Tech & Learning partnered with the Association of Career & Technical Education (ACTE) for its 2026 Northeast Leadership Summit focusing on career-connected education.

Throughout the day at the summit in downtown Philadelphia, district leaders shared ways that they have been supporting career pathways, workforce partnerships, and education innovation.

Here’s a look at some of the key discussions throughout the day.

Connecting Schools with Industry Partners

Stacey Johnson, Director of Workforce and Industry Partnerships, Business & Entrepreneur Partnerships at the University at Buffalo, led this session talking about her institution's efforts in forging industry partnerships.

After initially deciding to build out their CTE program, Johnson got space donated and has subsequently launched five CTE centers that now place more than 1,300 students.

Johnson talked about having the right people at the table in terms of industry partners and empowering them to do what they do really, really well. And that those partners should be actively helping to make a change, and if they are not, then it’s okay to move on to other partners.

“We saw lots of kids being trained, but getting placed in low-paying positions, and that needed to change,” Johnson said. “We worked to modernize and update existing programs to help students to really prepare for careers, not just help provide cheap labor for companies.” She emphasized that in addition to being transparent about all your efforts, when you find those true partners, they should help design the programs from the ground up, and help students with skills such as communication and problem-solving. For example, she mentioned how they’ve brought in partners who use AI in their work rather than just teaching AI on its own. She also discussed the need to reach down into the curriculum around workplace learning and internships, and modernize all of it.

Johnson recommended reaching out to, connecting with, and touring similar programs, as well as actually visiting partner sites to better inform your CTE program and prepare students for their internships or placements. She also noted the need to try different strategies that students can actually access to help find success, such as having a recent past graduate speaking directly to students as their experiences will be much closer to those of current students.

Johnson stressed the importance of needing partners to actually show up, and that they can’t just be a name on a list that looks good for them in terms of public relations. They have to be present and participate, and assist in building personal relationships and connections.

Finally, she said, “It’s okay to say no – sometimes someone who wants to be your partner might not be the best partner for you. They need to be genuinely invested in your partnership.”

What AI Can't Do: Equipping Students with Essential Workplace Skills

For this roundtable discussion with Jennifer Freedman, Director of Instructional Technology and Innovation at Lindenhurst UFSD, the main themes were the importance of human judgment, creativity, critical thinking, and empathy in an AI-driven world. The central question was how AI can expand students' learning without replacing their own creative development.

One practical example was a traffic-light system for guiding AI use, with teachers setting clear boundaries for each assignment. Green means students can use AI freely; yellow allows it for specific tasks, such as brainstorming, while students complete the work themselves; and red means AI use is off-limits.

Educators agreed that AI can be a useful tool for ideation and iteration, but students still need to take the lead in creating the final product and demonstrating their understanding of the concepts behind a lesson.

The discussion also explored skills students need to develop before entering the workforce. These include AI fact-checking and source evaluation.

Neurodiverse Workforce Development

Edward Cohen, Assistant Director at the Rutgers Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education, led the discussion talking about the workforce development program at his institution for neurodiverse students. He started by noting that 90-95% of neurodiverse students don’t have leisure activities on campus available to them, so his team’s first goal is to look for “low-hanging fruit” to find what his students are interested in, such as using a makerspace, or working with lasers, woodworking, or 3D printing.

Once discovering activities that they find engaging, the next goal is translating that into a potential meaningful career, beyond an entry-level job such as cafeteria work, which many neurodiverse students do. For example, they’ve offered mat making (cutting) in conjunction with Michael’s, which has helped students get certified and then hired for real jobs.

They also work with behaviorists to teach students coping skills, problem-solving (to find a friend to help, for example, when stuck), and then reducing those behaviors so they can work.

Cohen reported that the success rate was good for Year 1 of the program, although they did cherry-pick higher-functioning students (ages 18-26) to start. The 2nd year was a little more challenging as it included some students with ADHD, which created a challenge around redirecting.

Attendees discussed other CTE programs for neurodiverse students, such as those at Butler Tech and The Nicholas Center, and noted that more facilities are being built to accommodate these students and programs.

One challenge is to support students but then many age out of programs, as well as those trying to cover the gap for those who graduate high school and then don’t have a next step. Another challenge is getting info to parents and students as there’s a disconnect at this level, and you need the support of active parents. It can also be tough to find industry partners to provide meaningful career paths.

CTE: A National Perspective

Luke Rhine, Vice President for Postsecondary Success at Rodel, opened the roundtable discussion by highlighting how CTE governance and delivery can vary across neighboring states, ranging from state-level to county- and regional-level models. Early career exploration and youth apprenticeships are common across the board, but states take different approaches to student implementation.

He also raised concerns about how the federal administration has shifted much of CTE oversight from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor, potentially focusing on short-term job training over broader, higher-quality CTE programs.

Participants also discussed the value of community college, including non-credit programs, and the ongoing challenge of securing funding while showing the value to students and communities.

Using AI to Support College-Level Teacher Certification Program

Executive Director of the Temple University CTE Center Elizabeth Diamond’s roundtable discussion focused on practical ways AI can support educators working toward teacher certification. Participants explored how to introduce AI to educators, particularly CTE teachers, who may enter the classroom before completing certification. One idea was to pair lesson-planning instruction with guided AI use, helping educators draft lessons, improve their own teaching voice and tackle everyday classroom tasks.

Diamond emphasized that AI should support, never replace, educators' understanding of teaching frameworks. Teachers also need a solid foundation in their subject areas to evaluate AI-generated material and decide whether it’s accurate and useful for students.

The conversation also touched on concerns about placing educators with limited teaching preparation in classrooms. Diamond discussed potential solutions, such as undergraduate programs and partnerships with universities.

Updated Programming and the Implementation of Technology

Troy Long, Director of CTE and Grants Administration for Mercer County Technical Schools, facilitated this group discussion, sharing his efforts for his organization.

Long talked about how they’ve reorganized schedules to provide opportunities for CTE pathways and the work that comes with that.

Long also spent a bit of time discussing costs associated with CTE programs, be it equipment or licenses, and the challenges of finding grants and other funding sources. He did stress that sometimes he gets funding because the paperwork involved deters others and he perseveres. He also detailed balancing Title I, II, and IV funding and CTE funding, as well as providing data to justify requests and aligning needs properly to match the funding requirements. “CTE is great for explaining the ‘why,’ for learning,” Long said.

Long stressed his program’s commitment to doing whatever possible to beef up technology for the students, saying, “If we’re not at the cutting edge of technology, then what’s the purpose?” To that extent, he explained how they were able to find funds to buy eight virtual reality anatomy machines at $80,000 each plus shipping. He added that every pathway has certain stipulations, so it’s important to ensure that the technology is there to support it, which often requires constant upgrades.

To also help manage costs, Long suggested sharing tech with other programs – such as using CTE funding to buy equipment for other programs, or getting the tech coordinator to help facilitate purchases.

He also said it’s critical to make sure that there’s teacher buy-in so equipment is being used, and it’s always useful to attend events to find out new innovative products that are available.

Finally, Long discussed the concept of “Nice to have” vs. “Need to have,” adding that having industry professionals as partners is essential as they can validate the costs to make sure the right tech is on hand.

Visual Art Artificial Intelligence Guidelines

Elizabeth Stuart, Visual Art Supervisor for Prince George's County Public Schools, began the roundtable discussion by explaining how high school students in her district have access to select AI tools for creative coursework. Students combine traditional photography and design skills with AI-assisted tools to create a final project. One example Stuart shared was a graphic novel activity in which students used AI to help develop the story before diving into the creation process.

As the discussion wrapped up, Stuart pointed out that AI is likely to remain part of students' lives, making it valuable for her to discuss topics such as deepfakes and the ethical uses of AI both inside and outside the classroom.

A Boots-on-the-Ground Look at Visual Arts CTE Program at Brooklyn Tech

This panel discussion explored how Brooklyn Technical High School builds inclusive, industry-connected CTE pathways while still balancing student choice, staffing, equipment, compliance and industry partnerships. The school has a graduation rate above 98%, and 99% of students have postsecondary plans. Many are first-generation college students or come from immigrant families.

Mark Rodriguez, Assistant Principal of Engineering/CTE at Brooklyn Tech, dove into credentials such as OSHA training and FAA exams that can support internships. He also spoke about costs, citizenship documentation and how limited test-center capacity and scheduling can create barriers. He emphasized making industry participation an easy lift: start with a small group of students, consider early-career employees as mentors and address students' workplace readiness before expanding.

Gustave Trombetta, Assistant Principal: Industrial Design, Architecture, Media Communications, Visual/Performing Arts, spoke on the importance of designing programs for the entire student body to prevent leaving talented students behind. Trombetta explained that courses should connect through vertical and horizontal alignment rather than work as silos.

The panel also highlighted the challenges of bringing CTE programs to life. Rodriguez and Trombetta spoke on the importance of working with facilities leadership and planning for equipment, building access and infrastructure needs.

The key takeaways from the panel: Be realistic about what's possible. CTE educators should use their time and resources wisely and avoid becoming so attached to a single idea that they lose sight of what will actually work.

Data That Delivers: Using AI in MTSS to Drive Workforce Readiness

Mike Gaskell, Principal at Central Elementary School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, looked at how AI could streamline MTSS for classroom teachers, and work more efficiently.

Gaskell pointed out how studies have shown that teachers don’t have enough time to look at students' needs, so if you can automate the non-thinking stuff (such as crunching data), then you can spend more time on figuring out how to help students, which involves human critical thinking. He said that AI can act as an active data interpreter, early-warning detector, and intervention co-designer for K-12 educators.

Gaskell talked about how he used AI to crunch data about students who were struggling, and unsurprisingly, it showed that attendance for economically disadvantaged students was a problem, which caused literacy scores to suffer. Once his suspicions were confirmed, he was then able to set goals and plans to address the issue. He detailed a three-step process for this:

Step 1: Data Input - Anonymized table showing 10th graders dropping from Tier 1 to Tier 2 due to morning tardiness and concurrent ELA grade drops.

Step 2: Role Prompt - "Act as an MTSS coordinator. Based on this tardy/ELA data, suggest a 4-week Tier 2 plan and a 1-page daily student checklist."

Step 3: Dual Assets - Generates a structured educator intervention framework alongside a clean, scannable goal-tracking sheet for student binders.

Gaskell also referenced the Kauai longitudinal study that tracked Hawaiian kids over 40 years who were at risk. He noted that if we know the factors that can help students, then why not use them over and over?

Finally, Gaskell stressed that it’s important to think of AI as an assistant, not as the lead for any solution.

Walking into Gillette Stadium, you could feel the energy of educators, technology leaders, students, and solution providers coming together with a shared purpose: making learning better. MassCUE 2026 was more than a technology conference. It celebrated ideas, connections, creativity, and the people pushing education forward.

I experienced this year’s event from several perspectives. As a featured speaker, I shared our work in New Bedford Public Schools around artificial intelligence implementation and building a technology team that supports learning. As host of the Stronger Together podcast, I connected with educators and leaders to amplify their voices and stories.

But what made this event memorable wasn’t the technology, presentations, or setting.

It was the people.

Across two days, several themes emerged that should guide our work long after leaving Gillette Stadium.

Human-Centered Technology: Keeping People at the Heart of Innovation

One of the strongest messages I took away from MassCUE was the importance of human-centered technology. With artificial intelligence reshaping education, it is easy to focus on the newest tools and features. But technology should never be the starting point of our decisions.

Students should be.

Technology is most powerful when it strengthens relationships, expands opportunities, removes barriers, and creates learning experiences that might not otherwise be possible. As leaders, we must look beyond what technology can do and ask what it should do. Does it improve learning? Support educators? Create greater access? Help students think, create, collaborate, and grow?

Those questions should drive our decisions.

I was especially encouraged by students participating in presentations and panels throughout the conference. Their voices weren’t an afterthought. They were part of the learning.

If students are at the center of our decisions, they should help shape them.

Innovation You Could See, Feel, and Experience

Another standout feature was the energy and creativity throughout the G-P Atrium.

The atrium became more than a gathering space. It brought learning, creativity, conversation, and connection together.

From the main stage featuring Carl Hooker to Marialace Curran leading the Gym for the Brain, opportunities extended beyond traditional conference sessions. The podcast area amplified educator voices. The one-on-one chill zone offered opportunities to connect and reflect. Manuel Herrera’s creativity and artistry reminded us that innovation extends beyond devices and software. Creativity and imagination are essential to learning and leadership. The Educator Playground invited participants to explore, experiment, and experience learning firsthand.

These spaces encouraged participation rather than passive observation. You weren’t simply attending a conference. You were part of the experience. There is a lesson here: Professional learning should provide opportunities to experiment, collaborate, and learn from one another, not just sit and listen.

Moving Beyond Ideas to Action

Conferences inspire us. We hear speakers, discover tools, and leave with notes. But inspiration alone doesn’t change classrooms.

Action does.

What I appreciated about MassCUE was the action-oriented nature of its sessions. Educators weren’t simply discussing future possibilities. They shared what they are doing now. Real examples. Real challenges. Real lessons learned. Across conversations about AI, digital learning, cybersecurity, student engagement, and leadership, a common message emerged: Start with purpose, build a plan, and learn along the way.

AI discussions were particularly meaningful. The focus is moving beyond exploring tools toward responsible implementation. That means establishing expectations, supporting educators, protecting student information, and evaluating results.

Innovation doesn’t require perfection, but it does include purpose, courage, collaboration, and action.

Partnerships That Power Innovation

Another valuable part of MassCUE was connecting with solution providers on the vendor floor. Sometimes we view the vendor floor as a place to explore products. I see an opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas, and discover resources alongside partners invested in helping schools succeed. Meaningful change requires more than purchasing products. It takes planning, professional learning, support, and partnerships.

Solution providers shared resources to help districts strengthen innovation, cybersecurity, student safety, and instructional impact. The most valuable conversations move beyond what a product does to what a district wants to accomplish. Strong partnerships begin with listening, understanding challenges, and finding solutions together.

Sometimes the greatest opportunity isn’t buying something new. It’s maximizing what we already have.

The Power of Connection

Perhaps my favorite part of MassCUE was connecting with people. Some conversations were planned. Others happened because someone walked by and joined in. Those moments were equally meaningful.

What stands out is educators’ willingness to share their expertise, challenges, resources, and time. There is power in being surrounded by people passionate about improving education who recognize that none of us needs to do this work alone. The best ideas don’t always come from a keynote or presentation.

Sometimes they come from a hallway conversation, a connection over lunch, or an exchange between sessions.

5 Takeaways Leaders Can Put Into Action Tomorrow

Beyond the inspiration, MassCUE offered practical lessons for technology and learning leaders.

1. Start With Learning, Not Technology. Identify the instructional challenge before adopting another tool. Ask teachers and students what they need, then explore how technology can help.
2. Move AI From Exploration to Implementation. Establish expectations, provide professional learning, begin with manageable pilots, and use feedback to guide expansion.
3. Make Cybersecurity Everyone’s Responsibility. Protecting schools requires shared ownership. Include brief cybersecurity reminders in staff communications and reinforce safe practices.
4. Maximize Technology Partnerships. Ask solution providers how existing resources can better support learning, safety, and efficiency. Focus on solutions, not just products.
5. Give Students and Educators a Voice. Include students in technology decisions and provide opportunities for educators to share effective practices.

These steps don’t require major initiatives or new budgets, but intentional leadership and a willingness to act.

As I reflect on MassCUE 2026, one thought stays with me. Technology may bring us to this event, but people make it extraordinary. Technology provides tools. Innovation creates possibilities. Sessions offer strategies. Partnerships provide support.

But people make it matter.

The teacher trying something new. The technology leader creating safe systems. The student sharing a perspective. The school leader rethinking practices. The solution provider helping solve challenges. That is where impact happens.

A tremendous thank you to Grace Magley, Andrea Calvin, and the entire MassCUE conference committee for creating an inspiring event grounded in the work that matters. You created more than a conference. You celebrated educators, elevated student voices, encouraged innovation, strengthened partnerships, and reminded us of the power of learning together.

As we return to our districts, carry that energy forward. Put one idea into action. Continue a conversation. Invite student voice into a decision. Support a colleague. Because the true measure of a great conference isn’t what happens during those two days.

It’s what happens in our schools because of those two days.

While some major city school systems around the U.S. are shutting down AI, Frank Murray, Chief Technology Officer of Belton Independent School District in Texas, sees benefits when used correctly. Noting time poverty as a huge issue in education, AI tools can preserve time to solve pain points and best support quality connections with the students.

“We're heavily into the AI ecosystem,” says Murray. “We're on year two of promoting AI use in our district between teachers, students, departments and staff. We use AI to pull data every month on the back end to see how much time our students are spending on screens at school and what sites are they actually using the most. By 2030, the number one job skill needed is going to be AI prompting and big data. The biggest thing we know is that we have to train our students how to use AI ethically.”

Murray, a visionary, yet grounded, leader, has fundamentally transformed the district’s operational and technological landscape through high-level strategic foresight and boots-on-the-ground work ethic.

“We have 13,650 students, 21 campuses, 2,100 staff, 32 just in the technology department. as well as PEIMS,” he says. “My day-to-day is to oversee everything 'technology' in the district, to help with our virtual learning academy that we just set up, to help with instructional technology – just the gamut.”

Murray, who was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for this and other efforts, shares how CTOS as well as educators and students can effectively and ethically use AI to save time in their busy schedules, as well as the results of his efforts to be a catalyst for modernization, including helping to launch a virtual school.

7 Ways CTOs Can Use AI to Benefit Their Schools

School Scheduling: “We did all of our secondary schools' master scheduling using AI Studio this year,” Murray says. “This cut the time to build a master schedule drastically.”

Multi-Tiered System of Supports: The district is doing an MTSS pilot with a lot of AI tools to help provide support at a few of its elementary schools.

Weather Rescheduling: If it rains, redoing the grounds crew schedule takes minutes with AI. “What could take hours before is accomplished in three minutes,” he says.

Professional Learning: We “are using AI for flipped leadership meetings where our leaders listen to podcasts in advance, giving 20 minutes for discussion time about those topics, preserving more time to dive into what’s going on in our district,” Murray says.

Custodial Scheduling: “Our custodial department is piloting GEMS to build scheduling for all our custodians in the district based on the school,” he says. “Rather than a simple to-do list for the night, it breaks down tasks, meal and break times into 15 minute schedule segments that can guide the whole work period with maps to ensure efficient, full school coverage.”

Chromebook Management: “One of our people, Tina, built a new inventory system with AI where you scan the Chromebook cart and then it automatically kicks out what devices it should include,” Murray says. “She built that in a day, and now all our campus technicians just go scan a cart and know where everything belongs.”

Thought Partner: The district has been promoting AI as a thought partner. “We have Gemini for students turned on for all students in the district,” Murray says. “We work with teachers on building Gemini Notebooks and GEMS to help in the classroom to be that resource.”

School Is Where The Student Is

One of the major programs that Murray helped implement is the Spalding BISD Virtual Learning Academy, which was launched this year. This option for students gives flexibility to meet students quite literally where they are. The program is available for students in grades 9 through 12 who reside anywhere in the state of Texas.

“Students can attend in a full virtual mode or in a hybrid model,” Murray says. “It helps so many students with its flexibility. Some come and participate in person to their CTE classes, but use the virtual courses for the rest of their courses.”

This creates an opportunity for academic success for every student. It particularly supports those with specific needs or dreams who prefer to spend their time focusing on developing their gifts without scheduling conflicts.

“Our drum major at Belton High School attends almost fully virtual, but comes for band,” Murray says. “We have a cheerleader that does the same thing at Lake Belton High School. We have swimmers that only come for the swim period.”

Students can take as little as one class in person, go completely virtual, or split their schedule to work around their needs. This flexible option delivers the same quality of education and full course load regardless of learning mode. This can be life-changing for students with caretaking challenges at home, who need to work to support their families, or who have accessibility needs making home a more comfortable learning setting.

“You can get your doctorate online today. What's the difference?” Murray asks. “:Why are we not meeting kids where they are in high school? It’s so great when counselors are talking with students who say, ‘School's not for me, I think I'm gonna go homeschool,’ but we have an opportunity for them to stay in school and be a part of something bigger. They can be a part of our school, still walk across the stage being a Tiger, a Bronco, or a Dragon.”

