The International Baccalaureate (IB) is delighted to welcome more than 1,500 IB educators, school leaders, and thought leaders from across North America and the world to the second IB Global Conference of 2026 in Denver, from 16–18 July.
With more than 100 sessions taking place, participants will have the opportunity to discover innovative approaches to IB programmes, learn from leading experts in education, and network with peers throughout the IB community.
In an increasingly polarised world, the theme for 2026 – “Shared Learning, Shared Futures” – invites participants to exchange ideas across different perspectives, an essential step in creating a better and more peaceful world.
IB Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen will open the conference by reflecting on the IB as a living human system shaped by its global community, before introducing the new offering Systems Transformation as a tangible step toward helping schools prepare young people for a complex, interconnected and rapidly changing world.
This will be followed by a series of sessions and panels throughout the conference, featuring a number of esteemed keynote speakers and panelists:
- Rebecca Winthrop – Globally recognized leader in education, leader of the Brookings Global Task Force on AI in Education and co-author of The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better.
- Jal Mehta – Tenured professor of education and faculty co-chair for Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and co-author of In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School.
- Dr. Yuhyun Park – Founder of the DQ Institute, creator of the Digital Intelligence (DQ) Framework, and pioneer in Digital-ESG Standards who has served as an advisor to the World Economic Forum, G20, and global tech platforms.
- Ketty Dones – DP alumna and Community AI Strategist with the Applied AI Innovation Initiative, working at the forefront of responsible innovation.
- Dr. Marsha Maxwell – Neuroscientist, teacher and technology specialist who harnesses the power of new technology to foster cultures of innovation.
Across North America, IB students debate, investigate, collaborate, and connect ideas to the wider world. The IB has been present in the U.S. since 1971, with 1,918 IB World Schools operating in the country – approximately 30% of the global total. The IB's public school presence in the U.S. is also larger than any other single country, with Canada in second.
A 2025 IB report on the IB in Canada showed that DP students more frequently enrolled in STEM fields, earned higher grades, had lower dropout rates, and achieved higher graduation rates than both French Immersion and local curricula peers.
Register for the conference now
Learn more about past and future IB Global Conferences: https://www.ibo.org/professional-development/conferences/
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