusively to registered SOTF attendees.
The goal of these student presentations is to provide students with a platform to "teach the teachers." Proposals should focus on best teaching practices and aim to inspire educators to view learning from the student's perspective. Each proposal may involve up to four students and must include one teacher who will act as an advisor and primary contact.
The deadline to submit proposals is Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 12 PM and notifications of acceptance will be sent by Friday, September 4, 2026. Schools will need to respond to acceptances by Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
Presentation Formats
Presentations (1 Hour) - These sessions are an hour long and will take place during the in-person conference. They can be a more traditional, seated audience presentation or an Interactive lecture involving participant-engaged learning experiences.
Pre-Recorded Presentations (up to 1-hour long) - If you are already submitting a proposal to present at the conference, consider also submitting a pre-recorded version of it. Pre-recorded presentations will be recorded and submitted ahead of the conference. They can be any length of time but should not exceed an hour. A Spotlight Talk is ideal for these sessions. Spotlight Talks are concise, polished presentations built around a single powerful idea–focused storytelling and strong visuals rather than reading off of a slide deck. Pre-recorded presentations will be made available to registered attendees along with a selection of keynote and featured speaker recordings. Recordings will not be downloadable or shareable and will only be accessible for 3 months following the conference. Recordings will be due September 30, 2026.
Additional Information
- Student presenters (6-12th graders) will not be charged a registration fee (maximum four students per session) for their day.
- The primary contact or teacher responsible for the student group will receive a complimentary 1-day ticket to attend the conference on the day of their presentation. This individual is responsible for securing all necessary permissions and adhering to their school or organization's policies and procedure for student participation in this event.
- Please note that the conference does not cover any additional expenses related to attending or presenting at the conference (travel expenses, equipment, supplies, etc.).
- Presenter(s) are responsible for ALL presentation-related supplies and equipment (e.g. laptop, connectors, dongles, printed presentation handouts, etc.) except for what is outlined below. Presentation Rooms will be equipped with:
- Projector (HDMI connection) - Projection Screen
- Microphone
- Laptop Audio Connection (3.5 mm cable)
- Wireless Internet Access
Proposal Review Criteria
Keep in mind that the proposal reviewers may not know you or your reputation or be familiar with the specific technologies, models or instructional strategies you are addressing. Be sure to provide sufficient detail including full names (not acronyms) and brief descriptions of all such elements in your proposal summary so reviewers can evaluate the relevance and usefulness of the information to attendees.
Specifically, reviewers will evaluate your proposal for its:
Relevance to the selected educational track and overall mission of the SOTF Conference.
Alignment to the current teaching and learning conditions.
Educational significance and contribution to the respective topic.
Ease of replication and/or application.
Value and relevance to SOTF participants.