The virtual school currently serves students in grades 9-12, but Murray and his team is looking to expand the program. Students not only gain a format they can be successful in, but a sense of community.

“Watching students be very successful online, and still be able to come to prom, still be able to come and use the libraries with the other kids even if they're fully virtual? It gets them to feel like they are a part of the community,” he says. “We are the Big Red community here in Belmont State, so we want them to be proud to be a part of the Big Red community.”

The Daily Breakdown

To ensure students receive a well-rounded experience, an Innovation Specialist’s day is carefully balanced across four key areas:

Student for a Day

Colleagues note Murray’s leadership style is defined by its lack of ego. He is just as likely to be found assisting with grounds projects or navigating Special Education Medicaid (SHARS) paperwork as he is leading a district-wide technology strategy meeting. The "first-in, last-out" leader refuses to delegate work he wouldn't do himself.

A perfect illustration of his "get-your-hands-dirty" mentality is seen in a unique student-centered program. Sometimes the best way to understand what students need is to put yourself in their shoes. Murray puts himself in their desk.

“There’s something I do every year–it's called Student for a Day,” he says. “I'll call a secondary school and say, ‘Send me five schedules. I want them all on level, no advanced classes, no dual credit, just on-level students, because I want to feel what they go through in a day at school.’”

With schedule in hand, Murray heads off to school

“I want to understand, what does that day look like for them?” he says. “I pick one of the schedules and meet the student right before school, and then I go sit in class and do the work all day with the student.”

Putting himself into the picture gives Murray much more insight than just observing from afar.

“I sit with them and chat as we walk to classes. It allows me to ask them questions. ‘Why do you come to school? Who's your favorite teacher? Why is that your favorite teacher? What's your favorite subject and why? What do you feel about the technology we're putting in your hands? What's your favorite tool to use and why is that? Why is the LMS working for you or why is it not?’ That's the day I really get the data I need rather than just walking into schools.”

What Murray really wants to understand is the why of what makes school and its tech work for kids and how to both continue and expand on those success points.

“I'm spending the day building a relationship with that student to ask questions,” he says. “I sit with them at lunch and I’m able to ask all their buddies, ‘Exactly what brings you all to school?’ We know that extracurricular activities usually bring students to school, or the CTE courses. That's what they're there for, what they're excited for. So we want to make sure that we can provide that for our students using technology, and this does.”

It’s not uncommon for students to bond with some teachers, and sadly, find some educators at the core of why they are not excited to attend school. Murray’s virtual academy also solves that problem.

“We have a student at Belton New Tech, our application-only, project-based learning high school,” he says. “He only comes for history because he loves that history teacher. He loves that subject. So he does all his work from home online other than coming for history class every day. Learning more about their experience not only helps us give those students a choice of their education, but it also allows them to be a part of something bigger.”

Student Success Stories

Murray has vowed to ensure his department gives educators and students everything they need to be successful, bringing ticket times down to 24 hours with response time under three hours. This dedication is just one element of some very inspiring success stories.

“We have students that are trained through an Acer Techsperts course, who then repair devices for us,” he says. “Last year we included Landon, one of our Delta students, which are 18 to 21 students with special needs who we continue to educate. We got him started on the coursework and he was able to get his Techspert certification. He comes over a few days a week to one of our high schools and fixes Chromebooks.”

The student even toured the Acer repair facility recently.

“We talk about meeting students where they're at, and that's what he was excited about,” Murray says. “We tried to make that dream come true for him. He graduates in December and he will be getting a brand new nice Chromebook for his hard work in our Techsperts program to take along with him.”

Two other students at Lake Belton High School started “Begin Fin,” a beginner finance resource.

“They started their junior year when they noted our limited resources in training students on financial literacy,” he says. “They created this fully free, open-source, now being used in over 250 countries. AI allowed them to code this on the backend using Gemini, moving over to AI Studio and a tie-in with the APIs to Google Classroom. Talk about the journey to graduate competencies and how AI can help with that – it’s pretty amazing. We are so proud of our students!”

Tools They Use

• Chromebook Plus
• Google Workspace
• Gemini
• Sam's Lab
• Cybernut
• Managed Methods
• Lightspeed Systems
• Renaissance

Courage isn’t a destination but a muscle that requires training and practice, says Juan Bendaña, keynote speaker at the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents National Summit on Education, October 15-17.

If an assistant principal is set to present at a superintendents’ meeting for the first time and wants to project confidence, she should start by pouring energy into the preparation, Bendaña says, emphasizing his confidence cycle of energy, courage, action, and proof.

“Once you have enough energy poured into that thing, it facilitates courage,” says Bendaña, who’s also the author of Confident by Choice: The Three Small Decisions That Build Everyday Courage.

Bendaña, who has researched confidence across high performers from CEOs to Olympians, spoke in schools early in his career. He started at assemblies for high school and college students, which led to leadership development for parents, school faculties, and school boards.

Education leaders can influence students’ lives for decades, Bendaña says, noting that he hopes to help those at the ALAS summit “inspire confidence in the next generation, but also give them the mindset, the tools, the resources to be able to be successful in that new version of what the future holds.”

Confidence Cycle

Bendaña’s confidence cycle framework has four steps that starts with energy, or a spark that sets off the cycle. The most difficult thing about running can be tying your shoes, he says. Or for the assistant principal, it could be getting ready for the presentation to the superintendents. If you don’t shy away from the discomfort or self-doubt, the energy you exert can facilitate the next step: courage.

A decision to improve something is the courage piece of the framework, which comes after you’ve tied your shoes or prepared for the presentation. Bendaña cites a study in which participants had to go to the gym for 30 days but could stay only five minutes. Eighty percent kept going to the gym when the study ended.

“Why? Because the hardest part was the initial inertia, the energy at the beginning to get themselves to make the decision, take the courageous decision to get into the gym,” Bendaña says.

Going for the run, finishing the gym workout, or delivering the presentation are the action steps.

“Then what happens after?” Bendaña asks. “There is a result, either in success or failure. Either it goes well, or you get tomatoes thrown at you.”

If it goes well, you get a little boost of energy, another spark, the proof that starts another revolution of the cycle. If it doesn’t go well, it’s a different form of proof, indicating an area in which you can grow. In either case, it sparks another round of the process.

Put It To Work

Bendaña encourages leaders to go beyond sharing the ideas that they think people want to hear.

“That's not the one that I'm talking about,” Bendaña says. “I'm talking about the one that you actually think, that you're nervous to share because you're afraid of the impact or the result of you sharing that thing.”

In addition, educators who reach a certain level of success could be lulled into complacency and no longer train the courage muscle. He suggests that to keep practicing, do something a little scary and make the bold ask that makes you nervous.

Every time leaders complete a revolution of the confidence cycle, it becomes more ingrained in their identities as something they are, rather than something they do. After enough rounds of the cycle, leaders could reach a point when they ask how much more they can achieve, or how long they can sustain their success.

Bendaña urges such high performers to compare themselves not to others but to who they were six months or a year ago. “You can check in with your growth trajectory every single month, and then every few months, and be like, ‘At least I'm becoming the kind of person that I said I was going to be.”

Being a new assistant principal has to be among the biggest challenges in school leadership. It can feel thankless, like the time I had to call the parent of a child who had made racist comments and aggressive actions toward another child after school on the way home. As typical as that kind of issue sadly is, what made it worse was calling the parents of the offender and being met with equally racist rhetoric and a lecture about how white people were being disenfranchised ….

That was nearly three decades ago, not yesterday. My favorite answer for an aspiring principal who asks (and many do ask), “When do you know when you're ready to be a principal?” is so simple, it may surprise you: You know you’re ready to be a principal when you hang up the phone with a parent after telling them their child was disciplined for (fill in the blank) and they thank you.

I refer to this previous article, explaining school leaders can successfully balance competing demands from passionate educators and defensive parents by anchoring disciplinary decisions in objective principles rather than emotional conflicts, all while coming across supportive and understanding to both sides.

I was a new administrator then and didn’t have advice from someone else, so I am glad I can share now with emerging and current school leaders. We will always have moments when we will face what feels like an onslaught of challenges during which we have to sit squarely in the middle. We are, after all quite literally, middle management. Yet there are ways to throw off the scent of those wishing us harm, and still keep our balance while we work to help students thrive.

‘What Are You Gonna Do About It?’

Another experience that remains firmly in my memory illustrates the importance of managing my own reactions and how fortunate I was to get it right that time by chance, which is something I follow now with intent. This was years ago as a young new assistant principal. I had just been faced with issuing a fair amount of discipline that warranted me suspending not one but a number of students for issues that surfaced on a Friday. I am not someone who had or ever will enjoy suspending children, and I know the negative consequences that go beyond school. Yet at this time and with our school’s code of conduct calling for it, I had no other choice.

Mind you, I’m grateful to have come up with programs since then through research, trial, and error that have become recognized as ways to help children, especially those at-risk. Programs such as schoolhouse adjustments, which helped me drastically reduce suspensions. And Middle to Littles, which helped at-risk children find a unique way to be positively recognized and for it to be cool to care.

But before I had those ideas firmly in place, I had to survive with preexisting traditional methods.

Returning to school the following Monday following the suspensions, I was outside greeting students when there seemed to be a strange vibe. Soon, a young man approached me and said rather confusingly, “What are you gonna do about that?” I turned to him and asked, “Do about what?” As middle schoolers would be expected to do, he turned and said, “Never mind!”

I made my way over to where there seemed to be an unusual amount of attention–a three-foot-high curb, which served as a base for a tree bed and a spot popular with skateboarders, who often used skater wax (that custodians had to clean off regularly) to slide across at night and on weekends. The curb was an ideal height to make a jump and slide, so we were used to seeing wax there.

But this time was different. This time, a skater had drawn with the wax words I cannot quote here about my wife….

The student asked again, “What are you going to do about that?” To which I replied in the blink of an eye, “Nothing, it doesn’t matter, it’s not true.” I walked away smiling, hiding my real emotions inside. As the bell rang and students entered the building, I immediately went to the head custodian and asked him to remove the wording.

Later, I learned that the students were expecting a reaction that would have entertained them. Me, upset, yelling, demanding, etc. That’s because a prior assistant principal would put his hands in his hair and scream with outrage. I didn’t know at the time whether my reaction was effective leadership sense or just plain logical.

I later learned that my response was smart on-the-fly leadership instinct. I didn’t give the expected attention/outrage to the incident, which rendered it anticlimactic. A broken clock is correct twice a day, and I got it right at that moment! Yet it helped me remember that many micro moments call for quick thinking on your feet if you are to be any good at leading.

Leaders are tested as middle managers, by parents questioning our decisions, teachers complaining about our decisions, and yes, skaters laying offensive words across the curb about your wife.

Were they trying to hurt me? Of course, but by not showing any injury, it wasn’t fun anymore. I never saw skater wax with anything about me, or my wife, again. It was just one of those lessons I learned. The “never let them see you sweat, because everyone is watching the person in charge,” kind of a lesson.

For years, district leaders have understood the importance of family trust. But in today's environment, trust is no longer simply a byproduct of good schools; it has become a strategic priority.

Families have more ways to engage with schools, greater access to information, and higher expectations for transparency and communication than ever before. As a result, trust increasingly shapes how communities respond to district decisions, how families engage with schools, and how effectively students are supported both inside and outside the classroom.

While it may not appear on accountability dashboards or state report cards, trust plays a critical role in a district's ability to achieve its goals.

In McDowell County Schools, we've learned that trust is rarely built through major initiatives or strategic plans. Instead, it develops through hundreds of interactions between schools and families throughout the year. Every classroom update, parent conversation, district announcement, and school event contributes to how families perceive their relationship with the school system.

Today's families want more than information. They want transparency, consistency, and confidence that schools view them as partners in their children's success. Trust is built, or weakened, in those everyday moments.

Family Engagement Starts with Trust

Research consistently shows that family engagement contributes to stronger student outcomes. Students whose families are actively involved in their education are more likely to succeed academically, demonstrate positive behaviors, and remain engaged in school.

Yet engagement cannot be mandated. Families are more likely to participate when they feel informed, respected, and connected to their child's school community. Trust creates the conditions that make those partnerships possible.

When families trust their schools, they are more likely to attend events, respond to outreach, support learning at home, and work collaboratively with educators when challenges arise. For district leaders, that means viewing trust not as a separate initiative, but as a foundation for meaningful engagement.

Consistency Creates Confidence

One of the most important lessons we've learned is that consistency matters as much as content.

Families receive information from a variety of sources, including district websites, social media accounts, emails, text alerts, newsletters, and classroom communications. While each channel serves a purpose, too many disconnected communication streams can create confusion about where families should look for reliable information.

When families receive conflicting messages or struggle to locate important information, frustration often follows. Clear, predictable communication creates confidence because families know what to expect and where to find information when they need it.

Consistency may not seem transformational, but its impact compounds over time. When families regularly receive timely, accurate information, trust continues to grow.

The Importance of Tone

Consistency is important, but how a message is delivered can be just as influential as the information it contains. For many years, school communications often reflected the language of policies, procedures, and compliance requirements. While those elements remain necessary, families connect with schools through relationships and shared goals.

Several years ago, our district began taking a closer look at the tone of our communications. We realized some messages unintentionally emphasized rules and consequences when our goal was partnership and support.

Attendance communications provided one example. Like many districts, we needed families to understand attendance expectations and the importance of being in school every day. As we reviewed our approach, we shifted from leading with consequences to emphasizing why attendance matters and how schools could work alongside families to support students.

The information remained the same, but the tone became more personal, supportive, and focused on shared goals. Those small adjustments changed the nature of many conversations and strengthened family relationships.

Small Moments Matter

Another lesson we've learned is that trust is built through positive communication, not just problem-solving. Too often, families hear from schools only when there is a concern about attendance, behavior, or academic performance. While those conversations are necessary, they should not define the relationship between schools and families.

Some of the most meaningful communication occurs when educators share everyday successes—a student helping a classmate, a classroom project that sparked excitement, or a note recognizing effort and growth. These moments help families feel connected to their child's daily experience and reinforce the positive work happening in schools.

That kind of personal communication is also what many families value most. According to Project Tomorrow's 2025 Speak Up Research, 91% of communication leaders believe parents are satisfied with the student-specific information they receive from teachers, while only 56% of parents agree. The gap suggests that families are looking for more meaningful, personalized communication about their own children—not just schoolwide announcements and operational updates.

Our district has used ClassDojo for Districts to create more consistent communication and strengthen connections between schools and families. But the platform itself is not the story. The real story is what happens when communication becomes a tool for building relationships rather than simply delivering information.

Building Trust One Interaction at a Time

At a time when public institutions face increasing scrutiny and community expectations continue to evolve, trust has become one of the most valuable assets a school district can possess.

It is built gradually through consistent actions, clear communication, and genuine partnership with families. Every interaction matters because every interaction contributes to the relationship between schools and the communities they serve.

When trust grows, engagement follows. Families become more involved, communication becomes more productive, and students receive stronger support both at home and at school. That is why family trust is not separate from student success—it is one of the conditions that helps make student success possible.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the passion of its education leaders for guiding their students to successful learning outcomes. During the recent Tech & Learning regional summit at the TCEA Conference Center in Austin, that elevated dedication was on display throughout the day.

The Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit brings together superintendents, CTOs, CAOs, and instructional and tech district leaders to share ideas, best practices, and solutions to help to reshape and reimagine the future of education. One of the best ways that happens is during the table discussions scheduled throughout the day.

During each 20-minute session, attendees can choose from various problem-solving discussions, which range in topics from screen time and professional development to cybersecurity and student engagement. A fellow attendee who has experience in the subject facilitates each discussion, although everyone at the table is encouraged to share their thoughts, experiences, solutions, and advice.

Here are takeaways from a few we sat in on:

Screentime and AI: Calming the Chatter

Discussion moderator Kari Murphy, CTO for Deer Park ISD, started this discussion by asking attendees what kind of communications and suggestions they were getting from their communities. A few heard comments such as “Take devices away at lower levels,” but attendees pointed out that it was up to them to point out the difference between perception and reality, or how much the community thinks screens are being used versus the actual totals, as there’s generally a big disconnect. Attendees also discussed how it’s important to drill down into and be transparent about what students are doing with devices.

The discussion then turned to what various leaders are doing to address the issue. Maurie Beasley of Llano ISD reported that their school board is digging into data to develop a long-term plan–one of the issues with taking away screens in early grades is that a major state assessment is given on screens only in third grade, so students need to be comfortable with devices so that’s not an issue when it comes time to test.

Quinton Shepherd of Pflugerville ISD says he’s met with the Lieutenant Governor three times to talk about screen time, and is in the process of drafting policy with the school board.

The group mentioned how active screen time is “another whole ball of wax” compared to passive screen time, and it was necessary to dig into the different types. It is an inherently complex subject, so part of the solution is having conversations with the community to help build decision-making. And by being proactive first, then legislators don’t have to legislate later.

Murphy talked more about being proactive, looking at data, and creating intentional use policies. Her district also sought out the most vocal community members to be part of the conversation in the hope of converting them to be advocates for productive screen time. She also mentioned the challenge of trying to regulate screen time at schools when we can’t control it at home

Frank Murray of Belton ISD shared how his district has done the screen time research, and it’s less than 30 minutes per day for his students. He also touched upon the need to partner with parents to limit screen time at home as well, and suggested sharing screen time totals with principals so they can post it.

Finally, Kyle Berger of Arlington ISD suggested surveying parents and the community to create guidelines. He also said we need to show that it’s not “a free for all” on YouTube, and that we have to educate parents on edtech vs. consumer tech.

Scaling and Implementing Digital Literacy

During the “Scaling and Implementing Digital Literacy” roundtable, attendees talked about how schools are moving digital literacy beyond one-off lessons and toward a more coordinated, districtwide approach. That includes connecting digital citizenship with social-emotional learning, curriculum and professional development. Annababette Diemecke, Systems & Digital Learning Coordinator for Copperas Cove ISD, and Jessica Bredwell, Director of Digital Learning for Copperas, led a conversation about resources such as Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum, which participants said can be relatively easy to implement across a district.

Participants shared several ways schools are building digital literacy into the school day, including grade-level scope and sequences, advisory periods and scheduled SEL time. Counselors and librarians also play a role in addressing topics such as cyberbullying and responsible technology use. Student check-ins, classroom walkthroughs, student work and feedback can help schools gauge whether those lessons are actually meeting students’ needs.

Librarians were another important part of the discussion, particularly as schools rethink how digital literacy connects with library, STEM and innovation programs. Rather than eliminating the librarian role, some districts are expanding it to include areas such as STEM, maker spaces, gifted education, and innovation.

A key theme from the roundtable was that scaling digital literacy requires more than choosing a curriculum. Participants discussed the need to connect technology and academics, create time for instruction, and give educators practical tools they can actually use across different campuses.

Effective Cybersecurity Programs

During the “Effective Cybersecurity Programs” roundtable, Chaz Quilter and Caroline Lightfoot of Dickinson ISD led a discussion on how school districts are strengthening cybersecurity, from employee training and phishing simulations to technical safeguards and student education.

Participants came back often to the role employees play in protecting school systems, and shared examples of using platforms such as KnowBe4, Vector, Microsoft tools, and CyberNut for training and simulated phishing campaigns. Some have even turned the exercises into friendly competitions, using leaderboards and other incentives to engage staff.

The conversation also touched on how cyberattacks are becoming more subtle. Instead of relying on obvious malicious links, attackers are increasingly using conversational approaches, such as asking employees to respond, share a personal phone number, or continue the conversation over text. Participants discussed layered defenses such as MFA, VPN restrictions, geofencing, threat detection, and zero-trust approaches, while noting that automated systems can still miss more complex attacks.

Student education was another part of the discussion, with districts incorporating internet safety, cyberbullying, and AI awareness into instruction. Some are also giving older students more specific guidance around email and account security as they prepare for college and the workforce.

Overall, the discussion highlighted how cybersecurity is becoming an ongoing part of school culture, with districts relying on a combination of technology, employee awareness, and student education.

The Best of Both Worlds: Crafting the Modern Technology & Literacy Specialist

Kelly Grigg, CTO of Deer Park ISD, led off this discussion describing how her district of 12,000 students recently consolidated the roles of tech integration coaches (TICs) and librarians into single positions at every elementary school, which when the dust settled, resulted in a 50/50 mix of librarians and TICs being retained.

