The aim of the conference is the establishment of effective dialogue between teachers, researchers, administrators and policymakers on the adaptation and dissemination of positive experience to the Kazakhstani system of education. The system of education at NIS is undergoing continuous improvement and it is hard to underestimate the role of the International Conference in this process. In May 2016, Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools was chosen to be the national coordinator for Kazakhstan for the OECD Education 2030 project. So, hosting a conference and inviting experts with a track record of success and cutting-edge ideas for educational reform serves to support the further development of the Kazakhstan educational system. Among the participants in previous conferences making a valuable contribution to innovation in education are the following figures:

-David Bridges, Colleen McLaughlin, Ros McLellan, Elaine Wilson, Liz Winter, professors at Cambridge University who have conducted educational research on the system of secondary education in Kazakhstan, in result of which the first book on school reform in Kazakhstan was published by Cambridge University Press;

-Peeter Mehisto (Estonia), Fred Genesee (Canada) and Hugo Baetens Beardsmore (Belgium), experts on the implementation of multilingual education, were involved in the development of trilingual education system at NIS;

-John Elliott (United Kingdom), Marit Hoveid (Norway), Iveta Silova (United States), members of the NIS Research Advisory Board;

-Alan Ruby, Senior Scholar on international education at Pennsylvania University, who provided assistance in development of the Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University, and the development of the educational policies of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools;

-International experts from NIS’s strategic partners, Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University (United States), CiTO (the Netherlands), CIE (United Kingdom), CIS (the Netherlands), HAMK and JAMK (Finland) and other world-renowned institutions; and,

-Renowned international experts, such as Patrick Griffin (Australia), Gordon Stobart (United Kingdom), David Lambert (United Kingdom), Toshiya Chichibu (Japan), Hiroyuka Kuno (Japan) and so on.

The annual conference has become a traditional centerpiece of the NIS calendar and serves as a platform for the exchange of experiences, opinions and innovative ideas for the development of education in the context of increasing globalization. This year, faculty from MIT, University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, Arizona State University, and representatives of the OECD; the Innovative Schools Network, Japan; Skolkovo Innovation Centre, Pasco, Educational Solutions, CiTO, CTY International and others will be participating in the conference. In the course of the plenary and breakout sessions, conference participants will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with recent trends in the development of education, global educational policy, summertime education, the use of educational resources, assessment, and to get answers to burning questions.
As a part of the conference, sessions will be held dedicated to the 25th anniversary of independence for the Republic of Kazakhstan, in which international and local educational experts will conduct a retrospective on the key questions on the Kazakhstan system of education. Conference breakout sessions cover a variety of aspects of contemporary educational practice, and are organized into the following networks:

1.Educational Policy and Improvement
2. Leadership in Education
3. Curriculum and Subject Disciplines
4. Multilingual Education
5. Early Childhood and Primary Education
6. Teaching and Learning
7. Teacher Education and Professional Development
8. Practitioner Research
9. Quality Assurance
10. Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement
11. Student Welfare and Pastoral Care
12. Educational Resources
13. Family, Communities and Society
14. Research Practice and Ethics

Electronic conference proceedings containing the best submitted academic articles will be published following the conference. The conference costs 50,000 tenge (US $147 as of 5 September 2016) for international participants. You can create an account, submit an abstract to present at the conference, or register to participate as a guest at the following website: http://conferences.nis.edu.kz.

Given the importance of the conference as one of the most important drivers of educational reform, and as a factor helping to raise Kazakhstan’s presence globally, we would like to invite members of your organization who wish to share their ideas and research findings to participate in the breakout sessions of the conference.
In line with the conference’s aims, an exhibition of educational resources will also be held. The cost to participate in the exhibition is 150,000 tenge. If you have questions about participation, feel free to email conference@nis.edu.kz for further information. The conference will be held at the International School of Astana, Turkestan Street, 34/1.
Full information on the conference, including the conference programme, can be found at http://conferences.nis.edu.kz, or via the following email address: conference@nis.edu.kz.