From June 18 to 19, 2025, the International Education Symposium Celebrating the 110th Anniversary of Tsinghua University High School (THUHS) with the theme of Educational Leadership and Future Education: Innovation, Integration and Sustainable Development was successfully held at THUHS. Leading scholars and experts convened to exchange insights on cutting-edge educational issues and to promote the high-quality development of education. Yan Fang, Principal of THUHS, delivered the welcome address, while Jie Zhang, Deputy Secretary of the THUHS Party Committee, presided over the symposium.
Jie Zhang, Deputy Party Secretary of THUHS, presides over the symposium
Yan Fang, Principal of THUHS, delivers the welcome address
Yan Fang emphasized that, at this pivotal milestone of the 110th anniversary, THUHS seeks to join colleagues worldwide in reflecting on the responsibilities of education from a global perspective. Educational leadership, she observed, is inseparable from humanity’s capacity to shape its own future, and the future of education is likewise inseparable from the future of humankind. She expressed the hope that educators, inspired by a warm and steadfast commitment to the world, would redouble their efforts and contribute meaningfully to the shared cause of global education.
Prof. Howard Gardner, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University (USA) — Educating the Human Mind: A Lifelong Perspective
Zhongying Shi, the Dean and Professor at the School of Education, Tsinghua University — Supreme Honor is No Honor: Taoist Philosophy's Enlightenment for School Education Evaluation Reform
David Q. Pan, Executive Dean and Professor, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University — Technological Development and Future Education
David Yun Dai, Professor, School of Education, State University of New York at Albany (USA) — Where Is Education Going in the Age of AI
Robert J. Sternberg, Professor of Psychology, Human Ecology College, Cornell University (USA) — The Key to Great Educational Leadership in the Future: Transformational Creativity
Minh Le, Principal Instructional Designer at Digital Futures Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University (USA) — The AI-Empowered Future of Education: Navigating the Path to Human Flourishing
Jouni Ahonen, Vice President of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) — Finnish Education System - High Schools and Universities of Applied Sciences Working Together
Ying Zhu, Executive Principal of Tsinghua International School — AI Empowerment and Challenges: A Dual Lens on International School Education and Teaching
Joan Deslandes OBE, Head Teacher, Kingsford Community School (UK) — Cultivating Future-Ready Educational Leadership
Poon Siu Chi Frederick, Principal, St. Paul’s Co-educational College (Hong Kong, China) — Education in the Future: Opportunities and Challenges
Cissy Mu, Government Affairs Director of International School of Beijing — Educational Development in the AI Era: Challenges and Breakthroughs
Decheng Zhao, Professor, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University — Core Competency Assessment: The Bottleneck in Cultivating Top Innovative Talents
Fengliang Li, Vice Dean & Professor, School of Education, Tsinghua University — Commentary
Cheng He, School Director, Kao Yip Middle School (Macau, China) — Integrated Approaches to Cultivating Top Innovative Talents and Humanistic Spirit: A Case Study of the "Nation-Family-World" Historical-Cultural Immersion Curriculum at Macao Kao Yip Middle School
Elena Manenti, Principal & Professor, Civico Polo Scholastico A. Manzoni of Milan (Italy) — Artificial Intelligence Empowers the Cultivation of Top Innovative Talents in High Schools - An Italian Point of View
Stella Lau Kun Lai-kuen, SBS, JP, Headmistress, Diocesan Girls’ School (Hong Kong, China) — Empowering Education with AI: Nurturing Future-Ready Learners -- A Hong Kong School's Learning Journey
Hongzheng Tan, Director, Office of Science and Technology, THUHS — Establishing the Paradigm for Cultivating Regional AI Top Innovative Talents
Liguo Li, Professor, School of Education, Tsinghua University — Commentary
During the plenary forum, Professor Howard Gardner from the Harvard Graduate School of Education delivered a virtual keynote speech on the enduring importance of nurturing the human mind in an AI-driven era. Professor Zhongying Shi, Dean of the School of Education at Tsinghua University, expounded on the critical role of education-evaluation reform in building a strong educational nation while addressing its inherent challenges. Professor David Q. Pan, Executive Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, shared insights on how successive industrial revolutions have influenced global education systems across multiple dimensions, outlining a technology-driven future for education. Professor David Yun Dai from the School of Education at State University of New York at Albany (USA) explored AI’s applications in education and the profound disruptions it poses to traditional pedagogical models. Professor Robert J. Sternberg of Psychology of Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology delivered a virtual speech advocating for the cultivation of students’ transformational creativity. Dr. Minh Le, Principal Instructional Designer at Columbia University’s Teachers College Digital Futures Institute, analyzed AI’s transformative impact on the educational ecosystem. Finally, Ying Zhu, Executive Principal of Tsinghua International School, argued that AI has redefined traditional classroom paradigms by enabling data-driven instruction and simulated learning environments.
Two parallel forums were held: one on future education and leadership building and the other on AI-empowered cultivation of top innovative talent. Experts and scholars present at the symposium shared challenges encountered in practice, discussed strategies employed, and explored the innovative pathways for development.
The symposium drew more than 500 educators from THUHS group schools, sister schools, and partner schools, collectively advancing the global dialogue on educational leadership and future education.
Text by: Wang Zichun, Gao Hongchao
Photos by: Administrative Management Center
Reviewed by: Fang Yan, Zhang Jie, Yang Rui, Cen Yife
Proofreaders: Raysa Rodriguez, Zhao Ran
Edited by: Administrative Management Center