To address this disparity, Grigg then had to develop a training/prep program for the one position in a way that balanced the strengths and deficiencies of both groups. Those in this new position came back nine days before school for team bonding and PD. Grigg used Future Ready Schools resources to help define roles, and each group is mentoring the other in the key aspects of their jobs. Lead librarians and TICs at high school level are helping to manage some of the specific duties such as buying books, balancing budgets, etc. They have also all been given new computers and other necessary equipment.

To also aid the transition, they have no classes on Mondays, which is a PD and catchup day for other tasks such as dealing with technology and PD for tech. Grigg has also divided the month into two weeks in the library and two weeks in classrooms with teachers.

The biggest challenge, however, has been trying to manage the district’s teachers’ expectations, who were expecting the transition to be seamless, and it hasn’t been. Teachers were also upset that they weren’t getting lessons every week, and are still working through that it all doesn’t look the same. “The library of today is not the library of old,” Grigg said. “But we’re building the plane while flying it as it’s year one.”

Professional Development Through Professional Learning Networks

During this roundtable, Teeya Davis, Process Improvement Coordinator for Harris County Department of Education, discussed how educators can use professional organizations, conferences, committees and online communities to build skills and connections beyond their own districts.

Davis shared how professional organizations supported her transition into education after more than a decade in healthcare. Participants talked about how professional networks can provide access to thought leaders, emerging trends, certifications, conferences, webinars and leadership opportunities. One participant also highlighted recent Google and ISTE training on bringing AI micro badges into districts, noting that the experience was especially useful because the team could immediately start working on a district rollout plan.

The conversation also went beyond formal training. Attendees highlighted the value of joining committees, volunteering, attending local chapter events and helping organize programming as ways to build relationships and develop leadership skills. LinkedIn, free webinars, and other online resources were also mentioned as easy ways to stay connected and keep learning.

Attendees recognized that choosing where to invest time can be difficult, especially when it is unclear what a particular organization or event will offer.

Overall, the discussion highlighted that PD can happen through relationships just as much as formal courses. Being active in professional networks can help educators learn from others, discover new opportunities and build the experience needed for future leadership roles.

Student and Staff Programming for Well-Being/Wellness Days

Lindsey Brewer-Munoz, Coordinator of Library & Media Services for Stafford Municipal School District, led this discussion about what she’s doing in her district to support student and staff wellbeing and wellness.

Brewer-Munoz has instituted half-day wellness days on early dismissal days – teachers have PD in the afternoon, so the activities to engage kids are scheduled in the morning. Kids choose what activities they want to participate in, which range from pickleball to gaming to dancing and karaoke, a Lebron v. Jordan debate – just a wide assortment of fun things for kids. Students sign up and are engaged because they’re interested.

For adults, the program featured a full day of PD, with standard PD in the morning, and then in the afternoon, it’s fun and wellness activities, such as archery, hummus tasting, floral design, and painting. Although it was “mandatory fun,” staff got frustrated because they’d rather have time to grade/plan, etc. So Brewer-Munoz asked what they wanted to do instead.

The result was a “Beyond the Bell” program for weekend and afterschool activities for teachers, like a “choose your own adventure,” with mostly free programs and activities put together in conjunction with the community and staff who have passions and hobbies that they want to share with others.

Brewer-Munoz also has started an “Underground Spirit” day for staff during which they will randomly dress up on random Thursdays with no explanation to students, with themes such as “Dress like your grandma’s couch” or “Disco.” Teachers have fun conspiring together and seeing the students’ reactions.

What does a "Portrait of a Graduate" look like in the age of AI? As the future workplace grows increasingly unpredictable, district leaders must rethink how they equip students for success.

During Tech & Learning’s recent regional leadership summit in Texas, a panel of district leaders discussed evolving workforce readiness strategies and what districts can do to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.

The panel included:

• Quintin Shepherd, Superintendent of Schools, Pflugerville ISD
• Kyle Berger, Chief Technology Officer, Arlington ISD
• Melissa McCalla, Chief Technology Officer, Pasadena ISD
• Frank Murray, Chief Technology Officer, Belton ISD

“What’s a skill that has actually become more important because of AI, not less?”

Berger: A skill now becoming more important is human judgement. And just the ability to think critically.

McCalla: Critical thinking plus accountability. If we’re making decisions about AI, are we thinking critically about it down the road, and the impact that will have.

Murray: We’ve always taught kids to evaluate output, but now AI is gaslighting everyone so much, you don’t know what to believe. So they have to be able to evaluate that.

Shepherd: Leadership is a key skill. Finding that relationship between people who want to bring about meaningful change. And now that goes beyond just human relationships, especially with AI agents. So how do you lead humans and agents who intend meaningful change in your organization?

“What’s one thing schools need to be doing if we’re serious about preparing students for an AI-shaped workplace?”

Shepherd: The tools are there for them to succeed, so our job is to make sure they know they’re there and can avail themselves of these tools. It doesn’t matter what job they go into, but it’s going to be a world in which an agent force will be working alongside them, and how they can prepare for that.

Murray: We’ve embraced AI in our district – we know that by 2030, the top skill they’re going to need is how to use AI for work, so we have to prepare them for that, especially when it’s going to be around for the rest of their lives. They’re already using AI as a thought partner, not so much to cheat.

McCalla: Are we building the practical workforce we need for the future? Are we doubling down on the careers beyond AI (trades, etc) we will need in 13 years, especially with so much of the current service workforce, such as electricians and plumbers, retiring.

Berger: We need to be working together with students as a partner in AI.

Murray: We also need to be teaching them about using AI and making a human connection. It’s not about the tools we’re giving teachers, but teaching them to use those tools so that they can have more time with students.

Shepherd: When you think of evolution, I think we’re in a phase of punctuated equilibrium for AI. And I think we’re not that far off from getting the best model, but that’s going to be shut off from the general population, and we’re gonna be told, “It’s too dangerous.” So it’s going to be “This is for Thee, and this one is for Me.” The top models will be for governments and high-end business. So consequently, if we are close to the final model of available AI, then it’s okay for teachers to finally really start learning it now so that they can start introducing it in the classroom. It’s leveled out a bit so this is the version we can teach around.

“What are employers telling you they want from graduates that might surprise educators? Has anything you’ve heard from employers actually caused you to change what you’re doing?”

Berger: Employers want employees who can actually communicate and type their own emails. Employers want that level of authenticity, but also the critical thinking piece of it. We can all find the right answer now, but do you know how you got to it? The human element in the loop.

McCalla: They want to see resiliency – do our graduates have the ability to take feedback and move forward. How are you teaching that when they hit failure, they don’t get defensive, and then learn from that. Also, are we creating opportunities to not be task-completion focused.

Shepherd: I’ve been a superintendent for 22 years, but three years ago, an employer said to me, “If an employee has to be managed, then they’re unemployable at any level of our organization.” So how are we teaching kids to self-manage themselves?

Murray: I would echo resiliency. Simply teaching kids not to quit.

“What’s one thing schools need to STOP doing if we’re serious about preparing students for an AI-shaped workplace?”

Murray: Why are we not grading along the process rather than just the final product? We need to change the approach and pedagogy because of AI.

Shepherd: It might be more productive if we could walk away from grading in general altogether.

McCalla: Again, we need to get out of the task-completion process. We need to ask where’s the design process, where’s the feedback loop – we need to stop the current cycle to actually learn. We need to get away from “Just tell me what the answer is” thinking. It’s about the learning process.

Berger: Again, moving beyond grades and final product. We have to break the cycle, and focus on the process of learning. Getting the depth of understanding going beyond there and how we got there.

“What’s one thing schools need to START doing if we’re serious about preparing students for an AI-shaped workplace?”

Shepherd: Teaching kids how to make a job, not get a job. How though? I would tell them to find something that you love, and then find something completely different that you love, and then that find the infinitesimally small space where those come together, and that’s where the job is.

Murray: We need to help them create their own careers. One student built his own very successful site after he came to me, and rather than just saying, “No,” I encouraged their innovation.

Berger: Yes, we need to start “stop!” preventing access, and really engage in the conversations to support innovation. We have to stop blocking all the time, and teach the proper way to innovate with AI and other tools in the real world, the right and ethical way.

McCalla: It’s tough seeing kids in elementary school stop loving to learn, so we need to think about why that happens, and how we can change it so they keep on loving learning. So when they get out of our doors and into the real world, they believe that learning is a lifelong process, and that will help them guide them to those jobs and careers.

Shepherd: We need to teach them that it goes beyond the simple pursuit of happiness, which I see as one part of enjoyment, one part satisfaction, and one part finding meaning in what I’m doing. If you can get those three things right, then that’s the definition of happiness. AI can’t do any of that, so that’s the answer.

I was sitting in a leadership session presented by a fellow author in leadership, looking back and thinking about the stark contrast between smart and dumb leadership. It’s sad for me to admit, but after 30 years in education and leadership, I remember poor leaders better than good ones. The memory of poor leaders failing to meet the moment—and their gross inability to build trust, loyalty, and teamwork—remains vividly stuck in my mind.

The problem has as much to do with there being too many poor leaders as their impact on us. Fortunately, I have experienced the kind of leadership that captures the principles of how to make a school great, even remarkable. I think we all know how important strong leadership is and there is ample evidence about its value in taking an organization to the moon, and with adoring fans.

One of the best ways to understand the difference between bad and good leadership is to look at how leaders engage their teams. My research shows over and over an undeniable pattern: Great leaders act as "multipliers" who set their egos aside to amplify and empower the skills, ideas, and intelligence of those around them, whereas bad leaders act as "diminishers" who wall themselves off, micromanage, and suppress their team's potential out of insecurity.

In short, leaders who work smarter save everyone from working harder.

How leaders can make your organization smart, not dumb

I remain stunned even now, after 30 years of seeing bad leadership over and over again. Pride and insecurity seem to be the biggest culprits.

One of the most significant lessons I learned in leadership was acknowledging that there was always a smarter person in the room than me, and that it wasn’t a threat to me to admit I was wrong, or someone had a better idea. I heard this saying once, and it has always stuck with me: If you’re the smartest person in a room, you’re in the wrong room.

If I have to be the smartest person in the room, two dangerous facts exist:

1. I will have a lot of inferior people working for me, and as any coach will tell you, when the team loses the game, YOU lose the game. I’d rather have smarter people making me look good, winning . . . .
2. Even if someone has a smarter idea for a pivot, they will be afraid to share it because they fear I will snuff them out.

I have had the privilege of working alongside incredible educators, absolutely compassionate and skilled individuals, supporting children of all types. One of the most important lessons I learned came from concepts such as edcamps. I learned about Edcamps from an innovative educator who showed me the empowerment associated with learning that is targeted, with an energized vibe, and focused on high interest topics for educators. These are worthy of engaging professionals with and offer the kind of intelligent learning that matters more now than ever.

Smart leaders don’t let great ideas die in a corner of the school. If you have been around schools as long as I have, you know that there are remarkable ideas hidden in classrooms where humble yet amazing teachers bring learning alive. Great leaders use grassroots ideas to overcome contractual barriers, reclaim time, and empower teachers to share their hidden classroom expertise across the entire school.

As an author, researcher, and school leader, I have a rare vantage point: I've observed how thousands of classrooms function firsthand, allowing me to bridge real-world practice with evidence-based research. It was hard for me to keep quiet, working behind “diminisher” leaders, but it’s taught me not to be them and to share with you how important humility is in leadership.

Helping kids win

Is actively becoming a smart leader hard? Yes. It’s easier in the short term to shut your door and say, “I’m boss!” But I have been part of leadership teams in which the hard work was fun and worth the sacrifice. Change happens when a leader embraces vulnerability—a risky move for an organization accustomed to covering its tracks, but brave and beneficial in the long run. And smart!

Having that courage took me years to see change. Patience and persistence were the pillars of that process. I endured dumb leaders and a long road of frustration for an organization that always had that untapped potential percolating just under the surface, and needed smart leadership to help it burst out and do what matters most in education: Help kids win—in the classroom, at home, and in life.

Such success doesn't happen every day for every child, but when it does, it makes the pursuit of great, smart leadership entirely worthwhile.

I can vividly recall being a new leader of a middle school with raw nerves when veteran teachers charged in to see me, upset about the outfits of some students. They expected me to address this with an iron fist, and I recognized it would be one of many tests along the way to me gaining their respect. Yet it was a complex test to pass: Almost all of the complaints were about female students' dress.

This presented two immediate problems.

First, as a young male administrator, I had real concerns about how me addressing a female student's dress would be perceived.

Second, there was an obvious gender bias gap apparent. What about male students and some of the questionable attire they wore on a given basis? It didn’t seem to matter, implicit bias was rampant and I had to figure this out.

That was the 1990s. More recently, I have written about dress code and engaging students in the process of developing fair equitable expectations and ways to respond. But back then, there were those unflinching veteran teachers, waiting and watching–administrators would face their wrath! Many times, their concerns were legitimate, sometimes their expectations disproportionate to the issue, like the dress code police.

I learned quickly (and mostly on my own) that I had to show these teachers support or I would lose them. Even before coverage around students being “dress-coded” surfaced years later, and especially since almost none of the students being reported had any behavioral concerns, I had to balance my response. We can learn how to help kids who can be disruptive and disrespectful, if we approach it the right way.

While I saw the implicit bias all the way glaring back at me then, I couldn’t quite put a finger on it–we weren’t there yet, at least in New Jersey. I have since taught teachers about implicit bias, its natural influence on how we respond, that it is a normal part of humanity, and most importantly, that being aware of it can help us react with better impact and respect.

Come Sail Away

I learned to sail as a child. I loved it! There were a lot of survival rules to follow, the most important of which was knowing the keel was sound. This is the odd-looking apparatus hidden in the belly of the boat that sits in the water to counter waves and turns. One false move and you capsize. The same is true with balancing the strong beliefs of one party that are in conflict with those of another.

Like every administrator, new and veteran, I face the delicate balance of managing discipline between the angry teacher and the upset parent. I learned over time that while I had to remain even-handed in disciplinary decisions, the way I approached each with differing viewpoints mattered.

Consider one scenario: A student was being redirected by a teacher to play safe at recess. The student ignored the teacher and continued with aggressive actions toward others and themself. The teacher became upset and raised their voice. The student turned to the teacher and said, “You can’t tell me what to do, that’s what my mom said ….”

Any adult redirecting a child who came across “fresh” would have understandably strong feelings. My recommendation would be to never show that side. If necessary, breathe and take a moment. That didn’t happen in this scenario. A few moments later, the student was seated in the office, hands crossed smiling as the teacher was standing over them, pointing and demanding, “Wipe that smile off your face!”

If you have been a school leader or are becoming one, you have, or most certainly will, experience something like this and it is one of the most challenging scenarios to navigate.

What made this more problematic is that the student was probably right; the parent had told her teachers can’t make her do anything.

De-escalating Psychological Warfare

On one side, I have a teacher demanding “justice,” and on the other, a parent who if approached incorrectly, is ready for a long, drawn-out fight. How do I manage the balance between them?

The first order of business was to get the teacher away from the student. This is the “Let’s take a walk back to your classroom” shift I offer. During this slow, steady stroll, I let the teacher vent. I don’t have to agree with them, but acknowledging alone goes a long way in making them feel validated. A simple but direct response, “I understand, I will take care of this,” is what I convey. Certainly, there may be a time, not at that moment but later, because they felt supported when I can offer some valuable feedback on implicit bias, temperament, etc. But that comes later.

After speaking with the student and getting their story, I explain how this was a matter of safety. I stay away from the attitude issue the teacher contested. Then it becomes about an adult acting the kids' age. No-win situation. Upon calling the parent, I discuss with the student present so there is no “That’s not what happened!” claim from the student later that night, and then an angrier email from the difficult parent just as I’m settling in for the evening.

Talking through the incident with a focus on safety, I don’t hide that the student made comments, I just report them objectively. This parent finds that information irrelevant, as expected, and I focus the reason for discipline on safety. “I wouldn’t want her or others to get hurt,” I say. While the parent may (and likely will) try to personalize this about the teacher, I continue to steer back to the safety issue.

Ultimately, the parent cannot disagree with safety. Next, I return to the teacher and let her know, “I took care of this.” The emphasis is on acknowledging (not agreeing with) the teacher’s concern and that discipline was subsequently meted out. The teacher was satisfied and I kept the keel stable on both sides.

What’s most valuable about conveying this response in two very different ways is the psychology that both sides felt supported and heard, and we approached each very differently. Free advertising from the teacher (“He backed me up!”) and the parent (“What an understanding administrator he was!”) echoes far beyond and we win on both sides of the coin. That’s powerful yet simple psychology.

By anchoring every decision in objective principles rather than emotional conflicts, effective school leaders can satisfy both passionate educators and defensive parents, keeping the school's keel steady through the stormiest waters.

Throughout my work with educators and district leadership teams across the country, I have seen growing interest in and a need for AI professional learning. Educators want to understand what AI is, how it works, and how it can support their work, but they also want practical guidance about data privacy, academic integrity, bias, responsible classroom use, and appropriate student use. They need clear and consistent guidance that supports their practice.

A single workshop or training will not adequately prepare educators for everything they need to know and do. I have been passionate about this work for the past four years since starting my doctoral research, which focused on the need for effective AI professional development for educators.

A key takeaway from my research was the importance of ongoing, relevant, and supportive professional learning. My work with schools and educators has continued to reinforce that finding.

Effective AI professional learning cannot simply be about showing teachers the latest tools. Tools change, policies evolve, and new concerns emerge. If PD focuses primarily on a platform, what educators learn may become outdated before they have an opportunity to apply it in their practice. We need to build knowledge, confidence, and skills that educators can transfer regardless of what AI tools are available.

Start With Purpose, Not With Tools

For years, when I provided PD, I often focused on the tools. Over time, I recognized that technologies change, and what matters most is understanding the why behind using technology. The same is true with AI. Begin by asking why an educator might use AI rather than asking which AI tool they will use.

When I work with educators, I challenge them to identify specific needs in their own practice. Do they want to differentiate instruction? Create more accessible materials? Provide feedback? Redesign an assessment? Generate ideas? Reduce time spent on repetitive tasks? Starting with an instructional need keeps the focus on teaching and learning rather than technology for technology’s sake.

Providing guiding questions helps educators decide when AI is useful and when it is not. Effective professional learning should guide teachers to ask:

• What is the learning goal?
• What thinking should students do independently?
• Where might AI provide meaningful support?
• What would be gained or lost by using AI?
• What happens if AI completes too much of the work?

These questions will remain relevant even as the technology changes.

Connect Learning to Real Classroom Practice

Just as relevance makes learning more meaningful for students, professional learning needs to connect to educators’ actual roles and responsibilities. A kindergarten teacher, high school science teacher, school counselor, special education teacher, instructional coach, and district administrator may ultimately use the same AI platform, but they will not necessarily use it in the same way.

Professional learning should include realistic scenarios for grade levels and content areas, and provide an opportunity for participants to create something they can use right away. Teachers might revise an assignment, develop expectations for student AI use, evaluate an AI-generated response, design a differentiated resource, or create a lesson that requires students to verify AI output.

In my sessions, educators have found it valuable to work through scenarios with colleagues rather than just learn what AI can do. Some scenarios I use include a student using an unapproved chatbot, evaluating a biased AI-generated response, considering the consequences of exposed student information, or addressing suspected AI-assisted student work.

Discussions enable educators to collaborate and think about what they would do, consider the benefits and cautions of AI, and learn together. These conversations help them leave with a clearer understanding of AI and specific next steps for their own learning and practice.

Differentiate the Professional Learning

We differentiate learning for students, so we should think similarly about professional learning for educators. Everyone needs a solid foundation in AI literacy, but not everyone needs the exact same training.

Effective professional learning should provide opportunities for educators to explore how AI connects specifically to their work. Classroom teachers may need more support with instructional design, assessment, AI literacy, and appropriate student use. Administrators may focus more on leadership, policy, implementation, and communication. Technology teams may need more time on data privacy, security, and vendor vetting.

Professional learning should also account for differences in experience and comfort with AI. Two teachers in the same department may have very different starting points. One may already be experimenting with AI while another is still learning the basics. Providing opportunities for choice and time to learn with colleagues meets educators where they are without overwhelming them.

