I Impuls Educació Congress
Two days sharing what works in the classroom and connecting with those transforming education
400+ Attendees
53 Distinguished Speakers
6 International Speakers
90% Overall Satisfaction
Attendee profile
International speakers
Dr John Hattie
Award-winning education researcher and best-selling authorDr John Hattie
PhD, an education researcher with almost thirty years’ experience examining what works best in student learning and achievement. His research, best known as Visible Learning, is the culmination of nearly thirty years synthesising more than 2,100 meta-analyses comprising over 100,000 studies involving more than 300 million students worldwide.
He has been a keynote speaker at more than three hundred international conferences and has received numerous awards for his contributions to education. His most notable publications include: Visible Learning; Visible Learning for Teachers; Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn; Visible Learning for Mathematics, Grades K-12; 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning
Héctor Ruiz Martín
An internationally renowned expert in the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of learningHéctor Ruiz Martín
A researcher and science communicator, his work promotes evidence-informed education by transferring scientific knowledge about how people learn to the education community. His perspective gives education leaders a scientific basis for decisions that maximise every student’s learning potential. His contributions have been recognised at international forums for his ability to simplify complex concepts and make them accessible to educational practice.
Dr Andy Hargreaves
One of the world’s most influential voices in education policy and leadershipDr Andy Hargreaves
PhD, Research Professor at Boston College with more than 100,000 academic citations. He has advised the governments of Scotland and Canada and is president of ARC, a global network committed to equity and wellbeing. Ranked the 15th most influential scholar in the US education debate, he has developed key concepts such as professional capital and sustainable leadership. He is the author of award-winning landmark works, most notably his recent book Leadership from the Middle (2023). His career, recognised with honorary doctorates and the prestigious Grawemeyer Award, combines cutting-edge research with a firm commitment to the humanistic transformation of schools.
Dr Anna Cristina d'Addio
Research Lead of the UNESCO GEM ReportDr Anna Cristina d'Addio
Senior Policy Analyst at the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. As head of the thematic section, she led the research for the 2024/2025 GEM Report on leadership in education, analysing how school leaders can transform learning systems. She holds a PhD in Quantitative and Public Economics and previously worked at the OECD. Her approach combines statistical rigour with policy design to empower school leaders and teachers worldwide.
Dr Maria Rosa Buxarrais
A leading expert in professional ethics, values and moral educationDr Maria Rosa Buxarrais
She is Professor in the Department of Theory and History of Education and principal investigator of the Moral Education Research Group (GREM) at the University of Barcelona (UB). Her work focuses on how education leaders can build schools that are not only centres of academic excellence but also communities that promote holistic human development and responsible citizenship. Her vision is essential for anyone seeking leadership grounded in purpose and sound values. Her work has been recognised for its contribution to the debate on the role of education in society and the importance of values in educating new generations.
Dr Anna Jolonch
Director of LID Barcelona – Centre de Lideratge EducatiuDr Anna Jolonch
Director of LID Barcelona – Centre de Lideratge Educatiu and Associate Professor at the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, Institute of Education, London. Her work focuses on how leadership teams can transform their schools to improve academic outcomes and the wellbeing of the whole school community. Her vision offers leaders a guide to exercising pedagogical leadership that genuinely drives change and improvement. Her career has focused on bridging educational theory and practice, and she has advised the Catalan government on comparative education policy.
Improving Education
Inspired by the GEM Report “Leadership in Education: Lead for Learning”, the Congress highlights effective educational leadership as a key factor in quality education.
“Education leaders, both in schools and in education systems, are agents of change in improving student outcomes, school wellbeing and educational culture. The evidence identifies them as a critical factor in quality, second only to teachers.”
Organising Committee
The Congress was organised by the expert group “Leading the School of the Future” made up of specialists in educational leadership, transformation and innovation to improve education in Catalonia, who collaborate with Impuls Educació.
Coral Regí
A leading figure in pedagogical innovation and leadershipCoral Regí
As head of Escola Virolai in Barcelona, she led a process of educational transformation that turned the school into a model of excellence and innovation. Her approach focuses on how leaders can drive systemic change and build a school culture that promotes continuous improvement and the holistic development of students. She has served as president of the Fòrum Europeu d’Administradors de l’Educació de Catalunya (FEAEC) and as a member of the Consell Escolar de Catalunya. She has also collaborated on numerous innovation projects with the Fundació Jaume Bofill and other organisations.
Pepe Menéndez
An influential and inspiring voice in educational innovation across the Spanish-speaking worldPepe Menéndez
As an education leader in the Jesuïtes Educació school network, he drove one of the most ambitious and successful pedagogical transformations of recent decades: the Horitzó 2020 project. His work shows that large-scale change is possible, with real impact on how students learn and how teachers teach. He offers a clear vision of what 21st-century schools should look like and how to create learning environments that foster thinking and autonomy, as he describes in his latest book “Educar para la vida” (Siglo XXI).
