The luncheon panel was held Nov. 16 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Mich.

Panelists for the event were:

• Glen Taylor, co-founder of WAY (Widening Advancements for Youth), a nonprofit program operating in more than 100 Michigan school districts that specializes in helping schools re-engage at-risk students.
• Dr. William Skilling, superintendent of Oxford Community Schools, an Oakland County district that is adding programs, expanding curriculum and leveraging new technology, all in the face of funding reductions.
• Heather Staker, a senior research fellow for the Innosight Institute, a nonprofit think tank devoted to applying the theory of “disruptive innovation” to problems in the public sector.

Presiding over the event was Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.