Address Privacy, Law, and Ethics

Responsible AI use cannot be an add-on at the end of professional learning. Privacy, safety, ethics, accessibility, and legal considerations need to be woven throughout the experience.

As an educator and attorney, I frequently work with schools that have questions about student data, approved tools, vendor agreements, copyright, accessibility, and academic integrity. Many educators have expressed not having enough guidance about what information can be entered into an AI platform or how to determine whether a tool is appropriate for students.

Educators need practical guidance rather than a list of laws without classroom context. Questions to consider:

• Why does entering identifiable student information into an unapproved platform create risk?
• What do age requirements mean for student access?
• What should educators look for in privacy policies?
• Why must AI-generated content be reviewed for bias and accuracy?

Schools need consistent expectations. Professional learning should connect directly to district policies and show what those policies mean in practice.

Make Professional Learning Active and Ongoing

In schools, a keynote or introductory workshop helps to build awareness and momentum, but it should serve as the beginning of the learning process rather than the entire strategy. Ongoing support might include workshops, content- or grade-level coaching, professional learning communities (PLCs), office hours, model lessons, and ongoing conversations.

The goal is not to become an AI expert. Educators need enough understanding and confidence to make informed decisions, recognize when AI adds value and when it does not, and guide students to do the same. When this is possible, we move from simple awareness of AI and its possibilities to intentional implementation.

Include Students and Families

AI professional learning should help educators understand how students are using these technologies. Students may be employing AI to brainstorm, translate, summarize, study, create images, or complete assignments. Some students may understand the limitations of these tools, while others may trust the output without questioning it.

Ask students how they are using AI. What do they think is permitted? What do they consider cheating? When do they believe AI helps them learn? When might they be relying on it too much? What do they know about the information they are sharing with AI tools? Student voice can reveal gaps between school policies and actual classroom practices. It can also help schools develop expectations that are realistic, understandable, and responsive to student needs.

Families should be part of the conversation as well. Parents and caregivers may have questions about why AI is being used, what tools students can access, how their children's information is protected, how schools define appropriate use, or how AI changes the expectations for student work. Professional learning should prepare educators to answer these questions.

Build Systems That Can Adapt

Effective AI professional learning should be part of a larger system that involves leadership, policy, curriculum, technology, families, and students. District leaders must communicate a clear vision, provide guidance about approved tools, and reflect on decisions as the technology changes. Schools should also evaluate whether professional learning is making a difference in educators’ confidence, classroom decisions, assessment practices, and understanding of privacy expectations.

The measure of successful AI professional learning goes beyond the number of tools educators explore during a workshop; it is what happens after the workshop. Are educators asking better questions? Are they protecting student information? Are they making intentional choices about when AI adds value?

The tools in use today may not be the tools used next year, which is why understanding the fundamentals of AI and how it enhances learning is essential before diving into specific tools. Effective professional learning is not an experience that tells educators to embrace every new tool or avoid AI completely. The best learning helps educators understand AI, its capabilities, and guides them to approach it with curiosity, caution, and confidence, with the human side of education at the center.

Educator and retired Major General Matt Smith has advice for fellow college educators: “Get to know your veteran students.”

Doing this is important not only because it enriches the class environment for all but because veterans or actively serving members of the military make up a significant portion of the student body at most universities. In fact, nearly 5% of college students are active military or veterans. Roughly half of that 5% are veterans and the other half are active-duty member of the military or the National Guard and reserve. That’s all according to data on military college enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Smith, a retired two-star general, now serves in a different capacity as Executive Director of Veteran Initiatives at Emory University and as director of the university’s Master of Business for Veterans program. He shares tips for educators on how to connect with veterans and military students in ways that can help facilitate excellence from these students and increase the classroom environment overall.

While the focus of our discussion is on military students, Smith emphasizes that many of these techniques and strategies apply to students from all different backgrounds.

1. Teaching Military Students: You Have More In Common Than You Might Think

While many teachers and professors might not consider their work similar to military work, there are many parallels, Smith says.

“Educators and members of the military, either still serving or veterans, have a tremendous amount in common from a purpose-driven, career, professional, choice standpoint," he says. "While the values that may have mattered at the time they made the decision to go into either profession may have been slightly different, they're really more alike than you'd find across other sectors of our society.”

Recognizing these similarities and discussing it with veteran students can be a major step toward effective class engagement, Smith says.

2. Learn About All Students, Including Those in The Military

Once you’ve established the similarities between you and your military students, it's time to start learning about their experiences, Smith says. Many veterans come to college with a range of rich life experiences and technical know-how that they can use to foster their college career. The process doesn’t have to be complicated.

“Everybody likes to talk about themselves,” Smith says, who adds that a couple of well-placed questions during an office hour or a private meeting before after class can really help. “A simple interrogative question like, ‘Hey, so tell me about your service prior to coming to school.’”

Smith adds the answer to this type of question is often pretty entertaining and really insightful about the student.

3. Remember Veterans Are Experts At Team Projects And Collaboration

One skill most veterans and active-duty military members need to develop is the ability to work in teams. Educators can harness that in their classes.

“The vast majority of the classes across any subject use team projects to educate,” Smith says. “If a certain curriculum utilizes team projects, it's like a slow-pitch softball to tap a veteran, regardless of their rank.”

This not only lets a veteran do something they are good at, but having them lead collaborative team projects can also serve as a model for their fellow students.

4. Recognize Strengths Veterans Have

Once Smith was offered a job at a major foundation, and when Smith said he didn’t think he had the qualification, the person offering him the job disagreed.

“He said, ‘Sure you do. You have a PhD in the human condition,’” Smith recalls. He realized this person had a point because the military had given him so much experience working with “such large volumes of human beings.”

Additionally, just getting that kind of affirmation was powerful.

“It kind of changed how I thought about leadership,” he says. “I was personally thankful for him pointing it out.”

Fostering the skills veterans already have, including their understanding of human experience, is key, Smith says. “They may not fully realize what they bring to the table, but part of an educator’s job is to draw out the best of people in the educational environment.”

5. Foster Leadership Lessons For All

Leadership is a key part of military training, but it’s not the only profession that fosters such skills, Smith says.

“The military doesn’t have the market cornered on leadership.” He adds that teachers are often great leaders.

Regardless of who he is teaching, Smith’s approach to leadership is based on the idea that it’s always better to learn from others’ mistakes. In other words, the right insights can save time and avoid growing pains. This is true for veteran students, but because of their extensive experience with teamwork and leadership, they sometimes have other unique lessons they can share with their classmates.

“Because leadership is about the human condition, and involves all aspects of communication, listening is most important,” Smith says, “I think eliciting the lessons learned from veterans can potentially help their peers on their life journey, whatever that path is.”

We talk with Tammy Wincup, CEO of Securly — a student safety company exclusively focused on how to help students be safe, well and ready to learn in their digital footprint — about the state of the market and how edtech CEOs can effectively lead in the current climate. You can enjoy engaging insights into these important topics during the CEO Keynote Panel: Strategies for Leading Through Market Uncertainty at the upcoming EdExec Summit, taking place September 10-11 in Chicago.

“You’ve got two polar conversations happening right now in terms of digital safety,” says Wincup. “There is the largest tech revolution that's ever happened, certainly in my lifetime, across tech around AI with administrators in districts trying to answer, ‘How do we prepare students and teachers?’ On the flip side, you've got a conversation happening in the community around using too much tech, with it coming back to a screentime and over-reliance on edtech conversation.”

Wincup, has been a leader in the educational technology realm for 25 years, with previous leadership roles at Rethink Education, Get Well and EVERFI. Her current company works with more than 27,000 schools, nearly half of all K-12 schools in the U.S.

“I’ve been in edtech before we called it edtech,” she says. “I think we're at an interesting period. It is a baseline expectation that we owe our kids a full operating safety and wellness plan, which cannot be piecemeal.”

Indeed, what used to be a side consideration, now is a main question districts have to ask and answer.

Changing Along With a Changing Market

Part of leading through a shifting economical landscape is finding your place in the big picture and addressing the heart of issues that matter

“We've gotten case studies, big districts with a hundred thousand students or more, facing the same challenges as small districts,” Wincup says. “Leading through this landscape falls back to how they operationalize it and how they tell their story to their stakeholders. Whether that's board, whether it's parents, whether it's teachers — we as an industry speak in general policies, but it's the administrators that actually have to then go make their message clear. Our job is to make sure that they have the tools to be able to execute those policies.”

As mentioned, the screen time debate continues to be a challenge.

“I was just on the phone with a very large school district considering their response and what they want to implement,” Wincup says. “Another smaller district has very masterfully used the data from their kids' digital footprint to inform teaching and learning. It’s a hard time for districts to balance both an AI revolution at the same time that parents and caregivers and boards are correctly asking, ‘Have we moved too far toward tech?’”

Backing decisions with data is one way to bring parents into the conversation, and to be confident that thoughtful decisions are made about how to use tech in the classroom.

“It’s almost like going back to 2010 when E-Rate and CIPA first came out saying, ‘We want to give funding to school districts to pay for the internet, but we also want to protect students in its use,’” Wincup says. “Those two principles are still wildly relevant. It's gotten more complicated. Now there are apps, there are tools, there are large language models, et cetera — it requires very sophisticated technology to help districts prepare for that.”

Partnering Toward Success

“Last year there was a lot of polling around how students are using AI,” Wincup says. “We said, ‘Enough asking questions.’ We know what types of prompts and character AI and relationships with AI, etc., are happening. We know that 80% of the millions of prompts we see right now are within the guardrails that districts set.”

Steering the conversation to one that addresses the real issues is key.

“The other 20% are not, so helping districts think through their AI-use policies to keep students safe within that segment is our focus,” Wincup says. “Districts can bring parents and caregivers into the conversation using data from our home app, ‘This is the summary of what your kids did in their digital footprint while they were out of school, while on their school-issued device.’”

Being a good partner to stakeholders starts with information.

“Our job is not to make more noise in a very noisy space. It's actually to quiet and bring attention to what's actually happening versus the hypotheses on it.”

Wincup feels education is an industry where the vast majority of people are there for the right reasons. They are there because they fundamentally want to put the student at the center of the conversation.

“Start every conversation, every internal meeting with how does this benefit the student?” she says. “Yes, you have to talk about how it benefits the teachers and administrators. But we have an obligation to start with the students. The education organizations that do that every day are the ones that succeed.”

In Wincup’s opinion, the largest school districts are sometimes where ed companies “go to die.”

“A lot of entrepreneurs start by thinking, ‘I need to be in the largest districts,’” she says. “I find the mid- and small-sized districts and schools are the ones that will pressure-test you and frankly make you great. They are the innovators, the ones doing more with less. Those are incredible administrators and partners with whom you’ll want to work.”

Tammy Wincup: 3 Observations of the Evolution of Edtech

The K-12 tech user and buyer is far more sophisticated. In the early 2000’s, there was a misconception that K-12 weren’t great adopters, and so you could give them average tech. The CTO buyer is one of the most sophisticated vertical buyers out there so their expectation is higher for what providers are providing to them. Setting the bar higher is a good thing for our kids and for education.

It's a noisier market. K-12 used to be a place where all single-point solutions could bloom. Anybody who had an idea for a feature could find their way. Education, correctly, is now super sophisticated in saying, ‘That's not good enough.’ Just because you have a great idea of what might help in the classroom, that is not enough.

There is a new reality because of cybersecurity. This idea that technology providers would go directly to teachers and say, "Use my thing," does not and should not fly anymore because of overall safety and security. This is another area that has evolved for the betterment of our students.

Meeting the Leaders

Wincup believes that the best relationships grow when districts ask for help to solve some of their biggest challenges.

“My hope for the summit is that we will have really robust conversations about the problems we can actually help them solve,” she says. “I'd love to hear and really dive into the big look-around-the-corner challenges that districts are facing, and put it to the larger community with an expectation that we actually help solve them.”

Wincup will be sharing her insights during the EdExec Summit at:

• CEO Keynote Panel: Strategies for Leading Through Market Uncertainty
• Table Discussions: The Compliance Moat: Privacy, Cybersecurity & AI Governance
• The Security Vetting Hurdle: How to proactively pass district safety requirements to prevent stalled deals

For Melissa McCalla, the winds of Hurricane Harvey did more than cause damage to her school in Pasadena ISD–they blew her into a new chapter of her career.

McCalla had been a teacher, an assistant principal, and finally a principal, when the devastating storm struck Texas in 2017. It flooded homes and shut down her school, but did also have unintended positive consequences.

“It kind of fundamentally changed me as a leader,” McCalla says. “I had an opportunity to really engage with our technology division teams. Eventually I was leading libraries and instructional materials as part of that work, and then I eventually became the CTO.”

McCalla has been CTO five years now (and in the district for 25 years), during which she’s implemented a personalized learning initiative at 47 of 67 of the district’s campuses that involved coaching principals. She has also been instrumental in the district’s first full-time, structured virtual school, which opens this month.

“I never thought I would sit in the chief technology officer role,” she says. “It kind of came as a surprise.”

For this and other efforts, McCalla was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award at the Tech & Learning pre-ISTE Leadership Summit in Orlando. She shares how her district is launching a new virtual high school, boosting its CTE pathways, and more.

FLExible Learning

To address different kinds of learning, Pasadena ISD is launching FLEx Virtual High School, which will feature a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction. The initiative came about after the Texas legislature expanded virtual and hybrid learning and from feedback from students and parents who were looking for a more robust learning environment.

“This will be the first year that we're able to really provide a student with opportunity that if they want to do FFA [Future Farmers of America] in person, like raising an animal, you can go to one of our brick-and-mortar schools and take those classes in a face-to-face environment, but then you could also take four or five of your other classes virtually,” McCalla says. “I think that that's a new avenue for us that we haven't had the opportunity to really do in Texas previously.”

But those other classes are not simply static online learning.

“For instance, a virtual lab for chemistry might include getting online together and doing a lab together synchronously versus you know a traditional more synchronous self-paced lesson,” she says. “Each student has an individual mentor that they meet with weekly to set goals, and a cohort of students that they would work with as in the traditional home room and virtually as well.”

Speaking of opportunities, Pasadena ISD also offers a comprehensive CTE program that has been recognized at the state level and offers diverse pathways such as criminal justice, veterinary science, and because of its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, maritime studies.

“Our program helps students to do work that sets them up for success in the Port of Houston area, including setting the stage for them and working on ships,” says McCalla. “We have a full-time maritime simulator and our students can actually learn how to pilot a boat.”

The district’s newest initiative is partnering with San Jacinto Community College in launching a gamified cybersecurity course for students in grades 5-12. McCalla also touts the district’s welding program, which offers very lucrative job opportunities thanks to all the oil and gas refineries in the region, as well as the nearby port.

“One of the great things about all of those programs, technology and learning and innovation all go together with them to some extent,” she says, adding that the skills learned in these opportunities are translatable to all manner of post-secondary paths. “You know, the way to communicate, the way to work hard. The types of professional skills that you need to work collaboratively, to think innovatively.”

Boosting Digital Wellbeing

Through a project involving ISTE and the Pinterest Impact Fund, the district has prioritized digital well-being as a key element of its innovation strategy. Part of that is creating a supportive culture that helps staff, students, and families navigate digital spaces responsibly rather than implementing restrictive bans on technology.

To do that, Pasadena ISD is utilizing parent coordinators to bridge the gap between home and school, and make sure that everyone is consistent and on the same page when it comes to the message and practices around digital wellbeing, be it at school, at home, or when a student is on their own.

“So what does that look like, and then how are we helping teach students to navigate those spaces together?” says McCalla. “What are our students saying are the important things to them and the experiences they're having in digital spaces, and then how do we help support them in being successful there as much as it is in being successful outside of those spaces?”

Building Long-Term Success

For a leader who is looking to go down the path of digital innovation, McCalla advises building a diverse task force that includes students and parents in addition to others from across the district, and then make them an active part of the work.

“Don't just get them to give you input, but actually help them create a working group that brings in their voice in and then contribute to what you're working toward,” McCalla says. “That has made a big difference for us. I believe it’s going to lead to the long-term success of this work that we're doing because they become the advocate and they help tell the story across your community. So it's not just a one-off, it's not just a one point, it really is truly a collaborative ongoing work together.”

Tools They Use

• ParentSquare
• Microsoft Copilot
• LinkedIn
• ClassLink
• Incident IQ

For Matt Kuhn, Chief Technology Officer for Volusia County Schools in Florida, artificial intelligence has been around longer than most folks realize.

“The first AI was really Clippy way back in the day, right?” Kuhn says. “In the 90s when Clippy would jump on your screen and kind of annoy you a little bit, but it was gathering feedback from you and then differentiating what it told you next in terms of assisting you in learning how to use the program.”

Like Clippy (but dramatically less annoying), Kuhn has been active in shaping how AI is being used in his district, particularly by students.

“One of the things we've learned over the last couple of years is when we talk about using AI, we talk about it being a coach, not an answer giver, or we also say that it's an augmentation to your learning,” Kuhn says. “We want all of our AI to let students go through that healthy struggle but keep them right on the edge much like a video game does. You know, when a student loves a video game, it's because that video game has mastered that moment where the student feels like with just a little more effort, I could get to the next level. That's what we want AI to also do.”

Kuhn, a former small district teacher and principal before a stint as an author and edtech consultant, was also instrumental in Volusia’s early adoption of AI.

“We had one of the first policies around AI in the state of Florida in a school district, and I know it was one of the first because a lot of districts in Florida and even other states started contacting me and asking for a copy,” he says. “Our policy took a pretty open approach to allowing AI with some guardrails put in place so that people knew what the structure of it was and how far those boundaries could be pushed. But we wanted to make sure that our teachers and our students had the freedom to innovate within certain parameters.”

Kuhn has continued to lead AI efforts in his district, which include the creation of an AI professional development academy as well as the deployment of AI agents for district leaders to help them be more efficient and effective in their work.

For this and other efforts, Kuhn was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award at the Tech & Learning pre-ISTE Leadership Summit in Orlando. He shares his district’s AI efforts for students, teachers, and staff.

AI Is A Human Endeavor

Volusia County Schools is a diverse district of 60,000 students and 8,000 employees, with about 115 in Kuhn’s IT division. And with that many involved, there was a lot of concern about how to approach AI.

“We had to alleviate their fears with training and other data to show them that AI could be a positive experience for their students,” Kuhn says. “There's still certainly people that are skeptical, but our data shows that it's being used more and more each year by our teachers and our students. And we're an A-rated district for the second year in a row by the state of Florida. So our academic scores and other indicators are going up despite the fact that our AI usage is also going up.”

To address concerns and support staff who were interested in using AI, the district created its AI Academy, a year-long program that provided ongoing professional development events rather than a one-time workshop. The academy offered differentiated learning paths for various roles, including clerical, educator, and administrative staff, and ultimately, was a hit with everyone.

“The academy kept getting so big that we kept having to change rooms to larger venues just to accommodate all of the people who wanted to go through it,” says Kuhn, who added that the experience needed to be in person. “We found that face-to-face was going to be best for this, where people had their computer in front of them and we could walk around and assist and get them collaborating. We also wanted people to realize that AI is also a human endeavor, that it's not just about technology.“

Vendor partners were also part of the program. “If something new was coming out in Copilot, for instance, we would arrange with our Microsoft customer support to teach us that latest and greatest thing so that we could roll that out right away,” Kuhn says.

The academy concluded with “Volusia Learns,” a week-long district conference during which participants received digital badges. “And now when you see their digital signature or the directory information on their school website, they're showing the badge they earned,” Kuhn says.

Agents On Board

Similar to many districts, trying to navigate and analyze data from numerous disparate sources was a growing obstacle for Volusia schools. Director of Educational Technology Melissa Carr challenged the IT team to make board policies, procedure manuals, student data, and other info that’s typically housed in different departments and silos easily accessible to all.

“In the old way of doing things you have to kind of ask everybody ‘Where do you find this? Who has the latest on this? Can they email it to me?’ says Kuhn. “She wanted it to be a quick thing where a principal could just type in some things and this stuff would appear.”

To solve that challenge, Kuhn and his team developed the Volusia County Leaders Agent, a custom AI agent using Copilot 365 that could access district and student data, board policies, and procedure manuals, all with specific naming conventions for easy indexing. They then encouraged district leaders to customize it.

