Symposium
Gesu Symposium on Transforming Education
Always seeking to improve education for all of America’s children in urban communities, Gesu School launched our Annual Symposium on Transforming Education in 1997 to bring together educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to tackle the tough issues in urban education. From our first moderator, the late Tim Russert, to outstanding panelists like Stedman Graham, Joe Klein, and Paul Tough, the annual gathering brings together top thought leaders to stimulate productive conversation and empower educators and the community for our work in the field.
Sponsorships enable Gesu School to serve as a thought leader and to host this event free of charge to the public. For more information, contact Kimberly Brennan, Senior Director of Advancement, at 215-763-9077 or kimberly.brennan@gesuschool.org
Join us for Gesu's 28th Annual Symposium
How can educators and students become more open to, proactive about, and prepared for the possibilities and challenges of AI?
Gesu School invites all educators and administrators to join us virtually for the Gesu Symposium on Education: The AI Skills that Matter for Educators & Students, led by Eric Hudson. Join for a practical presentation and Q&A exploring the growth of AI, the complex issues it raises, and how its emotional and pedagogical impact make it difficult to determine which opportunities to embrace and which risks to avoid. Our discussion will highlight four essential skills to develop in an AI-driven world—extending the mind, information literacy, playfulness, and ethical decision-making—leaving participants with practical, human-centered strategies for engaging with AI in education.
Past Symposia
Past symposia have covered these critical topics:
- 2025: Teaching Civil Discourse in Our Current Society
- 2023-24: A.I. Empowerment: Ushering Students and Teachers into the Age of A.I.
- 2022: Surviving and Thriving: Supporting Our Teachers in These Challenging Times
- 2021: Working Together to Manage Pandemic Stress in Our School Communities
- 2020: A Conversation with Ibram X. Kendi
2025: Teaching Civil Discourse in Our Current Society
2023-24: A.I. Empowerment: Ushering Students and Teachers into the Age of A.I.
2022: Surviving and Thriving: Supporting Our Teachers in These Challenging Times
2021: Working Together to Manage Pandemic Stress in Our School Communities
2020: A Conversation with Ibram X. Kendi
2019 Social Justice & Education: The Role of Educators in Building a School's Capacity to Meet Student Needs
2018 Everyday Heroes: Unveiling the Power of Educators
2017 Our Kids Are Not Broken: Empowering Traumatized Youth with Keynote Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg
2016 Cultural Responsiveness in the Urban Classroom with Keynote Christopher Emdin, Ph.D.
2015 Tragedies and Current Events: Helping Students Understand What They See, Read, and Hear in the News with Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Ph.D., Michael A. Spikes, and Dana Weeks
2014 The Journey Through an Independent School with Panelists Henry Fairfax, Eileen Killeen, Daryl Shore '94, and Dr. Howard Stevenson
2013 The Hidden Power of Character with Panelists, Jeanne F. Brady, Ph.D., Mark Gleason, and Keith L. Leaphart, D.O.
2012 Financing Futures: The Funding Challenges Facing Inner-City Catholic Schools with Panelists Anne Marie Borneman, Ed.D., Jason Budd, Bryan H. Carter, John J. DiIulio, Jr., Ph.D.
2011 Educating Inner-City Children in the 21st Century with Panelists Robert J. Birdsell, Bryan H. Carter, David Hardy, Maria Kefalas, Ph.D.
2010 Closing the College Gap: What Can Universities, Schools and Communities Do? With Panelists Christine S. Beck, Wanda D. Bigham, John Bridgeland, George W. Bur, S.J., Eric J. Furda, Richard D. Kahlenberg
2009 Transforming Inner-City Education: Faith-Based Schools? Charter Schools? Magnet Schools? Renaissance Schools? Is There One Answer? With Panelists Christine S. Beck, John J. DiIulio, Jr., Ph.D., Hon. Bruce W. Kauffman, Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Ph.D., Benjamin W. Rayer
2008 Transforming Inner-City Education: Lessons in Leadership with Panelists Christine S. Beck, Lars Beck, Stedman Graham, Marc Mannella, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., Dan Porterfield, Ph.D.
2007 Inner-City Education: What’s Old? What’s New? What’s Next? With Panelists Christine S. Beck, James W. Brown, Winston J. Churchill, Kathleen M. deLaski, Juan Williams
2006 Transforming Inner-City Education: Can an Early Start Change the Outcome?
2005 How Colleges and Universities Can Partner with Faith-Based Communities to Serve Urban Children in Need
2004 Transforming Inner-City Education: Lessons from the Entrepreneurs
2003 Educational Reform: What’s Next?
2002 Children Learning Amid Stress
2001 Research and Roadblocks to Developing Young Readers
1999 The Urban Child in Peril: Can Literacy Change the Outcome?
1998 Do Faith and Vouchers Mix?
1997 Inner-City Education: Are Faith-Based Schools an Answer
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