The second inaugural Better Future Forum, organized by the Global Institute for Shaping a Better Future, an initiative of Teach For All, took place from May 14-16 in Singapore. 

Each year, the Forum aims to bring together diverse leaders in global education to connect, learn together, and take collective action towards growing all students holistically so they can shape a better future. 

This year’s Forum engaged 200 new and returning participants from more than 50 countries, including local leaders working on the frontlines of classrooms and schools, and social innovators, representatives of government and civil society, and philanthropists working to innovate policy and practice globally. Over three days, participants engaged in open discussion, collaborative inquiry, and collective agenda setting to advance efforts in shifting away from inherited, outdated education systems, towards reshaping education for the future.

On May 12, the Forum’s Opening Dinner welcomed Guest of Honor, Ms. Jane Ittogi, Spouse of the President of the Republic of Singapore, and Chair of Tasek Academy and Social Services, and featured two fireside chats to learn from leaders working both within and outside of the formal education system in Singapore. In the first conversation, Wendy Kopp, CEO & Co-founder of Teach For All and Mrs. Chua-Lim Yen Ching, Advisor for the Centre for Educational Leadership at Singapore’s Ministry of Education, discussed how to enable the type of leadership needed within schools and classrooms to develop students holistically so they’re prepared to thrive in a changing world and workplace. In the second conversation, Stanley Tan, Chairman of =DreamsAsia, spoke with Ms. Chloe Tong, Co-founder of the Ace Team Foundation about her campaign to foster character development and kindness across broader society as the foundation for shaping a better future. 

Day 2 of the Forum opened with a plenary led by representatives of the Reshaping Education Steering Group—a group formed at the 2025 Better Future Forum during a participant-led Open Space. They shared reflections from the past year, drawing on insights from more than 20 dialogues and convenings held across different contexts around the question: What will it take to equip students to shape a better future? 

Following the opening plenary, participants engaged in a series of full group discussions and breakout sessions on topics emerging from the Global Institute’s learning agenda such as: 

• Building Shared Purpose Throughout Systems
• Measuring What Matters: New Approaches to Holistic Outcomes Measurement
• Moving Beyond the False Dichotomy Between Academic Mastery and Social-Emotional Development
• Rethinking Teacher Development Toward Holistic Student Growth
• Transforming Systems

In the evening, participants traveled to Singapore’s iconic Gardens by the Bay Flower Dome for an original adaptation of "The Greatest Show on Earth," a musical production created and performed by Kids Education Revolution, an initiative of Teach For India, which brings to life the lived reality that millions of children in India navigate every day. The performance depicted both the truth of today’s education challenges and the bold vision young people carry for a more just, joyful, and empowering system. 

On the final day of the Forum, Peruvian student leader, Jhair Ventocilla, led an opening plenary on the the topic of meaningful youth-adult partnership and challenged all participants to do one thing in follow-up to the Forum that would engage students more meaningfully in the work of their organizations and institutions.

 "Students bring perspectives, experiences, and ideas that adults may never fully see on their own.” 

- Jhair Ventocilla, Student Leader, Peru

This was followed by a full group discussion led by Prof. Fernando Reimers from Harvard University on the topic of Reshaping Education in the Age of AI, where participants discussed how to leverage this unique moment where AI is rapidly changing the way we learn, teach, and access knowledge. Participants discussed the implications of AI for students' holistic growth, teacher development and leadership, and how it will shape our education systems moving forward. 

The afternoon featured our annual participant-led Open Space to surface topics not yet addressed in the formal agenda. More than 10 groups emerged from this year’s Open Space to discuss topics ranging from How can we rethink grading and student progression? to Why do “good policies” fail? and Creating change without increasing teacher workload. Opportunities and invitations for collaboration emerging from this year’s Open Space conversations will be shared on the Global Institute’s Better Future Hub in July for both Forum participants and others. 

The day also featured the first annual Better Future Showcase which highlighted 10 innovations helping to shape practice, influence systems, or open up new possibilities for holistic student development. Presenters were selected earlier this year through a competitive open process and invited to share their initiatives live at the Forum. 

The closing plenary featured an announcement of two new Global Institute Fellowships, the GIFTS Fellowship (Global Institute Fellowship for Transforming Systems), for education system leaders working to reshape education systems for a changing world, and the BOLD Fellowship (Beacons of Learning Design), to bring together leaders from some of the most transformational schools and learning environments around the world. 

The Forum closed with a poem shared by student delegates inspired by their journey at the event and evoking the power and promise of believing in students not as leaders of tomorrow, but leaders today. It was an important reminder that meaningful change in education relies on students and adults co-creating solutions together and the importance of equipping students with the skills and mindsets they need to shape a better future.  

To learn more about the event, watch the video above and visit the Global Institute for Shaping a Better Future's website.

The 2026 Global Forum was made possible through the generous support of the Arena Foundation, =DreamsAsia, Atlassian, YTL Foundation, and Canva Education.