SABIS^® President, Mr. Carl Bistany, was among a host of prominent speakers and panelists presenting at the biennial International Finance Corporation (IFC) Education Conference on April 1-2, 2014, in San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.  The conference brought together over 350 participants from the education sector around the world to discuss and explore the central theme of “Rethinking Education: Shaping the Future.”

Recognized as a leader in using data in education, SABIS^® was represented by Carl Bistany, who was among 4 panelists in a session titled “Big Data and Analytics.”  The panel explored big data as a competitive edge in education and highlighted the potential to expand the use of data for the purposes of tailoring content and gaining greater insight into student learning. 

"A continuous flow of data at all levels allows SABIS^® to derive meaningful metrics on individual student achievement and pinpoint learner mastery at all times,” commented Mr. Bistany in his initial remarks.  He continued, “Customizable for easy reference, data helps ensure that every learner is building a strong knowledge base at every step of their learning journey.”

After remarks from each panelist, the session moderator led an engaging discussion that touched upon some of the challenges presented by data, particularly security and access, and its potential to reshape education.

Mr. Bistany summed up the SABIS^® view on data:  “Throughout our 127-year history, we, at SABIS^®, have watched the decline in global education standards and the struggle to improve them.  We know that ongoing access to an increasing amount of data along with meaningful translation of that data into classroom practice are key to raising the education standards of the masses.”