Supported by Harvard Club of Hong Kong

Drinks Reception 6:30pm
Presentation 7:00pm
Close 8:00pm

There are gaps in opportunity and success at all levels of education—from access to high-quality early childhood education; to insufficient rigor and supports in primary and secondary grade classrooms; to uneven access, low graduation rates, and looming debt in for students in higher education.  Despite these inequities and the numerous challenges facing education systems, there are ways to improve the outcomes of students and interventions that can help level the playing field. Come hear from Dean Bridget Terry Long from the Harvard Graduate School of Education on ways to increase educational opportunities for all students.

Dean Long’s work de-mystifies the major factors that can influence students’ education outcomes, including academic preparation and affordability.  In addition, complex processes and complicated applications and tasks can have large negative effects on the educational pathways of students, but by increasing access to information and support, we can improve the ability of families and students to take advantage of educational opportunities.  As a world-renowned expert and a pioneering leader in the educational space, Dean Long will share insights from her research and discuss ways to address educational inequality by increasing access to information. 

Dr. Bridget Terry Long, Ph.D. is Dean and Saris Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the Harvard University Department of Economics and her A.B. from Princeton University. Her research focuses on the impact of affordability, academic preparation, and information on postsecondary access and success. As part of this work, she and co-authors have developed and tested a series of interventions designed to support families and students as they save for college, complete of financial aid forms, and persist in higher education. She is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a member of the National Academy of Education, and Fellow of the International Academy of Education.  She is also a member of the Board of Directors for MDRC, a nonprofit social policy research organization, and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. She has won numerous research grants, including major awards from the U.S.Dept. of Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. She has testified multiple times before Congressional Committees and served as Chair of the National Board for Education Sciences, the advisory panel of the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education.  She is a recipient of the National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship and was awarded the Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Arnold Chan is Founder & CEO of Teach For Hong Kong. Since the start of the nonprofit in 2015, he has recruited 74 graduates as teaching fellows to teach in Hong Kong’s underprivileged schools, serving over 10,000 students. He has raised over US$3mn to support the future development of the nonprofit and Teach For Hong Kong’s stories were featured in all major local newspapers. He graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a BBA in Global Business Studies and Harvard with an MBA. During his MBA at Harvard Business School, he focused his studies on Education Innovations and Technology and conducted research on EdTech incubators. He was awarded the Asia 21 2016 Class of Young Leaders by Asia Society, the Hong Kong Youth Service Award 2016 by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019. (Moderator)