“Essentially what we did is we taught them how to make their own agent,” says Kuhn. “We put together a set of instructions and we gave them the links to the SharePoint site and the URLs that we would be using, and we walked them through. It was only three pages with screenshots, so it's not like a really hard process to create an agent.”

Having the leaders make their own agents allowed them to be very specific in how they designed it, and also fostered ownership and buy-in.

“They're like, ‘Oh, I've got this agent I made,’” says Kuhn. “‘Look at this. It does this cool stuff for me.’ You know, so instead of just saying, ‘Here, use this that we gave you,’ they're proud of it."

Keeping ’Em Swimming

The district plans to continue offering PD opportunities around AI, although it may not be another full year of the AI Academy as there is limited time available for training and many implementations happening in any given year.

Nonetheless, Kuhn and his staff are identifying and training Digital Learning Teacher Leaders (DLTLs), who lead deep, ongoing training on the latest AI tools with staff members within their building, and also provide resources and support. This approach helps them try to keep up with the pace of AI’s evolution.

“It evolves so fast,” says Kuhn. “But the way we figure is if we at least get them in the pool and swimming, even if the temperature of the water changes a little bit, they'll be able to deal with it.”

Tools They Use

• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Active Directory)
• Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Forms)
• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Active Directory)
• ClassLink / VPortal (single sign-on & app catalog)
• Canvas (Learning Management System)
• Focus SIS (student information, grades, attendance, analytics)
• Focus ERP (HR, payroll, finance, purchasing, budget – 19 modules)
• IncidentIQ (help desk, work orders, asset management)
• Jamf (Apple device management)
• Cisco Meraki (network switching & wireless)
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (network access control)
• ContentKeeper (web filtering & student internet safety)
• Finalsite (district & school websites)
• BoardDocs (school board agendas & meetings)
• ParentSquare (family/school communications tied to SIS)
• Canva (instructional and staff content creation)
• IXL
• Achieve3000
• Big Ideas Math
• Khan Academy
• Desmos
• PhET
• BrainPOP
• Facilitron (facility scheduling & community use)
• Lightspeed Web and Classroom Filter

We talk with Nate Lichte, Chief Operations Officer of Lebra, about the challenges of retaining top talents in school leadership and the classroom. You can enjoy engaging insights into these important topics during Lichte’s presentation at the upcoming EdExec Summit, taking place September 10-11 in Chicago.

“I've always had a passion for leadership,” Nate Lichte says. “My mom was in human resources. Growing up I didn't get the traditional bedtime superheroes and fairy tales, I got leadership fables."

Like most fables, Lichte’s path wasn’t a simple or straight one, but it resulted in a lesson learned he brings into his work everyday.

“I got into education because I struggled with my own educational journey, so I wanted to make an impact for educators and their students,” he says. “I started in higher ed working directly with college students, which eventually led to K12. I even worked with juvenile justice and corrections education programs. I’ve been spending the last seven years with school superintendents within a company whose core product helped leaders to better connect with their employees to build a culture of belonging and ensure that the employee feels seen, valued, and inspired to grow.”

Lichte says the education sector is extremely unique, and presents difficult challenges for school leaders, who are under tremendous pressure. Every district is distinct, but most are facing the same challenges when it comes to staffing.

“Right now a lot of districts are talking about recruitment because we're dealing with this shortage of teachers,” he says. “The immediate thought is, ‘Let's go get more teachers.’ We're not talking enough about retention. It's far less expensive and far more impactful to create an environment where the best people choose to stay. At the end of the day, the best people want to work for someone that genuinely cares about them.”

Determining what matters most to the brightest stars in your school’s universe is key to keeping them.

“Teachers are not in a role for the compensation,” Lichte says. “The reason people stay is because they have great leadership. They have purpose. They have opportunity to grow. There's trust. There's flexibility. There's an authentic relationship that's built between them, the leadership, and the entire organization. That's what sets a high-performing organization apart, whether it's a K12 school district or any other industry.”

Just knowing what your staff needs is the first step. For Lichte, this isn’t about selling a product, but selling a culture that can make life better for all the stakeholders.

“Culture isn't something you can write on a wall,” he says. “Culture isn't something that happens because you throw a building a pizza party or order a snack cart on Teacher Appreciation Day. Those small things are great and may lead to a positive culture, but nine times out of ten, that's not what builds a healthy culture of belonging. What builds a strong culture of belonging is small intentional actions. It's conversations, it's feedback, it's recognition, all of those small things that happen in seconds in the day that build trust and relationships.”

Becoming the GOAT of Joy and Belonging Might Take a Few Llamas

“Culture starts from the top down,” says Lichte. “It doesn't matter whether we're working with K-12 districts, hospitals with 20,000 employees, or a private organization with 6,000. We have to start with the CEO or the superintendent of that organization. If you as the head of that organization do not believe — or don’t take the intentional actions that it takes to build a culture of belonging, it’s going to be an uphill battle.”

Small daily actions, such as noting someone’s birthday, might seem simplistic or something that wouldn’t move the needle on culture.

“When you're the superintendent of an organization and you send a personal email birthday message to an individual, it has meaningful impact,” Lichte suggests. “A superintendent in Illinois sent a last-minute birthday message to an individual in his district. The gentleman responded that he didn't know that the superintendent knew it was his birthday, and was furthermore surprised that he took the time just to wish him a happy birthday, because he's the superintendent leading this big district. His final sentence? Sometimes, being a janitor I feel at the bottom, but today — I feel at the top.”

This made such an impact on the superintendent, the district adopted a bigger recognition of birthdays and milestones across the organization. Doors were decorated, and joy and a sense of belonging was spread.

“These are the moments that matter,” Lichte says. “That individual employee will stay retained and engaged in his role because of this one small email and then everything else that the district has done to kind of change their philosophy. That's when employees feel trusted, valued. They're inspired to grow, regardless of what position they hold.”

Lichte insists this conversation should not be about recruitment, because recruitment will come when you create an environment with a focus on a culture of belonging. If that’s what you narrow in on, you're focusing on the wrong piece of the puzzle.

“The challenge for superintendents is that education is currently facing a heavy politically-charged environment,” he says. “They have budget constraints and reins are being tightened to the greatest degree they've ever experienced.”

Lichte says small intentional acts and inspiration matters. He cites Dr. George Philhower, Eastern Hancock Community Schools superintendent in Greenfield, Indiana, who has four key tenets, starting with joy.

“He wants every single individual to experience joy and that joy is exhibited not only when the kids are being taught, but when employees and teachers feel like they're part of the school,” says Lichte. “It takes intentional work. You cannot do it on Fridays and special occasions; as a leader, you need to do it every single day. If you're bleeding talent, it's because people don't believe, one, in you as the leader, or two, because your core tenets are in misalignment with what they want.”

This philosophy has attracted such a stir that 300 educators from around the country come to Philhower’s annual Joy Jam educators’ conference. To be fair, this is the same man who sent a local farmer in uniform riding a horse past a history classroom yelling, “The British are coming!”

So how does joy express itself in Greenfield, Indiana?

Says Lichte: “The best way I can sum up that conference is as I'm walking down to the main session, George passes me and says, ‘Have you seen a goat? We've lost the goat.’ The next thing I heard was his voice calling down the hall, ‘The llamas are slipping on the floor. We need a tarp for the llamas!’ Because this conference brought in everything that exhibits joy. This is why George doesn’t have a recruitment problem.”

3 Takeaways To Gain From Nate Lichte’s EdExec Summit Presentation

Culture is not a pizza party. Leadership is building a high-performing organization around a culture of belonging, built on a foundation of connection. You can’t have one without the other.

Start from the ground up. Learn from the good work already taking place, such as the birthday note example. Sharing best practices starts a conversation to spark ideas. Other creative things are happening organically in districts.

Create environments that people don't wanna leave. You can't just do it on Tuesdays and Fridays or because it feels like the right thing to do. You have to block your calendar 5-10 minutes every day and go find someone to make feel seen. If you're not giving this culture the same intention that you give your budget, then you're missing the mark.

Collaboration is a hallmark of many of NASA’s endeavors. In 2020, NASA and the Department of State joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, introducing the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between like-minded nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. A few days ago, the 70th nation joined the accord.

“When we brainstorm in the classroom, you're in a bubble,” says educator and NASA Solar System Ambassador Tim Needles of Smithtown School District in New York. “In some of these programs, much like in the space program, we will collaborate on a project with three or four different countries. Introducing students to other places gives them different experiences to pull from, even when they are back in that bubble. Every single time, there is surprise learning that happens.”

A cooperative perspective is key in advancing learning into infinite possibilities.

”It’s invaluable because yes, there's the things you expect in the curriculum, but we're learning about how to collaborate with people from different cultures and appreciate different perspectives within that learning,” Needles says. “When they put together the James Webb Telescope, it was a collaboration of a few different countries. So we collaborated with a class in Switzerland to actually build a model of the James Webb. They did part of it and mailed it to us, and then we did the other part. Just modeling that kind of international collaboration is a great lesson by itself.”

For helping students explore space and the world around them, and other efforts, Needles was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award.

Needles, also a nationally renowned expert on STEAM, shares his work with the NASA Solar System Ambassador Program and offers tips for those interested in getting involved.

Stepping (Way) Outside the Classroom

Needles has been a NASA Solar System Ambassador for a few years. “We work through the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California, and we get trained on every mission,” he says. “The idea is to be able to communicate that information back in the world of education or in the community.”

Participating in events to support NASA helps others understand what space missions are about. Part of this message is also educating others on what the space program has already added to their lives without them even noticing.

“A lot of times, teachers don't even know the connections to space in what we are teaching,” Needles says. “If I'm working with a science class and we're looking at the environment, a lot of that data comes from the space program. As a NASA Ambassador I can help them understand how this upcoming mission is actually going to be really important to get new data to use.”

Exciting new developments will keep Needles busy sharing what he learns at NASA’s JPL. During the recent Artemis Project launch, he shared weekly videos and K-12 lesson plans — from designing a mission patch logo to using physics and math to calculate a flight plan — across his district and, as a NYSCATE board member, with all New York teachers.

“It’s really a new frontier, especially now with Artemis,” he says. “We're going to be building a base on the moon to be interplanetary at some point and try to get to Mars. We're going to have the first female on the moon in the next two to three years, which is very exciting. I watched Apollo 13 last night and it ends with them talking about when is the next man going to be on the moon? And I'm thinking, ‘Not exactly.’”

Through the program, Needles adds depth to his classroom by inviting people who work at NASA for a virtual meeting during which students can engage with one of the engineers, designers, or even the occasional astronaut.

“There's no better experience than that,” he says. “Whether it's involving AI or the environment, it all correlates to some of the things I'm doing within the NASA Solar System Ambassador Program. It’s exciting what we’re able to do in the classroom now. It’s just so interesting and really poignant at the moment, to be involved in this most important work.”

To Infinity … And Closer

Needles doesn’t need to bring students to space to build their global perspective.

“We went to the Galapagos two years ago. This year we went to Japan and Korea,” Needles says. “I think there's no better education program than going somewhere else and learning about a different culture and the different ways that people live. In today's AI world, those human skills of collaboration and openness to different perspectives are more important than ever. Travel opens your mind to different perspectives, which is more important than ever.”

Opening minds through bringing awareness of our place in the puzzle of the universe, first on a global scale, was good practice for becoming a NASA ambassador.

“So many of the students I bring on these tours haven't even been to New York City, and it's only an hour-and-a-half away by train,” Needles says. “Bringing them to somewhere like Ecuador, where it’s just an entirely different culture — it’s so exciting to see the impact. There's very few things you take on in education where you know that students’ lives are going to change from having that one experience. Every trip I take opens up the universe to these kids, many who then become world travelers in college and beyond.”

Students aren’t the only beneficiaries of gaining a global perspective.

“Now I'm traveling with teachers, which I've never done before,” Needles says. “I'm working with NYSCATE and a few other groups to do a teacher tour next summer exploring England, Scotland and Ireland. We connect with locals virtually before the trips to make connections and learn a little about their experience. We can really see how we're all one planet and how things are connected.”

Each destination has its own lesson.

“I went to Iceland for the first time last year and was entranced by how much of their energy is geothermal,” Needles says. “You go to a place like Amsterdam with the amount of people using bikes, or Europe’s reliance on public transportation, it's like, ‘Oh, so this is possible.’ It really opens your mind to what you could do, and how different things could be.”

3 Ways To Incorporate the NASA Ambassador Program Into Your District

Needles share how districts can implement the NASA Ambassador program into learning.

Plan an ambassador visit. The global program has over 145 ambassadors and another 1,200 volunteers. “You can access the website, look up the nearest ambassador to you and reach out,” Needles says. “They are always happy to come to the classroom and support the teachers or set up a book talk with an astronaut author. It's a free program — when we're working as Solar System Ambassadors, we don't charge.”

Volunteer with the program. If you have an interest and free time, you can start as a volunteer, and after participating in a few different events, apply for a bigger role. “The solar system is the overall topic, but you can have specialties such as working with a telescope or STEAM,” Needles says. “It is very flexible. They offer 2-10 trainings each week to hop on and learn about each new program.”

Apply to become an ambassador. You can apply through the program’s website. “There are a lot of opportunities and you get a badge and can visit the JPL on certain dates, as well as learn all about every new program or space telescope launch,” Needles says. Applications are considered annually for the three-year role.

Needles Teaching Videos:

• Artemis video
• Planet video
• Design with AI video

Tools They Use

• Discovery Education
• Adobe (Express, Aqua, Firefly, Photoshop, & Premiere)
• Google Education (with Notebook LM & Gemini)
• National Geographic Education
• SchoolAI
• Magic School
• Snorkl
• Claude
• Wakelet
• Quiver
• Sphero
• Phet Interactive
• SMART
• Wayground
• Lego
• Free Resources:
• NASA Solar System Ambassadors
• NASA Eyes
• NASA Learning Resources
• Okgo Sandbox
• Discovery Education AI Literacy

Franklin Special District (FSD) is the only district in Tennessee to offer aerospace as a high school credit course to 8th graders. It has no entry requirements, making this CTE opportunity attainable for every student.

“We were hopeful that the students would connect with the subject and find it interesting, but they've really taken to it beyond my wildest dreams,” says Mary Decker, Associate Director of Schools for Teaching & Learning at FSD, who developed and leads the district’s aerospace program. “We have quite a few students who are now pursuing a career in aerospace. Many of them really weren't familiar with aviation before they took this class.”

A Tennessee Department of Education Innovative School Models (ISM) grant provided the district with $1 million to pursue college and career technical education (CTE) programming. Through this grant program, Decker reimagined modes of time, space, and learning in partnerships between middle and high schools, post-secondary, and the aerospace industry.

“It definitely gives them that real-world, hands-on learning that the students are craving,” Decker says. “There are some students who struggle with learning in traditional ways, but when you factor in the simulator time, it's really speaking their language. We've seen them become more open to the academic, book learning side of the class.”

For this and other efforts, Decker was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award. She shares details about her popular aerospace program implementation and tips for those interested in creating a similar program in their district.

‘Flying Before Driving’

Middle school might sound ambitious for such a program, but Decker says that’s not the case.

“I've had some people say to me, ‘Aren't they too young? Can they really appreciate the time on the flight simulators? Isn't this too much for them?’” she says. “They have absolutely risen to the occasion. They have excelled. Students rise to the level of our expectations, and I think this program has really demonstrated that.”

The program has created opportunities for in-demand and lucrative careers, such as future pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance technicians, and aeronautical engineers. Some students will be poised to earn their private pilot license before they are old enough to drive.

“They are just finishing their freshman year of high school and already have aerospace in mind as a career,” Decker says. “They are thinking, ‘How can I start building up my flying hours? How can I start taking flight lessons? What other courses should I be taking? How should I be building my high school schedule so that it fits in with what I'm planning to do?’ Just seeing that sense of direction already in ninth graders is amazing.”

The program also offers other benefits to students.

“Getting the correct education and licenses for an aviation career is expensive and can be complicated,” Decker says. “If there are financial obstacles in the way, or students are intimidated by the process to get where they want to go, we wanted to take all of that away and just say, ‘If you're interested, we are going to do everything we can to take you as far as possible with aerospace.’”

Sims for the Win

Simulators aren’t just about sliding into a machine for a video game session. It involves navigation, management of emergencies, instrument awareness, taxi and hangar skills in a variety of aircraft.

Each FSD aerospace program classroom has at least five Redbird Jay Velocity Flight Simulators that students use daily, and at least one Redbird TD flight simulator, which is FAA-certified as a Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) and a Redbird LD simulator.

“They can practice radio calls. They can simulate emergency scenarios. It continually gets more complicated and more realistic,” says Decker. “If they are working with a certified flight instructor, these are simulators that pilots can use to actually log flight time. They're authorized Federal Aviation Administration training devices. We offer students the best learning experience and the most realistic simulation of flight.”

The Redbird simulators allow different aircraft to be programmed for different scenarios in whatever type of flight the teacher wants them to learn for the day,

All this exposure sets students up for success regardless of which aerospace track they pursue.

“If they do go on to earn their pilot certificate, they've already banked some of that experience. If they are interested in becoming an air traffic controller, they have experience with radio calls. If they're going into aircraft maintenance, they have a better understanding of flight characteristics in different airplanes they've been introduced to through the simulators. It’s really just a win-win with the sims.”

Find a Teacher With Their Head in the Clouds

The first step in launching an aviation-aimed program is to find the right educators for the job. FSD has one dedicated aerospace teacher, who walks back and forth between adjacent middle schools.

“Not only is he a licensed teacher, he has a private pilot certificate and owns his own airplane,” Decker says. “We just got very fortunate that we have such a great teacher and he obviously knows the content exceptionally well. He has forged really fantastic relationships with the students.”

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t hit the aerospace-superstar lottery in your district.

“I have talked to other districts where they've had a teacher come in who wasn’t necessarily knowledgeable about aerospace, but was very enthusiastic,” Decker says. “They were still able to use the curriculum, learn about the simulators and teach the class very successfully. We’ve had other STEM teachers attend professional learning around aerospace so that we have a team who are knowledgeable and are able to provide support, but our aerospace teacher handles all of the classes at this point.”

If there is one wish Decker had for the future of the program, it is simply to have more of it.

“I'd love to expand the program someday,” she says. “The way our master scheduling works, this class is an elective. It currently works very well for us to have the two classes at each middle school, so one teacher is able to handle it.”

FSD uses the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) High School Aviation STEM Curriculum, which provides a solid foundation.

“The AOPA sets the standard for a comprehensive aerospace curriculum,” Decker says. “They work closely with Redbird to incorporate the simulator instruction so the teacher knows the best lessons to integrate for a specific scenario in the simulator. The two definitely work hand-in-hand. It includes aerospace history, aerodynamics, engineering, flight characteristics of different aircraft, even a section on unmanned aerial systems.”

A Winning Pilot Program

Part of launching an education program based on the art of aviation is letting students’ ambitions and imaginations take flight.

“We're about three hours away from Memphis, where FedEx is based so a lot of FedEx pilots live in the area,” says Decker. “They have been very generous in coming in and talking to the kids, letting them know what their careers and path to flying looked like. We had a Southwest Airlines representative come in to tour the classes and meet with the students.”

Getting a pilot’s perspective on the industry is great, but seeing them in action is inspiring. Students get to attend the Great Tennessee Air Show in nearby Smyrna to see multiple types of aircraft, and interact with the pilots and various support personnel.

The flight and aerospace industry is broad and varied in the area. For example, pilots from a hot air balloon company have done demonstrations and students have visited the aviation program at nearby Middle Tennessee State University.

“We're definitely trying to involve the community, and specifically the aviation community, to show our students all the paths they can take to achieve their aviation dreams,” Decker says.

Taking the wheel isn’t the only option for interested students.

“We definitely wanted to develop pilots, but there are so many opportunities and jobs available in aerospace careers — air traffic controller, aircraft maintenance, aeronautical engineer, airport manager . . . .” Decker says. “Whatever their interest is, we are here to encourage it.”

3 Tips to Helping an Aerospace Program Take Off

Decker offers advice for others looking to launch a career pathway in aerospace.

