Three Actions to Move Education Forward From Three Districts Who’ve Done It

Bill Bass is the innovation coordinator for instructional technology, information, library media and federal programs in the Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri where he leads the district library and instructional technology programs and creates conditions to foster districtwide classroom innovation. As a speaker, writer and professional developer, he focuses on systemic and sustainable integration of technology into classrooms. He is a past president of the ISTE Board of Directors and is a frequent conference speaker and presenter. He has written numerous articles and book chapters, and is the author of three books.

Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized innovator and learning designer. As the CEO of ASCD and ISTE, Culatta is focused on supporting education change-makers to create equitable and engaging learning experiences for students around the world. Prior to joining ASCD/ISTE, Culatta served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. In this role, he led an initiative to make Rhode Island the first state to offer computer science in every K-12 school, and created a state vision for personalized learning. Culatta was appointed by President Obama as the executive director of the Office of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education. In that capacity, he led efforts to expand connectivity to schools across the country, promote personalized learning and develop the National Education Technology Plan. He also pioneered new opportunities for engagement between the department, education leaders and tech developers, including bringing top game designers from around the world to the White House to help rethink the design of assessments. Culatta also served as an education policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and a resident designer for the global design firm IDEO. Culatta’s book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World, uncovers the challenges with our current approaches to preparing young people to be effective humans in virtual spaces, and presents a path to a healthier and more civil future digital world. Culatta began his career in the classroom as a high school teacher and has coached educators and national leaders around the world on making learning more equitable. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish teaching and a master's in educational psychology and technology from Brigham Young University.

Dr. Jeremy S. Owoh began his career in 2003 as an English teacher at Parkview Magnet High School in the Little Rock School District. In 2017, Dr. Owoh was named the Assistant Commissioner of Educator Effectiveness and Licensure and was later appointed Dr. Owoh as the Superintendent of Schools for the Pine Bluff School District. Currently, Dr. Owoh serves as the Superintendent for the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District. Dr. Owoh serves on the ASCD/ISTE Board of Directors.