Watervliet Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lori Caplan recently returned from a global educational conference in Switzerland that she attended with a delegation of educators from the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS).

Dr. Caplan received a scholarship from NYSCOSS to travel to Europe and participate in the weeklong professional learning tour and global summit with 20 superintendents from New York and Ohio.

The leadership conference presented educators an opportunity to network, share best practices, discuss challenges and brainstorm solutions for their schools during facilitated discussions. The superintendents also had the opportunity to explore important Swiss landmarks, including the inside of a glacier, the historic city of Lucerne, and a library at the University of Lausanne. They also visited the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, one of Europe’s most famous science and technology institutions, where they learned about the latest concepts in learning spaces.

Starting the day on Zermatt’s brand new Matterhorn cable car heading to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. #majestic #nowords @laurapfeijoo @LawrenceBoWrig1 @NYSchoolSupts @EFtours pic.twitter.com/aQSyIoiKPO

— L Caplan (@SuptCaplan) July 9, 2019

“The Global Leadership Summit in Switzerland was a life-changing experience,” said Dr. Caplan. “It was an unforgettable opportunity to learn from educators and school leaders from other states and countries and share our experiences, insights and ideas to find solutions to global challenges such as providing equity, embracing diversity, and ensuring inclusivity for all students.”

The event culminated with a three-day Education First Global Leadership Summit attended by over 2,000 students and educators from North America and Europe. The theme of this year’s summit was “The Power of Communication,” which featured such inspirational guest speakers as slam poet Clint Smith, journalist Ann Curry, musician Kai Kight, and a panel of young adult activists including David Hogg, former Parkland student and cofounder of March for Our Lives.

Humbled by this morning’s panel #EFSummits @davidhogg111 @SevernSuzuki @justintindle on Student Empowerment. #brightfuture pic.twitter.com/OCFKHl2H6J

— L Caplan (@SuptCaplan) July 14, 2019

During the summit, student groups worked together on projects to address global communications challenges. Educators then provided their feedback on the projects before the student groups presented their proposed solutions to a panel of judges. One winning project was selected and will be featured at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.