1. Build Your Team — “If somebody's looking to start an aerospace program, think beyond finding a great teacher,” she says. “It really has to be a team effort to make it as high quality as possible for the students. Our instructional technology specialists, curriculum supervisor and technology supervisor and members of his tech team have really thrown themself into supporting this program. I’m really fortunate that they saw the possibilities this would offer students and have been enthusiastic from day one.”

2. Give the Team Support and Information — “Make sure the teacher has everything they need with regard to curriculum, provide them with professional learning,” Decker says. “Have your technology team and instructional technology attend training and learn how to set up and troubleshoot the sims so that they are always running perfectly. Make sure school administrators have all the background and are kept well-informed because their support is really important as well.”

3. Find the Finances — “We were fortunate that we have this ISM grant, but I also applied and received a smaller grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation,” Decker says. “If you have money within your budget to allocate that’s great, but take the time to explore state grant funding sources. The AOPA curriculum is free, but plan funding to ensure simulators will be part of your program. They are not inexpensive, but they're worth it and really crucial.”

Tools They Use

• i-Ready
• aimswebPlus
• Discovery Education
• Learning.com
• Destiny
• Code HS
• Quaver Music
• QuaverReady
• Clever
• Skyward
• GoGuardian
• Parsec
• Curriculum-specific tech resources include: McGraw Hill Wonders (K-4); Savvas Realize Science (K-8); Studies Weekly (K-2); Gallopade (3-8); Open Up Reading (5); Savvas My Perspectives Reading (6); McGraw Hill StudySync Reading (7-8); Actively Learn ; McGraw Hill Math (5-6); Big Ideas Math (7-8, Algebra 1, Geometry)

The insights from a recent Ed-Tech Leadership Collective Briefing paint a clear picture: the traditional playbook for marketing to school districts is obsolete. Today’s educational leaders are navigating a perfect storm of tightening budgets, expiring stimulus funds, and an unprecedented volume of vendor outreach.

The Briefing, co-hosted by Tech & Learning, featured two speakers from T&L’s EdExec Summit, taking place in Chicago on September 10-11. The discussion offered a sneak peek into the kinds of conversations expected to take place at this event for education executives.

Collin Earnst, Founder and Managing Partner at the Ed-tech Leadership Collective, spoke with Trina Reeves (Director of STEM and Innovation at Clayton County Schools, GA) and Joe Ayala (Director of Information Technology at Santa Clara USD, CA), to hear their candid feedback to education companies looking to market to them.

Below are the insights education companies can use to evolve their marketing and sales strategies and build lasting partnerships with schools.

The New Era of Budget Scrutiny and ROI

The days of easily accessible ESSER funds are gone. Districts are now managing the realities of inflation, cost escalators, and, in many cases, staff reductions.

Consequently, the scrutiny placed on spending has never been higher. Superintendents and school boards are demanding concrete proof of a product’s Return on Investment (ROI).

"One thing that is being asked more than ever is, ‘Is your product actually making a difference?’” Ayala said. “From the superintendent level to the board members, I've been asked more about ROI than I have in my entire career over the last six months."

Trina Reaves echoed this reality, noting that shifting leadership brings intense new focus on metrics. Sharing a recent conversation with her new superintendent, she detailed his strict mandate: "’I want to see the data, I want to see usage. I want to compare it to scores, how the students are performing.’ He says if it's not making a difference, it's going to go."

To market effectively in this environment, vendors must proactively assist district leaders in proving this value. Enter conversations armed with data, usage metrics, and a clear understanding of the district’s specific strategic plan and needs. Don’t put the burden of justifying a product's cost on the district.

Cutting Through the Vendor Noise

District leaders are inundated with sales pitches. With some administrators receiving upward of 200 calls per day and countless emails, the push for a "quick win" or an immediate long-term contract can permanently damage a relationship.

"I've actually fired quite a few vendors,” said Ayala. “If they went really hard on the first sale, I'm like, ‘Okay, I'll give you one sale, but we're not going to form a partnership. You got that one PO from me, but you're not going to get any more POs.’”

To break through the noise, education companies must pivot to a value-first, relationship-based approach:

▶Go slow to go fast: Building a genuine partnership can sometimes take years. Rushing a district into a long-term commitment before they have secured funding or proven the concept through a pilot will likely burn bridges.

▶Show up without an ask: Support district events, attend regional STEM collaboratives, and send check-in emails that offer value rather than a sales pitch.

▶Respect the chain of command: If an initial pilot or conversation is moving slowly, do not bypass your primary contact to pitch directly to the superintendent or principal. This is a surefire way to get blacklisted.

When you do earn that trust, the loyalty is profound. "Once you're my partner, we're partners and 10 toes down for you all the time," Reaves said. "When I think of something, I'm calling you. When I need something, I'm calling you."

Flexibility in Pricing and Implementation

Rigidity in software licensing is a major friction point for modern districts. If a tool is primarily utilized by a specific subset of teachers, vendors should not force a district-wide site license.

"There is no way I should pay for 5,000 licenses, and only 100 kids are using it,” Reaves said. “If those 100 kids are doing great but we’re spending $2 million, that's a problem."

When budgets are tight, vendors who adapt their pricing and packaging to match actual usage will retain clients. Furthermore, successful implementation requires ongoing PD. Because teacher turnover is high, Reaves suggests packaging PD deeply into the adoption rather than treating it as a massive, recurring separate line item that eats into a district's limited PD budget.

Standardizing and Sharing Meaningful Data

You cannot prove ROI without accurate data, yet many edtech platforms make data extraction unnecessarily difficult. Beautiful, high-level presentation dashboards are nice, but district IT leaders need raw, exportable data to integrate with their own internal systems.

"I think the next iteration of edtech is developing some data standards of reporting data back,” said Ayala. “One easy thing that you do is make sure the usage data is easily exported."

Vendors must collaborate with districts to define what constitutes an “active user.” Is it one login per month, or five interactive sessions per week? By establishing shared metrics and making data sharing agreements seamless, vendors empower district leaders to confidently defend the product to their school boards.

The Ed-Tech Vendor Playbook: Do's and Don'ts

The Bottom Line

Marketing to K-12 educators today requires empathy, patience, and a willingness to adapt. Vendors who listen to a district's financial constraints, respect their time, and prioritize slow, authentic relationship-building will ultimately thrive.

As the conversation with Reaves and Ayala makes clear: once you prove your value and earn the title of a true "partner," district leaders will advocate fiercely for your continued presence in their schools.

To build a winning strategy for the post-stimulus education market, join us at Tech & Learning's EdExec Summit on September 10-11 in Chicago. Featuring tailored tracks for every functional leader, each session is co-facilitated by a district buyer—providing exclusive, direct insights to help you craft an actionable business plan.

In today’s digitally rich environments, the value of knowledge lies not simply in its availability but in how effectively it is created, refined, and applied over time. Knowledge management addresses the use of data for instructional and school improvement, and should ensure that administrative processes and procedures are clearly outlined in such a way that organizations do not lose knowledge or efficiency when personnel leave, rotate, or are otherwise unavailable.

The process facet of knowledge management should be a continuous cycle in which educators and institutions intentionally capture insights, reduce complex tasks to clearly defined processes, and systematically share and apply that knowledge to improve practice. This process-driven approach enables schools and districts to learn from prior initiatives, sustain institutional memory, and adapt more effectively to change. By embedding knowledge management considerations into daily practice, institutions can strengthen their processes and reduce the costs associated with personnel transitions.

One of my students recently raised the concern that she worked within a team of five. Even though they all effectively shared the same job title, each covered a specific group of students. When someone was absent, however, there was a loss as the specifics of dealing with that student group were not always documented.

This kind of approach causes delays when someone is out sick or on vacation, and can be significantly more detrimental when a key player leaves an organization, and no one has been cross-trained to deal with the totality of the vacated position.

What should technology leaders do to ensure this facet of knowledge management is embedded into their instructional practices?

1. Capture What Employees Know

Too often, valuable knowledge remains locked in the experiences of individuals. Effective knowledge management begins by intentionally capturing both formal and informal procedures, from routine office workflows to exceptions that staff learn to handle through experience. When clerical employees document what steps they take and which systems they update, who must be notified, and how they verify accuracy, they convert individual know-how into transferable organizational knowledge. This is particularly important in a world where change control is usually controlled by a cloud-based provider and not the institution itself.

For example, when a clerical employee changes a student’s bus route, the process may require updating the student information system, notifying transportation, alerting the classroom teacher and office staff, confirming parent or guardian communication, and checking that the old route no longer appears in any active roster or report. If those steps are not clearly documented, the change may be completed in one system but missed in another, creating confusion for staff and potentially inaccurate information for families.

Leaders should ensure that routine clerical tasks such as address changes, attendance corrections, schedule adjustments, or transportation updates are supported by clear, step-by-step procedures that can be followed consistently by any trained employee.

2. Reduce Critical Single Points of Failure

One of the most significant risks facing schools and districts is the existence of critical single points of failure. These situations in which essential knowledge or processes reside with only one employee seem to be more common as school budgets are stretched. These vulnerabilities often go unnoticed until a key individual is absent, retires, or accepts a position elsewhere.

In many educational organizations, long-serving employees develop expertise that is never formally documented because "they have always handled it." While this arrangement may appear efficient, it creates organizational risk. For example, a district technology coordinator may be the only person who knows how to submit annual state technology reports, manage key integrations between the student information system and learning management system, or update user provisioning rules. If that employee unexpectedly leaves, the district may struggle to complete required reporting, restore system functionality, or troubleshoot issues that arise during critical periods such as student registration or state testing.

Technology leaders should routinely identify processes that depend on a single individual and prioritize documenting those workflows, creating backup procedures, and assigning secondary personnel who can perform the task when necessary.

Institutional knowledge should belong to the organization, not to any one employee. One of the best ways to address this issue is to cross-train staff.

3. Build Cross-Training into Organizational Culture

Documentation is an important first step, but written procedures alone do not guarantee organizational resilience. Employees must also have opportunities to learn and practice responsibilities outside their primary roles. Cross-training helps ensure that critical functions can continue even when key personnel are unavailable while also fostering greater collaboration and understanding across departments.

In educational settings, cross-training might involve office staff learning basic attendance reporting procedures normally handled by another clerk, instructional technology specialists learning the fundamentals of student account provisioning, or technology support staff becoming familiar with the district's purchasing and inventory systems.

Consider a school district in which only one employee manages the onboarding process for new staff members. If that individual is absent during the busy summer hiring season, delays may occur in creating network accounts, issuing devices, assigning software licenses, and granting access to instructional resources. By cross-training at least one additional employee and periodically allowing that person to perform the process independently, the district can ensure continuity of service and reduce disruptions. Periodically performing the process is essential so cross-training employees remember what they are doing and can catch any small changes to software that might modify the process that went unnoticed.

Effective technology leaders view cross-training as an ongoing investment in organizational capacity, employee growth, and operational stability.

4. Use Technology to Strengthen Process Consistency

Rather than relying on employees to remember procedures or learn through informal conversations, schools should leverage digital tools to create systems that guide staff through established workflows and provide easy access to current information. Knowledge bases, internal wikis, shared cloud documentation systems, workflow automation platforms, and ticketing systems can help standardize processes and ensure that a critical task is completed consistently regardless of who performs it.

For example, when a student's address changes, a documented workflow can guide staff through updating the student information system, notifying transportation services, communicating with teachers, and verifying that all related records have been updated. By embedding procedures within technology systems, organizations reduce the likelihood of missed steps and create greater continuity when employees are absent or positions change.

Artificial intelligence further enhances these capabilities by making organizational knowledge easier to access and use. AI tools can summarize lengthy procedures, generate first drafts of documentation, create frequently asked questions from existing manuals, and help employees quickly locate the information they need. A staff member unfamiliar with a process may be able to ask an AI-powered knowledge assistant how to complete a particular task and receive guidance drawn directly from institutional documentation.

Similarly, a short video demonstration or screen recording can provide visual instruction that is often more effective than pages of written directions. (It is important that these videos and other instructions are representative of the school’s version of the software. One cannot simply use “off-the-shelf instruction” in many cases, as they can cause confusion.)

Technology and AI cannot replace the need for strong underlying processes, however. Poorly documented procedures simply result in faster distribution of inaccurate information.

The effectiveness of AI and other knowledge-management technologies depends entirely on the quality of the knowledge contained within. Technology leaders should therefore view these tools as mechanisms for preserving institutional memory, improving process consistency, and ensuring that organizational knowledge remains available long after individual employees move on to new roles.

Effective Process Management

Ultimately, effective process management is an essential leadership responsibility. When schools intentionally document procedures, cross-train employees, and use technology to make knowledge accessible, they reduce disruption, preserve institutional memory, and improve service to students, families, and staff.

Successful leaders and organizations do not depend on one person knowing what to do. They build systems that ensure important work can continue accurately, consistently, and confidently, regardless of who is available to perform it.

Watch above or listen/download below.

For nearly 30 years, E-Rate has been what one might call the most boring of utility programs — a broadband subsidy that quietly connects America's schools and libraries. Now the FCC is asking whether it should exist at all.

Reg Leichty, founding partner of Foresight Law + Policy and a longtime E-Rate advocate, joined the Tech & Learning podcast to break down the commission's newly opened review of the program. His first message: don't panic. His second: take this seriously.

"Sunsetting," he notes, is the polite framing — the proceeding is an inquiry into whether the investment should be terminated.

Leichty pushes back on the review's central premise, which ties E-Rate to concerns about student screen time. Questions about how much time kids spend online are worth asking, he says, but these fall outside the scope of the program and the FCC's telecommunications mandate — an inappropriate merger of two different streams of work.

The stakes are concrete. E-Rate is a need-based subsidy, scaled to community poverty levels, that supports everything from dark fiber projects to wireless access points. Remove it, and those costs fall on local communities — hitting hardest in low-income districts and expensive-to-connect rural areas such as the Nebraska town where Leichty grew up. He also sees a contradiction in questioning school connectivity at the very moment the administration is championing AI readiness.

Still, Leichty argues periodic review is healthy, and this proceeding is a chance to modernize the program's badly dated cybersecurity provisions using early learnings from the FCC's cybersecurity pilot.

The timeline offers breathing room: a 60-day comment period once the notice hits the Federal Register, 30 more days for replies, and likely no implementation before 2028.

Leichty's advice for district leaders: contact your members of Congress this month to educate them about what E-Rate does in their district, and file comments through the FCC's electronic filing system when the window opens.

Take action: The FCC's comment window opens once the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, and as Leichty notes, the commission is obligated to review every comment it receives.

- District leaders can file directly through the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System — reference WC Docket No. 26-133 — using either a written document or the express comment field.

- The full NPRM and commissioner statements are available on the FCC's website.

- For advocacy resources and updates on the proceeding, CoSN has issued a statement on the review and maintains ongoing E-Rate advocacy tools for members.

- And per Leichty's two-part strategy: don't wait for the comment window — contact your House member and senators this month and tell them what E-Rate funds in your district.

Watch above or listen/download below.

Most conversations about education equity focus on helping students who are struggling. AJ Gutierrez wants to talk about those who are achieving yet are still being overlooked.

As the new CEO of Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), Gutierrez is leading a national nonprofit that partners with more than 900 middle and high schools across 35 states to identify students who are prepared for advanced coursework but aren't getting access to it. In this conversation with Tech & Learning, he offers insights for district leaders on how to do more for students that may be off the radar.

A recent Mathematica study found that EOS partner schools identify more than 2.5 times as many underrepresented students ready for AP, IB, or dual enrollment compared to traditional methods — and that those students, once placed, perform just as well as their peers.

"There's a huge subset of students who are ready for advanced coursework who were, for many reasons, being overlooked," Gutierrez says. "If you look at things like the PSAT, there was a large study EOS conducted with EdTrust where they were missing on 80% of students who would have qualified."

What makes the EOS approach distinct is what it measures. Beyond grades and test scores, EOS collects student survey data on factors such as whether a student feels connected to a trusted adult at school, their future aspirations, and their sense of belonging. When those insights are combined with academic data — and increasingly, with AI-driven predictive analytics — patterns emerge that no dashboard alone would surface.

"Education is always going to be human-led, but technology-augmented," Gutierrez says. "You can't just share a dashboard or a widget and expect big change. You're talking about shifting mindsets and shifting human behavior."

Gutierrez brings a personal dimension to the work. A product of Boston's Match Education program, he credits rigorous coursework and personalized support as pivotal in his own trajectory. He went on to co-found Saga Education, which helped catalyze a national high-impact tutoring movement and secure more than $7 billion in public investment between 2020 and today.

At EOS, his next focus is chronic absenteeism — using the organization's survey data and emerging AI tools to identify students at risk of disengaging before it's too late.

"If we focus on individual students," he says, "we can increase the odds of improving average daily attendance."

“We have been on this planet for a very long time and we've evolved,” says Kimberly Zajac, a speech language pathologist at Norton Public Schools in Mansfield, Massachusetts. “Society changes with time. Communication has always been a basic human right. Too often we put the onus of the work onto the wrong people to be able to access, engage, and be part of the community and what's happening in this world.”

Zajac aims to end this burden by smoothing the road for all students using technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. She has developed a replicable model for integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) as an inclusive practice, providing comprehensive professional development and embedded coaching, ensuring that all educators—not just special education staff—are equipped to support students with complex communication needs. This dismantles systemic barriers, creating a learning environment in which students who have been historically marginalized are given the tools to thrive academically and socially.

Zajac, who was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for this and other efforts, shares her “Guide to Preparing for Title II Accessibility Requirements” as well as tips for those interested in creating the best program possible.

An Evolution in Education

“The work I do around accessibility and inclusion and communication in tandem with policy that we've gotten from the DOJ with the ADA Title II and the WCAG guidelines really elevates this idea that we need to take a long, hard look at what we're doing and how we're doing it,” Zajac says. “We need to redesign that to be more accessible and eliminate the barriers in order to evolve as a human race.”

As communication continues to evolve alongside technology, Zajac suggests it was “a ripe time” to learn about the new developments and new ways to support students with their alternative and augmentative communication needs, and to fill in any gaps. Collaborating with district leadership, Zajac and her team did a survey and came up with a five-year plan to build capacity and elevate access and inclusion through communication from pre-K to 12 plus.

“We were able to articulate and apply to grants on a local level, which were well received,” Zajac says. “We received a significant amount of funding locally and at the state level to not only purchase hardware and software, but also to invite professional development and coaching, which is really the glue to helping things turn into actions and experiences for our students and their families.”

This effort brought positive results for everyone.

“The stewards along that path — the teachers, the stakeholders, the parents — are all in it together to bring our learners into the future and make sure their full capacity is realized,” Zajac says. “The point is that it takes a village. The stakeholders are far, wide and vast — they bring valuable individual-lived experience to the table that creates connection and benefits the learners we serve.”

5 Reasons Digital Accessibility Is Important Beyond Compliance

• One in Five People Have a Disability - Actions help more than you think.
• Legal Risks - ADA complaints, costly investigations, and lawsuits with private right of action.
• Educational Barriers - Digital inaccessibility means students with disabilities cannot access the same education.
• Reputational Damage - Non-compliance signals that equity is not a true district priority.
• Universal Design Benefits All Learners - Accessible design principles — captions, clear contrast, keyboard navigation — improve the learning experience for every student, not just those with disabilities.

How Implementation Looks in the Classroom

Zajac hasn’t reached the end of her five-year plan and is realizing it to be just the tip of the iceberg.

“We've experienced a wonderful transformation,” she says. “We have seen increased use of alternative and augmentative communication processes, systems, devices, strategies and assets within a great number of classrooms in our target range of pre-K to 12. It's making significant impact in the way that students are able to be engaged in and included in all aspects of their day.”

Zajac is seeing improvements in academics as well as in social-specific areas, ranging from circle time to snack time, lunch time extending into extracurriculars. Increasing inclusivity into these social-centered elements of a school day are critical to giving all students a sense of belonging.

“I just can't say how important it is that we inspire educators and families and stakeholders at scale to think about learners from the margins as we develop our systems and policies,” she says. “It's a human process to have blind spots. It's impossible not to have them, but that's where the stakeholders come in. Lived experience can inform who might have accidentally been excluded. You can then move forward with policies and strategic system approaches that do honor all the voices that should be represented.”

This has led to more participation from students, who are more eager to contribute to the conversation. Students who do not face communication issues are also curious and interested about how the technology works.

