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FutureSense: Designing Tomorrow's Schools Today — The MiCSS26 Keynote Workshop

About The Workshop

Today's challenges demand action, but tomorrow's success requires vision.

This engaging, hands-on keynote workshop from the Henry Ford Learning Institute.  School leaders will explore emerging trends, imagine preferred futures, and visualize the systems that must evolve to achieve them.

Using interactive tools for futures thinking, problem framing, and systems mapping, participants will move from reflection to possibility to action—identifying a preferred future that aligns with their community's vision for young people, along with strategic opportunities and barriers within their own contexts.

Thursday December 10th, 9am-12pm.

 

"What signals are already pointing us toward the future of education — 
are you prepared to act on them?"

What You'll Leave With

  • A preferred future for your school, aligned to your community's vision for young people
  • Practical frameworks for futures thinking, problem framing, and systems mapping
  • Strategic opportunities and barriers mapped to your own context
  • Concrete next steps to build stakeholder readiness around your future-informed challenge

Meet Your Presenters

FutureSense is led by the Henry Ford Learning Institute — the team behind the Deeper Learning by Doing® engagement framework, with deep roots in Michigan and experience designing charter schools in three major U.S. cities.

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Deborah Parizek

Executive Director, Henry Ford Learning Institute

An experienced nonprofit leader and educator known for cultivating the conversations, empathy, and capacity critical to addressing complex challenges. Deborah has led HFLI's design of five charter schools across three major U.S. cities, is a National Board Master Teacher, and leads hands-on workshops at national convenings like the Deeper Learning Conference.

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Theodore Kozerski

Assistant Director of Social Innovation, Henry Ford Learning Institute

A human-centered-design practitioner, entrepreneur, and cultural anthropologist, Theodore guides the strategic growth of HFLI's learning programs — helping adults and youth think creatively, work collaboratively, and turn ideas into implemented innovation, from food-security design in Detroit to the redesign of Michigan's oldest public museum.

Registration Is Now Open

MiCSS26 is December 9–10, 2026, at the Detroit Marriott Troy, with the FutureSense keynote workshop on Thursday, December 10. Join hundreds of Michigan charter school leaders — Think Bigger. Lead Boldly.

Register for MiCSS26 →

MI Charters

Presented by MAPSA — Michigan's Charter School Association