N-E.X.T. High School Initiative Readied with Data Free on-demand seminar available April 22

Kento Sasano (Professor, Okayama University) will hold a free on-demand seminar, "Reading with Data - Practical Seminar for Discussion Points on the N-E.X.T. High School Concept," on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, for prefectural boards of education, school administrators, educational DX staff, and those in charge of promoting inquiry and information education. The seminar will be open to the public (start of distribution) on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Applicants can watch it at any time during the open period.

N-E.X.T. High School Concept as Deciphered by Data

While the budget for the N-E.X.T. High School Initiative has been approved and is entering the implementation phase in each prefecture, there is a wide range of information on which to base decisions, including the overall concept, budget scheme, actual conditions in each region, and issues expected to arise after implementation. In this seminar, we will summarize the main issues of the N-E.X.T. High School concept by reading policy documents from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the status of initiatives in each prefecture, education statistics, and actual data from cases of implementation from various perspectives.

Rather than imposing specific conclusions, this seminar will be open to the public as a practical seminar for school boards and school administrators to sort out "what and how to think about it" in the context of their own communities. Issues directly related to decision-making in the field, such as the gap between budget and implementation, design of performance indicators, introduction of AI and teacher expertise, the reality of regional disparities, and sustainability after the end of the subsidy period, will be addressed.

In the recording, Kento Sasano will present the topic "The Current Status of the N-E.X.T. Initiative as Seen in Data," followed by a discussion of the issues with Masaki Yasui (Associate Professor, Sapporo International University) and Yuta Sato (President, Association for AI Application in Education). A Q&A session and summary will also be included to share perspectives that viewers can take back to their own communities for consideration.

The aim is to make the discussion of the N-E.X.T. High School concept not only topical, but also to lead to practical, data-driven decisions.

Checklist of 10 Decision Criteria for "Good Implementation"

■Outline of Distribution

Name: N-E.X.T. High School Concept Read with Data

　　　　　　　 Practical Seminar for Discussion Points

Date ： April 22, 2026 (Wednesday)

Format ： On-demand delivery

Viewing Period ： April 22, 2026 (Wed) - May 15, 2026 (Fri)

Target ： Prefectural boards of education, school administrators, persons in charge of educational DX, persons in charge of promoting inquiry and information education, etc.

　　　　　　　 Persons in charge of promotion of inquiry and information education, etc.

Sponsor: Kento Sasano Laboratory (Kento Sasano Laboratory)

Participation fee: Free

Registration page: https://next-highschool.peatix.com/

Contents

(1) The current status of the N-E.X.T. concept seen through data: The current status of the N-E.X.T. high school concept will be organized based on policy documents, budget data, and the status of initiatives in each prefecture.

(2) Discussion of Discussion Points: Masaki Yasui, Yuta Sato, and Kento Sasano will take the stage to delve into the main issues that can be seen from the data.

(3) Q&A and summary: Participants will be asked to summarize the issues they wish to share and provide their perspectives on how to make the most of the data for local consideration.

■Main Discussion Points

Gap between budget and implementation

Defining "what constitutes success"?

The implementation of AI and the expertise of teachers

The reality of regional disparities

Sustainability after the grant period

Speakers

Masaki Yasui (Associate Professor, Sapporo International University)

Yuta Sato (President, Association for AI in Education)

Kento Sasano (Professor, Okayama University)

Comment by Kento Sasano

In order for the N-E.X.T. High School Initiative to become a reform that will not end with the introduction of a box, but will continue to be implemented in the region, it is important to organize the issues based on data and think about them in relation to our own region, rather than judging it only on its popularity or advanced nature. As an educational AI researcher, I hope to help school boards and school administrators sort through the decision-making process for implementation."

■Profile

Kento Sasano

Professor, Okayama University. He is a senior research fellow at Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University, and chairman of the board of directors of the Japan Education DX Promotion Association. He specializes in designing individualized, optimal, and collaborative learning experiences using AI. He is conducting research and social implementation of Education DX, inquiry learning, and learning design. He has appeared in the media and provided information for Fuji Television's "Honma dekka! TV" and other media appearances and information dissemination.

For inquiries, please contact

Kento Sasano Lab.

E-mail : office@sasano.org

Public page : https://sasano.org/

Application for interview: https://sasano.org/#contact/