For example, Zajac says, “I was in a group this morning that included one of my non-speaking students who uses an iPad to support the expressive communication element of his participation. Every single student involved in the activity was choosing to utilize the iPad in addition to their verbal communication. Each time a student reached for the iPad, the non-speaking student’s smile grew bigger.”

The 5-Step Compliance Plan

• The Audit Comprehensive review of all digital properties to understand scope.
• The Roadmap Timeline to bridge gaps; prioritize high-leverage systems first.
• Procurement Reform Update RFPs to include accessibility requirements for all vendors.
• Staff Training Build internal capacity so accessible content is created from day one.
• Documentation Record all actions; publish a public accessibility statement online.

Zajac feels one of the most important things we need to establish for students in schools today is that when they arrive, they feel like they belong there—that they are seen, that they are heard, and that there are more things in common among their classmates than there are differences.

“We've known about UDL in the past, but there hasn't been this call to action for the tools to actually have features that make it possible for teachers to design, deliver, and execute the end goal with the student,” Zajac says, adding there's nothing more exciting than seeing it coming together.

“Today, my student— his face just lit up when other students were choosing to use the iPad,” Zajac says. “It hit me, ‘Oh my goodness, he feels so comfortable here. He's letting his emotions out.’ That's that ‘sense of belonging’ indicator. There is no finish line. You just have to commit to that dynamic ongoing process. But we're doing things right when students can let their guard down and be who they are in the space.”

Compliance, Whose Responsibility Is it? Know Your Role

• IT & Technology System configuration, assistive tech support, platform audits.
• Curriculum & Instruction Accessible lesson plans, screen-reader-friendly materials.
• Procurement Vetting vendors for WCAG compliance before purchase.
• Special & General Ed Aligning classroom tools with individual student needs.
• Leadership Steering the cross-functional team; accountability to the board.
• Families & Community Providing feedback on real user experience.

Tools They Use

• Google Gemini
• Glint by NerChat
• Lightspeed
• Everyway
• Canva

For Lauren Harwood, becoming Director of Instructional Technology and Operations at

Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District in Massachusetts has truly been a homecoming.

“My dad was a science teacher here for 40 years, and in the summer while my mom was at work, I was always with him when he'd come in,” Harwood says. “So, I would be roller skating in these hallways in the summer! It's just such a part of my life.”

And it even continues to be, as in addition to supporting the district she grew up in, her oldest daughter teaches science in the classroom across the hall from where her dad's classroom was.

Still, returning had its bumpy moments. At Harwood’s previous position, she had been a “one-man band” tech director at an agricultural school, which meant she was constantly on call and responsible for resolving any and all issues. Changing that mindset has been a work in progress.

“One of the hardest parts for me in the transition was not jumping up to fix everything because I now have people to do that,” she says, adding that the rural district of 2,600 students poses a mixed bag of new challenges, from coordinating route changes with bus companies and learning about HVAC systems. “I now get to learn something new every day and I enjoy that.”

Harwood, recently recognized by Tech & Learning with an Innovative Leader Award, has focused her energy on three primary areas: creating an AI strategy for the district, expanding its CTE programs, and boosting security and communication.

AI Strategy

Under Harwood’s leadership, DR (as the district is known) has taken a stance against immediately blocking AI sites, choosing instead to focus on teaching students and staff how to use AI responsibly.

“We need to make sure that we're teaching responsible use and that we're teaching respect for it,” she says. “Just because you ask ChatGPT a question, you need critical thinking skills when you look at the response. You still need to know how to find the answers. You can't just assume it can do your work for you.”

Like many districts, vetting and finding the right AI tools and platforms also continues to be a challenge.

“That's what drives us when we're looking at tools, you know, ‘How good is it?’ ‘How can we learn to use it in a mindful way?’” Harwood says. “Being mindful of how we're using it is probably the biggest key. Keeping in mind that potentially everything that it spits out is incorrect. I do think there's a lot of misunderstanding around that. Like, people think, ‘Oh, this is what AI told me, so this must be right.’ And it's not always.”

That includes being constantly vigilant and aware as AI continues to be added to tools that have been already vetted, which requires making sure that security and data privacy is always part of district-wide education efforts.

AI is also a focus during the district’s “DReam Seminars,” PD events featuring teacher-led sessions on using tools such as Brisk AI and Google Gemini, as well as external training on appropriate tool use.

CTE Program Expansion

Harwood is also helping to spearhead expansion of the district’s recently reimagined career and technical education (CTE) program, which is going to include three new career tracks: medical assisting, criminal justice, and culinary arts.

“When our freshmen go through exploratory, they do that for the first half of the year. They try all the different programs and then if they find one that they would like to continue in, they do so,” says Harwood. “This year, 100% of the kids that went through exploratory stayed in a program, so the retention is growing.”

Harwood has also been involved with upgrading all the support tech. For example, the engineering track recently received new computers, monitors, 3D printers, and projectors, which the engineering students used to design the spaces for the new tracks, a hands-on exercise that included real-world implications.

“We had a blizzard and they lost a week of school and they came back in and they said to the engineering teacher, ‘Are we going to get an extension on our deadline?’ And she said, ‘No, this is real. We need these plans,’” says Harwood. “And they did them and they presented them and they were so creative!”

Harwood was involved in the district’s recent purchase of VR headsets for the medical assisting track, which students use to learn how to draw blood.

“The software requires them to go through all of the steps–washing your hands, putting on your gloves,” says Harwood. “It’s not real, but it's also not like just, ‘Oh, I'm looking at it in a textbook, I'm watching a video.’ They're practicing it even though it's virtual. And it's pretty powerful.”

Security and Communication

Like all school districts, cybersecurity remains a priority for DR and Harwood. The district employs various security measures, including multifactor authentication, but understands that no system is foolproof.

“We've all learned that, sometimes the hard way,” says Harwood, who adds that she is constantly discussing potential issues with teachers and staff. “We do provide PD on scams as they come up, but a lot of times if I see a new phishing scam that's going around, something I know people are going to fall for because if it's almost catching me, it's definitely catching others. So I'll send out an email and illustrate what's happening.”

In addition to stressing constant vigilance and educating staff on how to look for warning signs, such as incorrect email addresses in scams, and noting that even large companies such as Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services can experience attacks, Harwood focuses on being engaging with her cybersecurity messaging. “I do try to do it with a little bit of humor like or or just make them a little more personable so people know when I send an email, maybe they want to read it or see what dumb things she's going to say now,” she laughs.

'Make The Most People Happy'

Ultimately, Harwood sees technology as a tool that should empower teachers and students. “It's not that we should be working toward supporting it,” she says. “It should be supporting us.”

She also emphasizes the need to be transparent with everyone as to the “why” behind any edtech or PD she implements.

“I get a lot more buy-in when I say, ‘This is why I would like you to do this, and when I am buying it or trying to do something with a new tool,’” she says.

For example, she cites the recent implementation of a communication platform. She created a committee of teachers and administrators from every school, vetted numerous tools, and then as a group decided on one. Consequently, those who participated in the process were able to go back to their colleagues and champion buy-in, which supported a successful implementation.

“You've always got resistance,” Harwood says. “And those people might come around or they might not. You can't please everybody. And I think in my career, I've finally had to learn that I can't make everybody happy, but I'll try to make the most people happy that I can.”

Tools They Use

• ParentSquare
• Apptegy/Thrillshare
• Google Education Suite
• Aspen SIS
• Open Architects
• Operations Hero
• Lexia
• ST Math
• Wonders
• Renaissance
• Brainpop
• Noodle Tools
• Edpuzzle
• Kahoot
• IXL
• CrisisGo
• Verkada

Education budgets are tightening, screen-time debates are intensifying, and AI has dominated every industry headline. How can today’s education companies break through the noise?

One word: relationships. As in humans talking to humans. And listening to humans. In a crowded marketplace, the vendors who survive and thrive are those who stop pitching and start partnering.

This theme is at the heart of Tech & Learning’s EdExec Summit, taking place in Chicago September 10-11. While the agenda will focus on the key components of developing a strategic plan–including sales, marketing, research, and compliance–what makes this event different is the opportunity for education company executives to have deep conversations with their buyers and create meaningful relationships.

To offer a sneak peek into these conversations, Tech & Learning has partnered with the Ed-Tech Leadership Collective to present an Industry Briefing that will explore how current market pressures are fundamentally reshaping how districts choose—and stay with—their vendors.

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
• Time: 2:00 PM ET
• Registration Link: Secure Your Virtual Seat Here

What You Will Learn

By attending this briefing, education executives will gain actionable insights on how to align their strategies with district realities:

• Understanding District Priorities: Discover how current district challenges directly shape their buying decisions and partnership expectations.
• The Relationship Pivot: Learn how to transition your sales approach from cold, transactional outreach to value-driven, relationship-focused engagement.
• Network Maximization: Strategies to leverage your current district successes to build organic exposure across peer networks.
• Pilot Programs with Purpose: How to structure pilots that deliver clear ROI and cultivate long-term partnerships rather than forcing a heavy, upfront investment.
• Flexible Commercial Models: Creative ways to think about pricing, packaging, and budget alignment in a tight economy.
• Proving Impact: Why vendors must demonstrate measurable, high-quality outcomes rather than superficial engagement metrics to retain district business.

Featured Speakers

Hear directly from the leaders who make the purchasing decisions:

• Joe Ayala | Director of Information Technology, Santa Clara Unified School District, CA
• Trina Reaves | Director of STEM and Innovation, Clayton County Schools, GA

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR NOW

Join us for this conversation on June 16 to learn how your company can become an indispensable district partner, and in Chicago on September 10-11 for the Tech & Learning’s EdExec Summit to meet one-on-one with buyers and put those relationship-building strategies into practice.

• Navigating the ESSER Cliff: Why Education Company Leaders are Heading to the 2026 EdExec Summit

Due to a technical issue, this podcast is only available in audio format, which you can "watch" above or listen to/download below.

Kris Hagel has a blunt take on the state of educational technology in his district — and probably yours. "Ed Tech Got Away From Us—and It's Kind of Our Fault" is the title of a talk he delivered at a conference the same afternoon he sat down with Tech & Learning. It's also a pretty accurate summary of where a lot of districts find themselves right now.

Hagel—a K-12 CIO with 25-plus years in education and CoSN Board Member— returned from this year’s convention energized by two conversations dominating the hallways: the screen time debate and the growing interest in districts using AI to build their own edtech tools. Both, he says, are wrapped in fear—from parents, from teachers, and from edtech vendors watching their clients start to build around them.

His prescription for the fear? Communication, transparency, and a hard look in the mirror. Hagel's Washington State district of nearly 10,000 students is in the middle of a deliberate pullback from what he describes as a pandemic-era "whatever works" posture toward technology—one that left his team with thousands of approved apps and no clear rationale for most of them.

"I look at our catalog of approved edtech apps and I'm like, 'oh my gosh, that is way too many things,'" he says.

Working alongside his chief academic officer, Hagel has begun re-establishing what purposeful technology use actually looks like in a classroom. He is also planning a district-wide transparency report, using AI to aggregate and synthesize usage data across grade levels and share it publicly with families.

On the parent communication front, Hagel credits ParentSquare as a key partner, citing its ability to route messages to different constituent groups in whatever format they prefer — app, text, phone, or push notification.

"You've got to get out there in front of it and tell the story," he says. "Once you tell those stories, parents get behind it."

He also draws a distinction that more district leaders would do well to internalize: consumer technology and education technology are not the same conversation. Conflating them, he argues, is a big part of how fear takes root — and how trust erodes. The average student, he noted, spends roughly 70 minutes per day on a device in school. Not six hours! Seventy minutes — mostly purposeful.

That number alone, he says, changes the tenor of almost every parent conversation.

The high school tech department of RSU 22, located along the Penobscot River near Bangor, Maine, offers traditional programming, such as woodworking and shop, as well as a bringing variety of engineering tech tools and an extremely well-equipped makerspace secured through grant funds. However, through a series of community partnerships and funding opportunities, it was able to launch its Higher Vision Drone Program.

“One of the things that appealed to me is that we already have nine community partners, which represent a range of businesses and organizations,” says Jennifer Nickerson, the district’s Director of Curriculum, who saw an opportunity to add drones to its career pathways. “A little local blueberry farmer in one of our four towns uses the drone to inspect her crops and plan what she needs to do for work that day. The Maine Forest Service visited, sharing stories about their advanced, expensive drones. But they use the same skills our kids are learning to use the drones to find missing people or protect forests and Maine’s natural beauty.”

ESSER funds enabled the school to create an esports lab, tech which served perfectly to accommodate the drone program’s flight simulators. Nickerson worked with Charlie Huff, a technology teacher at Hampden Academy and the department head, Todd Moore, to implement the Higher Vision Drone Program. Title II funds secured out-of-state training for the pair to get certified to teach the young prospective pilots.

“Each certified instructor can have eight kids fly under their license,” says Nickerson. “The first year, they co-taught the intro class together with 16 kids in the program for the fall semester. Of the 16, 14 continued on to take the Commercial Drone course for the spring semester. We have 11 students scheduled for their FAA Part 107 tests, with two passing this week.”

And from there, the program has taken flight.

“Now other students are seeing all this hard work pay off and next year's course enrollments have jumped up,” says Nickerson. “To be fair, some of it is probably because when you are sitting on the second floor in your English class and you see a drone fly by outside, it’s pretty good advertisement."

For this and other efforts, Nickerson was recently honored with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award. She shares her “Higher Vision Drone Program” implementation successes and tips for those interested in creating a similar program in their district.

Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment

RSU 22 dates back to 1803, and Nickerson’s family has long been a part of it.

“We like to say, ‘We’re rooted in tradition, but focused on the future,’” says Nickerson. “My kiddos are fifth-generation Broncos, I joke that I bleed purple. The success of RSU 22 is really personal to me and my family and to the four towns in our district. One of which is more affluent than the other three, which can cause issues with programming. However, it was also an inspiration to seek out the Teach with Tech grant from the Maine DOE, which includes a requirement to support underserved students.”

Nickerson saw it as a real way to level opportunities within her district.

”We have tons of AP classes in our high school, Hampden Academy, and we add to them every year,” she says. “But we wanted exciting opportunities for kids who don't fit in that AP niche. I went to a conference which leaned heavily on the concept of three paths for kids, all being equally valuable. Enrollment, enlistment, employment — we need to honor those kids by supporting them with a clear path to success. This was a great motivation to create our drone program.

One very exciting opportunity has presented itself from Cianbro, a nationwide construction company.

“They learned about our program and told me, ‘If you get kids to take and pass the FAA Part 107 test to earn their drone license, we will hire them the day of graduation,’” says Nickerson. “We want those opportunities for our students, because not everyone is going to go to college.”

The Importance of Community Partnerships

A distinctive feature of Hampden Academy’s drone program is its collaboration with nine community partners who share their expertise directly with students. These partnerships include:

• Hampden Public Safety: Demonstrating emergency response applications and public safety uses for drone technology.
• Cianbro: Showcasing industrial applications in construction and infrastructure development.
• News Center 2: Illustrating journalistic and media applications of drone photography and videography.
• Haley Ward Civil Engineering: Providing insights on surveying, mapping, and engineering applications.
• American Forestry Management: Highlighting environmental monitoring and forestry management techniques.
• Matt Thomas Media Productions: Sharing expertise in commercial drone photography and cinematography.
• Allan Gordon Jr Surveying: Demonstrating precision mapping and land surveying applications.
• United States Military: Offering perspectives on drone operations and career opportunities in defense.
• Maine Forest Service: Showcasing thermal imaging and precision aerial surveillance in public safety and natural resource management.

These partnerships provide students with real-world context for their learning and exposure to potential career pathways within their own communities.

“You can't just do it alone,” says Nickerson. “When your community gets behind you to share their expertise and open kids’ eyes to possibility, that culture can be one of your greatest resources even in small, rural, less affluent parts of the world. That’s one way this drone program will be sustainable for the future.”

Ultimately, Nickerson’s goal is just to do the right things for her students by securing the best tools for success.

“No one wants to build a house with a hammer that doesn't have a handle,” Nickerson says. “We need to have the best tools to do the best by our kids. Fortunately, this district has always put technology at the top of their priorities. We have a really supportive superintendent and assistant superintendent who believe in thinking outside the box. It’s just really great, because we need to prepare them. They are going to leave us one day, so we need to help them learn how to fly.”

4 Tips When Starting a New Tech Initiative

Nickerson offers advice to others who might be interested in launching a similar initiative:

• Don’t let lack of funds stop you. Think outside of the box and be creative and you will find the support.
• When securing grants, read the fine print. Some funds require specific choices in tech, such as drones that need to be made in the USA.
• Find your North Star and stay true to it. Think about what is most valuable to you and persevere. Don’t let setbacks stop you.
• Lean on your community. Resources don't have to be financial, expertise is invaluable.

Tools They Use

• Parrot ANAFI Drones
• Claude
• MagicSchool
• Google Suite
• Kibo Robots (Kinderlab)
• zSpace
• edWeb
• Chalk
• Smore
• SWIS/PBIS Apps
• Canva

As school is almost out around the country, I think a great deal about transition and change opportunities, knowing a new path forward can present our choice of solutions over persistent problems. I can remember when I started my leadership journey, handling a faculty that was carved out of the “us against them” mentality . . . .

School leaders need to leverage change when faced with this. Considering challenges like this remind me of a hit dystopian show, The Handmaid’s Tale. In it, The Eyes are the secret police of Gilead—ubiquitous, invisible, and terrifying. They don’t just enforce laws; they create a climate in which everyone becomes a volunteer spy, terrified that a coworker, friend, or neighbor is documenting and reporting their every "indiscretion."

When a school culture mirrors this, we are stuck in our own dystopia; it becomes a place where teachers and leaders look over their shoulder instead of at their students.

Here is how that toxic dynamic manifests, and how a principal can act as a buffer to disrupt–or better yet–dismantle it.

The Faculty Lounge as a Surveillance Hub

In a toxic school environment, "The Eyes" are not a formal department but rather a culture of lateral surveillance through which staff members monitor each other’s clock-in times, lesson plan quality, curriculum delivery, or management styles.

This is rarely done to help; instead, it is used to gather "intel." In these places, gossip serves as a weaponized currency used to gain power, influence, or divert attention from personal insecurities. When mistakes occur—whether it is a parent complaint or a botched lesson—the immediate instinct is not to solve the problem, but to find a scapegoat.

The Principal as a Protective Shield

School leaders need to own this problem even if they didn’t create it. They must consistently and respectfully manage these “blamers,” responsibilities, problems, and complaints back to their rightful owners.

Principals must act as a shield that absorbs negativity from those attempting to weaponize others' vulnerabilities so it doesn't crush the staff morale, or worse, hamper their impact on children.

This process begins by actively filtering the "intel." When a staff member attempts to "report" a colleague’s minor infraction, formally or informally, a protective principal shuts it down, redirecting rather than using that perceived, or worse, real power to build a file on a peer.

The principal must redirect by shifting the focus from who made a mistake to what went wrong with the system. For example, if an assembly fails because of a technical error, the leader pivots others from blaming an individual to analyzing how to make the technical checklist more transparent for everyone.

By practicing accountability and absorbing the shock for others' mistakes, the principal removes the incentive for staff to blame one another. If the leader says, "That’s on me," the staff no longer needs a scapegoat, unless that scapegoat becomes twisted into the principal to blame (more on that later).

Building a Sanctuary of Practice

Disrupting this culture requires an intentional focus on psychological safety. School leaders must move the environment away from a system of surveillance and secrecy toward one of support and transparency. Instead of monitoring for mistakes, the leader transforms the organization to monitoring for needs. This shift replaces finger-pointing with process analysis and ensures equity, through which everyone is held to the same clear standard rather than utilizing toxic informants.

When a principal refuses to allow staff to throw each other under the bus, the "Eyes" eventually lose sight of the cause. If snickering, spying, and sabotage no longer result in social or professional capital, the behavior is minimized, or better yet, stops altogether.

By serving as a filter, the principal can build a safe practice space. Teachers begin to take risks and innovate because they know that if they stumble, their leader will catch them rather than let the "Eyes" report them.

If All Else Fails: Dismantling "The Eyes"

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to empower decent people, a toxic culture has taken deep root. If all else fails, you have to look at the climate of surveillance that the police state has built and act to dismantle it. Break up the group!

