Nationwide — Ed Farm successfully concluded its highly anticipated Future of Learning Summit 2025 (FOLS2025), a transformative two-day event that brought together more than 300 education leaders, technology innovators, municipal officials, and business executives to address America’s expanding digital skills gap. With 90% of all jobs requiring digital fluency by 2030 (source), the summit demonstrated how Ed Farm’s collaborative innovation model creates sustainable educational transformation by uniting diverse stakeholders around shared workforce development goals to help close America’s $5.5 trillion digital skills gap (source).
Ed Farm, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a technology-focused nonprofit organization designed to close the growing digital skills gap and empower educators, students, and adult learners through groundbreaking programming and innovative tools. The organization’s mission centers on preparing individuals for today’s tech-driven world while building capacity for future technological advancements through strategic community partnerships. Since its founding, with funding from Apple and Alabama Power Foundation, Ed Farm has expanded to include strategic collaborations with global technology leaders like Shipt, creating programs that directly address workforce development needs.
The unprecedented gathering highlighted Ed Farm’s unique ability to help cities and school districts spearhead educational innovation through strategic partnerships that directly tackle critical technical skills shortages. The June 4-5 event at the Alabama School of Fine Arts DJD Theater, along with sessions at the Birmingham Museum of Art and Boutwell Auditorium, showcased how collaborative innovation ecosystems are revolutionizing educational access and student outcomes in Southeast communities. These collaborations are replicable models for the nation.
“We’ve learned that innovation isn’t about the technology itself—it’s about creating the conditions where technology can serve authentic educational goals,” said Waymond Jackson, President of Ed Farm. “Our success comes from building true partnerships where communities, educators, and technology leaders work together, creating learning environments that prepare students for futures we can’t yet imagine, while honoring the values and strengths they bring from their communities.”
The summit featured Ed Farm’s signature hands-on “digital playground,” spanning multiple floors, offering attendees immersive experiences with cutting-edge learning technologies, interactive vendor demonstrations, and wellness spaces that exemplify the organization’s holistic approach to educational innovation.
The FOLS 2025 marquee mayors panel “Community Partners: Transformation through Digital Education” featured Birmingham (AL) Mayor Randall Woodfin, Montgomery (AL) Mayor Steven Reed, and Warner Robins (GA) Mayor LaRhonda Patrick. The Ed Farm Spaces partnerships with these three visionary leaders demonstrate how collaborative innovation can fundamentally redefine the relationship between municipalities and educational systems. These partnerships exemplify Ed Farm’s approach to creating sustainable change through strategic stakeholder alignment and community-driven program design that addresses specific local workforce development needs.
Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham emphasized the critical importance of municipal involvement in educational innovation, stating, “It’s extremely, extremely important for mayors to be involved in digital education initiatives.” His enthusiasm for the collaborative efforts of Mayor Patrick and Mayor Reed underscored how Ed Farm facilitates knowledge sharing and best practice development across diverse municipal contexts, creating a network of innovation that benefits all participating communities.
The new Ed Farm Space called InnoLab, launched under Mayor LaRhonda Patrick of Warner Robins, GA, the first elected Black woman mayor in her city’s history, exemplified Ed Farm’s community-first partnership approach by becoming the organization’s inaugural community-based facility. Her administration’s strategic investment in city-funded multigenerational digital learning spaces demonstrates how Ed Farm’s collaborative model enables municipalities to address specific workforce challenges while building long-term educational capacity.
“We need individuals in our community who can perform the jobs that the industry requires,” Mayor Patrick stated, highlighting the direct connection between Ed Farm’s programming and economic development objectives.
The FOLS2025 Superintendents Panel: “District Innovation in Action” provided compelling evidence of Ed Farm’s measurable impact on student achievement, educator effectiveness, and district-wide educational transformation. Featuring distinguished leaders from Birmingham City Schools, Perry County Schools, and Jefferson County Schools, the panel demonstrated how Ed Farm’s collaborative approach delivers sustainable results across diverse educational contexts while maintaining respect for local community values and educational priorities.
Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr., Superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Alabama and the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year, described how students developed apps during summer programming, demonstrating creativity and problem-solving skills. The panel of superintendents emphasized how Ed Farm’s collaborative methodology enables their districts to address critical teacher shortages in under-resourced areas while simultaneously elevating student achievement through innovative programming and strategic community partnerships.
Summit attendees experienced firsthand Ed Farm’s “connected classroom” initiative, which epitomizes the organization’s collaborative approach to solving complex STEM access challenges that have historically limited rural and underserved communities. This cutting-edge program leverages advanced technology to connect rural classrooms with expert educators and comprehensive educational resources, ensuring that geographic isolation no longer determines educational quality or limits a student’s potential for future success.
FOLS2025 successfully established a powerful blueprint for sustainable transformation in ed tech that honors local community values while connecting to broader innovation networks and economic opportunities. The gathering positioned Alabama and the Southeast as national leaders in collaborative educational innovation, while demonstrating Ed Farm’s model is well-positioned to address America’s critical digital skills crisis.
About Ed Farm
Launched in partnership with Apple and Alabama Power Foundation in 2020, Ed Farm is a 501(c)(3) organization that empowers educators, students, and adult learners to not only thrive in today’s digital age but also prepare for the advancements of tomorrow. Through tech-focused programming, leading-edge learning environments, and innovative tools, Ed Farm is on a mission to close the growing digital skills gap in communities across the Southeast and beyond. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Ed Farm is part of Propel Education alongside Propel Center. Learn more at edfarm.org
About the Future of Learning Summit
FOLS is a professional development experience in Birmingham that brings Ed Farm’s passionate community of educators together to reimagine learning through technology and future-focused curriculum. Learn more at https://fols.edfarm.org
For press inquiries, contact Xina Eiland, President of Xina PR, (703) 785-4358, xina@xinapr.com
(Photo/Interview Opportunities Available: High-resolution photos and exclusive interviews with Ed Farm leadership and partner officials are available upon request.)
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Great Job Felicia Ray Owens & the Team @ Felicia Ray Owens Source link for sharing this story.
