Header image

Call for Proposals

Future World 2026 brings together K–12 leaders, school counselors, educators, higher education partners, employers, community organizations, and innovators committed to strengthening how students navigate critical educational and career transitions. 

For more details about the event, please visit our website.

We invite proposals that are forward-looking, practical, and grounded in real-world experience. Sessions should spark conversation, share lessons learned, and advance how future readiness is designed, delivered, and supported across education and workforce pathways.

Important Dates

  • The deadline for submitting proposals is February 27, 2026 (11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time).
    • You may edit or withdraw your proposal before the deadline.
  • Acceptance notifications will be sent the week of March 20, 2026.

Accepted presentations will include up to two complimentary presenter registrations.

Conference Themes

The New World of Work

Automation, AI, and emerging economies are redefining what it means to be job-ready. As the future of work continues to evolve, educators and partners must rethink the skills, experiences, and mindsets students need to succeed in evolving roles and those that don’t yet exist.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • The impact of AI and automation on education and careers
  • Skills development for a rapidly changing workforce
  • Emerging industries and career pathways, including entrepreneurship
  • Entrepreneurial pathways shaped by automation—and the skills needed to build value in new economies
  • Military pathways and the evolving technical skills and preparation needed to pursue service after graduation
  • Preparing students for economic change and uncertainty

K–12 Readiness Systems & Pathways

Future readiness must be designed as a system: intentional, measurable, and deeply human. Schools are building pathways that do more than move students forward, helping them explore interests, make informed decisions, and plan for life beyond graduation.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • Postsecondary, workplace, entrepreneurial, and military pathway design
  • Career-connected learning models
  • Middle-to-high school transitions
  • Measuring readiness and student outcomes
  • Leveraging data and feedback to improve readiness systems

Leading Career Readiness Through Counseling, Instruction, and Advising Systems

Students are navigating decisions that are more complex than ever before. Counseling and advising plays a critical role in leading CCR systems, helping students build confidence, clarity, and direction while supporting the educators who guide them.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • Innovative counseling and advising models
  • Student planning and decision-making support
  • Redesigning systems to distribute CCR responsibilities across educators and partners
  • Tools and practices that strengthen student guidance

K–12, Postsecondary, & Workforce Alignment

The connection between education and employment is critical to learner success. Stronger alignment across K–12, higher education, employers, partners, and communities helps create clearer pathways that connect learning to meaningful future plans.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • Cross-sector partnerships across education, workforce, military, and community organizations
  • Work-based learning, internships, and applied experiences
  • Credentials aligned to workforce and industry needs
  • Regional and community-driven pathway strategies

The Human Side of Readiness: How Students Navigate Uncertainty

Students face more choices than ever—pathways, programs, credentials, careers—yet clarity hasn’t kept pace with complexity. Future readiness depends not just on access to options, but on how students understand them, evaluate tradeoffs, and make confident decisions over time. This theme focuses on the human side of readiness.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • How students make decisions across key transition points
  • Designing readiness programming with adoption and sustainability in mind
  • Supporting exploration, goal-setting, and planning over time
  • Reducing complexity and confusion in postsecondary and career choices
  • Helping students adapt decisions as interests, opportunities, and circumstances change

Reimagining the Future of Postsecondary Pathways

As postsecondary education continues to evolve, K–12 educators have an opportunity to help students navigate what comes next with confidence. New credential options, changing enrollment patterns, and shifting definitions of value are creating a wider range of postsecondary pathways.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • What changing higher education trends mean for student decision-making and readiness
  • Supporting transitions into college, certificates, apprenticeships, and other postsecondary options
  • Helping students evaluate cost, value, and outcomes when choosing postsecondary pathways
  • Strengthening K–12 alignment with colleges and postsecondary partners to improve student success and confidence

Strengthening Home–School–Community Partnerships

Families and communities are essential partners in future readiness. When schools actively connect learning to life beyond the classroom, students benefit from consistent support and shared understanding of what’s possible.

This theme may include sessions on:
  • Family engagement strategies
  • Community partnerships and local collaboration
  • Communication practices that support learner planning
  • Aligning school and community efforts around readiness

Across All Themes

We welcome proposals that:

  • Share real-world examples, case studies, or lessons learned
  • Offer practical takeaways that attendees can apply immediately
  • Encourage collaboration across education, workforce, and community sectors
  • Inspire new ways of thinking about readiness and opportunity

Reminder: Create an account to submit your session proposal

To submit a proposal (and edit it later before the deadline), you’ll need to create an account or sign in first.

Sign in

New Account

Create New Account