Josep Maria Esteve
A renowned leader who turned the Institut Jacint Verdaguer into a benchmark for innovationJosep Maria Esteve
His career shows how pedagogical leadership and a clear vision can transform any school into one that nurtures talent, equity and academic excellence. His achievements in the public system are proof of this. He offers a model of leadership in which innovation reduces inequality and gives every student the same opportunities to succeed. His work has been the subject of research and of features in the media and in specialist education journals, and it inspires other public schools seeking to innovate.
Dr Miquel Àngel Prats
A recognised expert in educational technology, innovation and pedagogical leadershipDr Miquel Àngel Prats
With an extensive career as a teacher and researcher at Universitat Ramon Llull (URL), his work focuses on how to integrate technology strategically to transform learning. His vision offers a roadmap that goes beyond simply buying devices to build a genuine culture of innovation. He teaches how to lead digital transformation from a humanistic perspective, focusing on teachers’ professional development, change management and creating an environment in which technology enhances human skills rather than replacing them.
Dr Maria Rosa Buxarrais
A leading expert in professional ethics, values and moral educationDr Maria Rosa Buxarrais
Her work focuses on how education leaders can build schools that are not only centres of academic excellence but also communities that promote holistic human development and responsible citizenship. Her vision is essential for anyone seeking leadership grounded in purpose and sound values. Her work has been recognised for its contribution to the debate on the role of education in society and the importance of values in educating new generations.
Dr Anna Jolonch
Director of LID Barcelona – Centre de Lideratge EducatiuDr Anna Jolonch
Director of LID Barcelona – Centre de Lideratge Educatiu, her work focuses on how leadership teams can transform their schools to improve academic outcomes and the wellbeing of the whole school community. Her vision offers leaders a guide to exercising pedagogical leadership that genuinely drives change and improvement. Her career has focused on bridging educational theory and practice, and she has advised the Catalan government on comparative education policy.
Montse Jiménez
A key figure in the transformation of education in CataloniaMontse Jiménez
Her work focuses on change management, pedagogical leadership and the sustainability of educational institutions in the 21st century. Her experience has given her in-depth knowledge of how to lead transformation processes that are viable in the long term, and she offers practical strategies to involve the whole school community in change and overcome natural resistance. She has led innovation projects that have served as models for other institutions. She speaks and advises at educational leadership forums, where she shares her experience in management and transformation.
Jesús Moral
A leader with extensive experience in educational management and policyJesús Moral
He has combined a career as a teacher and head teacher with senior positions in public administration. His career shows how a leader can make an impact both in the classroom and in system-level decision-making. As an expert in strategic planning, resource management and policy design, his perspective is invaluable for any education leader. He has served as head of service, technical adviser and deputy director-general for Innovation and Training at the Departament d’Educació (Catalan Ministry of Education), and has contributed to policies such as the “Decret de la Funció Directiva” and the “Pla Director de la Formació Docent”.
Gregorio Romera
A leading voice in strategic management and school leadershipGregorio Romera
His dual role as director of schools at Institució Familiar d’Educació and director of strategy at Impuls Educació gives him a unique perspective that combines leading a network of schools with advising on system-wide transformation. His vision is highly valuable for leaders who want to manage complexity and lead change. His role as an adviser to several school associations allows him to understand the real challenges that heads face. He combines practical experience with strategic vision, offering solutions that are both ambitious and achievable.
Dr Neus Lorenzo
A leading figure in educational transformation with extensive experience in school inspectionDr Neus Lorenzo
She holds a PhD in History and degrees in English Philology and in Geography and History. She has teaching experience in primary, secondary and higher education, and served as an education inspector for more than twenty years. She has held several senior positions, including deputy director-general for Educational Transformation and representative of Catalonia at the OAPEE and SEPIE. She has published with McGraw-Hill, Oxford and Springer. She currently collaborates with the Universitat d’Andorra, is vice-president of the Societat Catalana de Pedagogia (IEC) and co-founder of The Transformation Society.
Dr Ana Moreno
One of the most influential figures in educational transformationDr Ana Moreno
With a PhD in Education and as director of Impuls Educació, she offers a model of leadership that goes beyond management. Her approach focuses on creating a school culture in which personalisation, thinking and technology are three pillars for sustaining educational quality. Her experience as a researcher and leader in educational innovation allows her to bridge academia and the classroom. Thanks to the journal Diàlegs, published by Impuls Educació, she received first prize at the 2024 Espiral Awards for the best digital space for education news.
Other participating experts
PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND INTERNATIONAL DEBATE
Dr Mercè Gisbert
Director of AQU, professor at URV and expert in educational technology.Dr Mercè Gisbert
She holds a PhD in Education Sciences and is Professor of Educational Technology at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). A pioneer in integrating ICT and improving university teaching, she was recently appointed Director of AQU Catalunya (Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari). She also sits on the Consell Superior d’Avaluació del Sistema Educatiu of the Departament d’Educació and leads the ARGET research group. Her publications focus on teachers’ digital competence, virtual learning environments and the digital transformation of institutions.
