Page 4 - LearningSCAPES 2021

After two years apart, it is wonderful to welcome you to LearningSCAPES 2021 and to Denver. The past nineteen months have been a difficult and emotional period for most everyone across the globe—and for many, the pain continues. We are fortunate to be gathering in a city with a very high vaccination rate. Further, by your
presence here, you are all vaccinated. We all still need to be careful, and I know you will be, so let’s carry on.
On behalf of the Global Board of Directors, welcome to a new program packed with the kinds
of experiences you have been longing for. Six school tours will highlight 17 renovated, expanded and new schools in greater Denver. There are 44 peer-presented Sessions; three SuperSessions; an Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture; our Awards Program, including the awarding of the MacConnell; a full LE Market Place; and lots of time to see old friends and meet new ones. The theme of LearningSCAPES 2021 is Education, Planning and Design in Fifty Years. For decades educators, policymakers, planners, and design professionals across the globe have been nibbling around the edges of positive change. However, recent disruptive forces surrounding the global pandemic, social injustice, and economic stressors have made the need for holistic and radical change more visible. This Conference will explore the disruptive forces at play around the world, the positive opportunity they present, and the necessary actions to create an optimistic and more effective future.
During the summer of 2020, the discussion of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion began at A4LE through a grass roots effort. In just over a year, the JEDI committee has become more of a “movement”, with board level positions in many of your Regions and Chapters. JEDI is infused in many of our LearningSCAPES sessions.
Our Opening Keynote, Pasi Sahlberg, will be joining us live from Australia via Zoom. His message, “Education Reimagined: Four ideas for the future we could start now”, will be an important takeaway sparked by our conference theme.
Our Closing Keynote, Dan Lerner, will be with us in the Ballroom. Part of his message is, “Passionately Successful: Making the Most of Happiness and Human Potential”.
Following the conference, all General Sessions and some Learning Sessions will be available to watch online.
Finally, our Board of Directors will be presenting an exciting new chapter in the life of A4LE. You will hear about a reorganization that will allow for Global Expansion, with more and easier access to ideas around education and design from around the world.
As Sir Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us”. For us in the built world of education, we have incredible opportunities and even bigger responsibilities. Let’s learn from each other and have a grand time doing it.
Philip Poinelli, FAIA, LE Fellow Global Chair
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