Dr Ignacio Calderón
A leading voice on inclusion, recognised by the UN for his educational activism.Dr Ignacio Calderón
He holds a PhD in Education and is a senior lecturer at the University of Málaga. He sees research as a form of activism and, together with school communities, seeks to uncover and challenge the processes of exclusion that occur in schools and to promote inclusive education. As a result of this participatory work, he has published numerous articles and a dozen books, and has received awards from international scientific societies and social organisations.
Dr Mireia Tintoré
Leadership expert and co-founder of the EDULID Iberian Observatory.Dr Mireia Tintoré
She holds an accredited PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences and is a tenured university lecturer specialising in educational leadership. She is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona) and a member of the EDO Research Team on organisational development. She is co-founder of the Iberian Observatory of Educational Leadership (EDULID) and founder of the International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management (IJELM). She takes an active part in research projects and national and international forums on educational leadership and has published extensively on the subject.
Dr Carles Monereo
Professor and world expert in learning strategies and teacher identity.Dr Carles Monereo
He holds a PhD in Psychology and is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). A leading figure in instructional psychology, he coordinates the SINTE research group. He has led numerous curriculum reform and competence assessment projects internationally and continues to research critical incidents in teacher education. A prolific author, his works on teaching strategies are standard references.
Dr Xavier Chavarria
A leading voice in educational evaluation and school leadershipDr Xavier Chavarria
He holds a PhD in Education Sciences and degrees in Pedagogy, Geography and History, Law, Political Science and Sociology, and Hispanic Philology. He has worked as an education inspector, including 15 years as chief inspector in Barcelona. An author specialising in educational evaluation and school leadership, he currently teaches at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the Universitat d’Andorra.
Dr Anna Forés
A leading voice in neuroeducation and resilience, University of Barcelona.Dr Anna Forés
She holds a PhD in Philosophy and Education Sciences and is a lecturer at the University of Barcelona (UB). She currently directs the UB-EDU1st Chair in Neuroeducation and co-directs the Master’s in Advanced Neuroeducation. [Des del 2025 és, a més, Acadèmica de Número de l’Acadèmia Hispanoamericana de Doctors.] A member of the GR-EMA research group, she is a recognised expert in resilience and didactics. A prolific author of key works such as Neuromitos en educación and Los patitos feos y los cisnes negros, she combines her academic work with international outreach, promoting a humanising education grounded in people’s potential.
Dr Enric Vidal
Dean at UIC and researcher in education and the family.Dr Enric Vidal
He holds a PhD in Education and is a senior lecturer in the Department of Theory and History of Education at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona), where he is currently Dean of the Faculty of Education. He has served on the Consell Superior d’Avaluació del Sistema Educatiu de Catalunya and currently leads a national research project on Climate Education (2024–2026). He has authored studies on indicators of school success and family involvement.
Meritxell Ruiz Isern
Strategic leadership in education policy and institutional management.Meritxell Ruiz Isern
She is currently Secretary General of the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya (FECC), where she leads the representation of more than 390 schools. A sociology graduate with an extensive institutional career, she served as Minister of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2016–2017) and as Director-General for Family and School Community Support. An expert in the analysis of education systems and governance, she combines a global policy perspective with the strategic management of school networks, focusing on pedagogical innovation, system sustainability and organisational leadership.
Ignasi García Plata
A leading voice in education policy and leadership for educational transformation.Ignasi García Plata
A key figure in the management of the public education system in Catalonia. A career education inspector with a degree in Philosophy, he has held top-level positions at the Departament d’Educació, serving as Secretary for Education Policy and Director-General of Teaching Staff until 2024. His tenure was marked by the modernisation of the teaching civil service. An expert in governance, he brings a strategic perspective on equity and educational change.
Dr Glòria Gratacós
Expert in the impact of educational leadership on the quality of schoolingDr Glòria Gratacós
She holds a PhD in Education and is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education of Universidad Villanueva (Madrid), where she has served as Dean of both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Psychology. She currently directs the Master’s in School Leadership and Management, which trains national and international school leaders. A specialist in school governance, her research focuses on the impact of school leadership on teacher leadership, the quality of teaching and school climate.
She has published widely on school leadership and takes an active part in international networks and forums such as the International Study of Teacher Leadership (ISTL). She also coordinates the CEAFAP Research Group (Educational Quality, Effective Learning and Teacher Professional Development) at Universidad Villanueva.
Oscar Secorún Lupón
Expert in digital transformation and the integration of AI in education.Oscar Secorún Lupón
He leads the implementation of innovative tools such as Gemini and NotebookLM, helping institutions use them as levers for quality and efficiency. He is currently Education Lead at Google for Education for Catalonia, Andorra, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community.
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