The vocal, negative minority rarely perform their negativity in a vacuum and thrive on a specific kind of fuel: an audience. These cliques require the middle-of-the-road teachers to watch, nod, or remain silently compliant.

Neutralizing a negative clique is about protecting the classroom for those who are there for their kids. This process starts by identifying the ringleaders—often veterans with high informal influence—and addressing them with surgical precision. By dealing with these bad actors individually and privately, the leader prevents the public access to the theater of their "gotcha" moments, removing their ammunition of derailment, ensuring the oxygen in the room remains focused on student growth rather than adult grievances.

As the leader works to shut the "Eyes," systems thinking becomes a silent form of cultural reorganization. Because negative energy is highly contagious in close quarters, the architect of a "win-win" faculty thoughtfully disperses these magnets away from one another, breaking up the echo chambers in which gossip acts as a weapon.

When the focus shifts from the challenging individuals to the majority who stand together for children over power, the social capital of the negative group begins to deteriorate. By giving the best teachers the loudest voice and the most significant influence, the principal makes it socially "uncool" to join the surveillance culture. If spying and sabotage no longer result in proximity to power, the "Eyes" eventually go blind.

Administrative transfers are equivalent to retirement and other “miracles,” when relocating individuals to different departments, grade levels, or schools permanently disrupts the clique’s daily operational power.

In the end, the goal is to curate a faculty in which every member is invested. By removing these final toxic roadblocks, the leader ensures that the negative individuals move on to environments better suited for them, while the remaining staff finally finds the psychological safety they need to thrive, innovate, and look forward instead of over their shoulders.

As the founder and director of Tech Camp for Teachers, Eva Harvell, Director of Technology, Pascagoula-Gautier School District in Mississippi, designed and led a multi-day institute that includes multiple presenters, reaching K-12 and higher ed educators from across the U.S.

The program focuses on practical ways to bring digital tools into the classroom, helping attendees move from basic usage to high-level digital pedagogy. By creating scalable learning opportunities, for both school-level and university-level educators, Harvell and her team ensures technology was a powerful tool instructors at all levels felt confident using.

“It started off with us just wanting to provide teachers technology training for those who were not able to get tech training, or who just wanted more than was made available to them,” Harvell says. “The presenters were actual teachers in the field. Vendors were showcasing what they used in the back of the gym where we met. It was just two days of pre-K all the way to higher education professors getting together, talking about edtech and how to incorporate tech tools in the classroom.”

The Pascagoula-Gautier School District spans 19 campuses serving roughly 6,300 students. As Technology Director, Harvell’s commitment to innovation is best seen through her work in empowering others to master new technology. For this and other efforts, she was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award.

Cost-Cutting Creativity Meets Generous Helpers

Smart planning and letting a program grow organically builds a budget-friendly way to connect with big impact.

“Our very first year, I went to vendors we had a very good relationship with and said, ‘Hey, we're looking to do this for two days and I need to provide food. Can you help me?’” Harvell says. “Our presenters were teachers on contract with us, so we worked with their principals to borrow them. It was a professional learning day for them, so they got some PD time as well. It was zero out-of-pocket for anybody who attended.”

A partnership with William Carey University provided an extra bonus, with teachers from the state of Mississippi earning free CEUs. Educators from other states received documentation to qualify at home.

“This started in our unused former high school building with word of mouth from my emailing tech directors and asking them to share with any teachers who were interested,” Harvell says. “We met in the gym and did trainings in the classrooms. It just stayed very grassroots. Anything we needed, we would ask one of our vendors or just figure out how to do it for free.”

4 Tips for Creating a Tech Camp for Teachers in Your District

Harvell shares advice for others considering such a program.

• If you're thinking of doing it, do it. “Don’t be afraid to go for it,” she says. “There can always be hiccups. At the end of the day, you are bringing teachers together and giving them a community so they can have the conversation — that’s what matters.”
• Build relationships and don’t be afraid to lean on them. “You never know unless you ask, but I didn’t think they would say yes,” Harvell says. “They didn’t even hesitate. I’m not sure that would have been the case if we didn’t already have that communication and established relationship.”
• Make it a day of fun — not just your normal PD. “Brand it, name it something cute,” she says. “Get teachers excited to attend by thinking outside of the box.”
• It will grow. They will come. “I was so nervous that first year,” Harvell recalls. “And now we have people driving eight hours to be a part of it. But even if it had been eight people, it would have been worth it. The goal was to provide resources and training. The goal was to help teachers.”

Too Much of a Good Thing is Still a Good Thing

With such an initial resounding success, Tech Camp for Teachers faced a new challenge when they were forced to step away from their in-person model during the COVID-19 pandemic to go remote. Some might have wondered if the infectious, fun element would be too diluted to still draw the crowd.

”It really ballooned when we went virtual,” Harvell says. “Everyone from pre-K to university professors across many states signed up. I have two technology integration specialists who help do this. It suddenly became a full-time job above the full-time job.”

All of the Tech Camp for Teacher training videos were pre-recorded for the virtual event. They were scheduled and then presented with a video live chat.

“Leading up to it, getting the presenters, maintaining the branding, getting all the videos ready to go,” recalls Harvell. “We spent hours upon hours getting it all loaded and put together. It was daunting but it was something that we loved doing, because we knew we were helping teachers.”

Harvell and her presenters have discovered that facilitating the camp has raised their visibility in unexpected ways.

“Now, when we go to our Mississippi state conference — people recognize us as ‘those tech camp people,’” she says. “WLOX, the news station here on the coast, even did a story on it. I’m working on my doctorate at William Carey University and I hear from my professors that they sat in on Tech Camp! I thought that was great because they are teaching pre-service teachers.

Harvell says the event is a win-win for everyone.

“Ultimately, providing resources for teachers is what we were all there to do,” she says. “It's grassroots. It's not a conference, it is just a big group of teachers getting together and sharing what they do.”

Tools They Use

• Acer and HP Chromebooks
• Fortinet
• Incident IQ
• Clever
• MagicSchoolAI
• Google Workspace for Education

Located near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Highline Public Schools serves many students and families from around the world, including some who are new to the United States. Families across Highline speak more than 89 languages, reflecting the rich diversity of the Highline community. At the center of the district’s work is the Highline Promise. From classrooms to front offices to transportation and AI committees, staff across Highline play a role in bringing that promise to life.

“Highline Public Schools Promise is that every student is known by name, strength, and need, and graduates prepared for the future they choose,” says Teshon Christie, the Highline’s Chief of Digital Transformation and Innovation, and recent Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award winner.

It is a statement that Christie refers to not as a mission, but as a living accountability measure. “The amazing thing about that is that regardless of who you go to in our system, you know this promise,” Christie says. “Everyone from our bus drivers to nutrition services workers—everyone at Highline knows this promise and that it is our focus.”

Scaling the Personal Touch

For a district of more than 16,500 students across 34 sites, “personalization” is often a buzzword that loses meaning at scale. For Christie, scaling this promise isn’t about software alone, but about leadership consistency and human connection.

“We scale our promise through humans,” Christie says. “When you break down each part, it’s easy for a person to see what their role is. If a bus driver gets to know their students by name, they can identify strengths and needs during the ride and communicate those back to the office staff. It makes sense operationally and instructionally.”

This human-centric approach is organized around four board-adopted goals:

• Culture of Belonging: A culture where all are welcome, valued, and safe.
• Innovative Learning: Academic experiences that engage, empower, and challenge every student.
• Bilingual and Biliterate: Multicultural skills that enable students to live, work, and communicate across cultures.
• Future Ready: Students explore possibilities and develop mindsets that prepare them for a changing future.

Navigating the AI Frontier

As the Chief of Digital Transformation, Christie’s job involves managing everything from data assessment to instructional technology, as well as navigating the ethical and practical implementation of AI.

Highline is now two years into its AI journey, anchored by a group of AI ambassadors who have developed vision and guidance documents. Rather than banning the technology out of fear, Highline is focusing on future readiness.

“We’re really starting to shift the language from ‘cheating’ to a student’s ‘passive vs. active use of AI,’” Christie says. “Cheating is so binary that it doesn’t describe the whole story. If using a tool is seen as cheating, then what needs to change about education in order to support our ability to move forward with any tool?”

One of Highline’s most successful implementations is Colleague AI, a tool developed out of the University of Washington. Highline currently has 300 teachers actively using the platform.

Christie is particularly excited about involving students in the policy-making process, noting that their insights are often more nuanced than those of adults.

“I was at one of our high schools where they did a unit on AI policy,” Christie recalls. “The students were very specific. They said, ‘I don’t want to be graded by AI because that breaks the relationship.’ They actually mentioned 'culture of belonging.' They want their teachers to have grace and support them in ways that help them get better—things an AI currently won't do.”

Building Trust Through Authentic Engagement

For Christie, the success of any digital initiative depends on the strength of the district’s relationship with its community. He advocates for authentic family engagement, which moves beyond simply inviting parents to a meeting.

“Just being at the table isn’t enough,” Christie says. “You want people to be able to give input and then see their input reflected in whatever comes out. Even if it’s, ‘We weren’t able to do this because of these reasons,’ you still need to be honest and transparent so that trust is built over time.”

This trust is vital when tackling sensitive topics such as screen time. Christie points out that for many Highline students, a school-issued laptop is their only access to a large-screen device.

“Not every student using a district device after hours is on social media,” he says. “They might be learning how physics works on YouTube in a way that makes sense to them. You can't just say they spent eight hours on YouTube and assume it was wasted time.”

A System, Not a Set of Divisions

Ultimately, Christie’s goal is to dissolve the traditional silos between IT and instruction. By focusing on shared bodies of work rather than departmental responsibilities, Highline ensures that no stakeholder is left out of the conversation.

“It’s about how we intentionally involve everyone in our system so it feels more like a system rather than divisions, departments, and people who work on separate things,” Christie says.

By keeping the “Promise” at the center of every digital and operational decision, Highline Public Schools is proving that even in a high-tech world, the most powerful tool in education remains the human connection.

For Newton County Schools, a district in rural Georgia of more than 19,000 students spread across 24 buildings, ensuring that innovation is not isolated but systematically embedded into daily teaching and learning, can be a challenge.

Nonetheless, a comprehensive, district-wide digital learning ecosystem that measurably expands access, strengthens literacy, and prepares students for future careers has been developed under the leadership of Jennifer Williams, Director of Instructional Technology and Media Services.

“We do everything in my department based on ‘3E’--engagement, exposure, experience,” says Williams, who was recently honored with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for her efforts.

The 3E approach ensures students do not passively consume technology but actively use it to build literacy, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

• Engagement features high-level activities that make students creators and producers rather than just consumers, keeping a global focus.
• Exposure involves taking students on field trips to places as simple as the Microsoft store to more college- and career-focused destinations such as nearby Spelman Innovation Lab and Georgia Tech.
• Experience is providing hands-on opportunities in class, on field trips, and through partnerships.

“We want to engage our students, we want to expose them to new things, and give them experiences,” says Williams, adding that they’ve taken more than 20,000 students on field trips over the past three years alone. “We have to think of everything as not just a Newton County focus but a worldwide focus. They're in a global society. So we want to constantly engage them with different perspectives, different outlooks, different ways of learning.”

Newton County Schools has a scalable, future-ready digital ecosystem that prioritizes safety and compliance with federal laws, with Williams’ department vetting and re-vetting digital products. To ensure equity and access, all activities are free to all students, via grants and partnerships, which Williams and her team aggressively pursue.

The Rule of 3

Williams has worked to develop three major programs in the district: the Inspire program, which addresses the gender gap in coding; Read Across Newton, a district-wide literacy initiative; and Teach for Tomorrow, an annual technology conference providing training. All are underpinned by the 3E approach.

The Inspire program is a year-long effort focused on getting girls involved in science and coding through hands-on opportunities, visits to nearby Georgia Piedmont Technical College, a week-long coding camp, and a trip to a coding conference, much of which is sponsored by Amazon, who Williams has partnered with and who has provided grants. Students also get to explore 3D printers, LEGO robotics, and more.

“It's one thing telling them, ‘Oh, this is computer science,’ but actually taking them to a college, taking them on these field trips, working with the computer science department, all make a real impact,” Williams says. “They have the world-renowned computer science program nearby and they didn't know about it or think about going there, and it's only 45 minutes from their house.”

Read Across Newton is another year-long initiative during which students participate in book clubs, have people from across the district read to them, and have local authors present reading and writing workshops. During the district’s literacy extravaganza, celebrated the first Saturday in February, students get books to take home.

“So this year we had 3,600 people come and we gave away 55,000 books,” says Williams. “So, if you want to know what 55,000 books feels like, ask my back!”

Teach for Tomorrow, the district’s annual technology PD event right before the school year begins, drew more than 850 teachers last year, which is more than half of those in the district. The event is led by the instructional leadership team and the district’s vanguard teachers, who pilot tools and guide technology integration at the schools. Attendees learn about the district’s LMS, various digital tools, and of course, AI.

“It was amazing because these teachers came, sat, and did full technology learning, like a little mini ISTE conference,” says Williams. “We try to make it so when we do professional development, we help people fall in love with technology so they can help students fall in love with literacy and technology.”

Living The Dream

When it comes to leadership, Williams recommends being a constant student, and continuously learning about new products and understanding the relevant laws. Her best advice, however, is not to be “a lone wolf.”

“Be a part of a group of people who are like-minded, who can share with you and give you advice on how to do things,” she says, suggesting joining a professional networking group such as CoSN. “Find a tribe, a group that is going to help you be your thought partner as you make changes. You don't want to make a big change in your system without getting advice from others who are also in the same job because you're usually one of one in your district.”

In that vein, Williams says she’d be remiss if she didn’t mention “the secret sauce” in everything she does: her team. “I have some spectacular people that I work with,” she says, also citing the support of Dr. Sheila Thomas, Chief Strategy and Support Services Officer.

She also mentions the importance of having a collaborative team, which she also cross-trains. “We sit down and we talk about things,” she says. “And I hire people who are different from me. I don't need a whole ten Jennifers.”

Ultimately, she says being the instructional technology director and media services director, allowing her to merge her passions for reading and technology, has been a dream.

“I can have a lot of jobs but this is my passion–I tell my daughter this is my life's work,” says Williams. “I love going to work every day. There's not a morning that I don’t wake up and am like, ‘Oh boy, it's Monday! It’s another day that we're going to be able to do something great for a kid!’ I couldn’t ask for anything more."

Tools They Use

• Canvas
• Nearpod
• Book Creator
• Sora (the literacy app)
• ClassLink
• Microsoft
• Google Education

I have written previously about dealing with challenging staff and community members as a school leader and teacher.

This article was motivated by a reader reaching out to thank me for sharing hands-on, practical methods I offer. But she wanted one more: “What about difficult bosses? Aren’t they in a position of power, where I have little control over the outcome, even and especially if I disagree with them?”

I’ve written about a boss who missed the single biggest moments when leading. He never praised our accomplishments. It was remarkable; he was working harder not to acknowledge those of us that led our schools and needing support on the hardest of days.

Lack of worthy praise is one thing. How do we handle a boss who uses intimidation, blame displacement, and worse, steals credit for our work? I would love to tell you that they are far and few between, but I am writing this because that is untrue. Decades of research shows how we can lead successfully and help staff feel supported, acknowledged, and accessed in those important moments. The research keeps coming and I keep writing about it because the problem stubbornly persists.

We might think the issue is less pervasive in the education profession. After all, we are educators at heart. We came into this profession because we care about kids. In many instances, this is true, and we enjoy decent, ethical leaders. Too many times, educators became leaders because they possessed a greater desire for personal achievement and power. The first part is not the issue, however, power can change leaders. I have seen it happen.

I spent years riding out the kinds of leaders and leader-colleagues who made the organizational environment toxic, unproductive, and very, very CYA (cover your a--). We can all recall the days bosses such as this finally left the organization–there were parking lot parties while "Celebration" played as well as this easy-to-hum song as you waved them “good bye.” These are not environments in which children win, and that is the root of the problem. Secondary to that is our own wellness, which matters so we can lead learning environments, in spite of the incompetence above us.

Practical Ways to Survive Difficult Bosses

What do you do when you have to deal with difficult bosses day in and day out, knowing there is no end in sight? This can be a major stressor, let alone translating to obstacles they put up in our attempts to help students thrive.

Here are practical steps to hang in there, manage your wellness so you can lead and teach well and interrupt their influence from behind.

1. The 80/20 Principle

Keeping my side of the street clean empowers me to focus on the aspects of a situation you can control (the 80%) while letting go of the uncontrollable (the 20%). Instead of wasting time and energy fighting insurmountable challenges such as bureaucracy, difficult colleagues, or uncooperative leaders, it is more productive to adjust my approach, sidestep obstacles, and focus on progress within my sphere of influence. This mindset helps save time, resources, and frustration while moving toward goals more effectively.

2. Mind Games

I am always surprised at how little is known about methods for tuning the brain for wellness that are rooted in decent science, such as binaural beats. These sound like sci-fi gimmickry yet there is strong evidence supporting the effectiveness for effectively reducing anxiety and modulating emotional states. These are easily accessible, if you have a pair of earphones (we all do!). So why not try it?

Here’s how these work: When the brain processes two different frequencies played simultaneously in either ear, it compensates for the discrepancy by perceiving a third, rhythmic "phantom" frequency known as a binaural beat. This audio hack works in calming the mind and reducing anxiety, and gives you a shot of what you need in those most stressful moments. Evidence shows 6-9 minutes of listening does the trick, so why not? Here’s a free online example.

Now that you’ve got your wellness honored, let’s take a look at practical strategies, with a well-mind you can use to approach the difficult boss…

3. Use AI (YES, AI!)

In my work, I have discovered that using AI can make my work more effective and efficient, which means I can offload unnecessary tasks to focus on qualitative experiences, interactions with staff, students, and parents, and yes, even that boss.

I have written about making use of AI as a school leader, and I characterize it as remarkably imperfect productivity. AI is remarkable for its ability to produce what appears to be high-quality work at immense speed, yet it remains imperfect because it acts as convincingly knowing while tricking users into accepting "workslop" that lacks substance or accuracy.

Employing AI wisely helps offload work that bogs me down, so I feel less stressed, and far more prepared to manage ineffective bosses. Be strategic, refer to “source grounded” materials and use it to make your work better quality and far more efficient, such as I did incorporating AI into writing better evaluations for teachers.

3 Other Strategies to Consider

In addition to what I’ve described above, consider these actions to help manage an unwieldy manager.

1. Document Everything (Build a Paper Trail)

• Confirm Conversations: After verbal instructions, send a follow-up email saying, "As we just discussed, I will do X by Y date.”
• Keep Records: Maintain a private log of projects, instructions, and outcomes to prove your actions if needed. Case notes, detailed and dated hold up well, if and when needed.
• Outline Responsibilities: Start projects with a written review of discussion, outlining who is responsible for what, signed off by everyone, suggests Robert Hosking via Fortune.

2. Manage the Interaction

• Stay Calm and Neutral: Do not react defensively immediately. Do not match their energy.
• Use Fact-Based Language: When blamed, focus on the facts. Ask questions like, "Can you walk me through the timeline so I can understand what happened?" (YouTube).
• Redirect to Solutions: Instead of defending yourself, focus on fixing the issue. Say, "You're upset, I'm upset. What do you think we should do?" suggests Quick and Dirty Tips.
• Don't Take it Personally: Understand that a blaming boss often behaves this way due to their own incompetence and insecurities.

3. Take Action

• Have a Direct Conversation: If the behavior continues, discuss it privately. Start with positive feedback, then use specific examples to show how the blame-shifting affects your work, recommends Dr. Pollack.
• Involve HR or Superiors: If the behavior is bullying or threatens your career, consider involving HR or a higher manager. However, warn your boss first to avoid being seen as "going behind their back."
• Find a New Job: If the environment is toxic, start looking for a new position. Do not feel compelled to stay in a situation that damages your mental health and career.

Our work as educators and school leaders is too important to let bad bosses funnel down from us to staff and kids. Too many people need us and stopping the cycle of bad leadership poisoning student growth starts with practical wellness and protective factors. Be strong and remember, our work is too significant to let bad management disrupt our control, and we have 80% control -- most is better than none!

In a district with more than 20,000 students set right on the banks of the Microsoft campus in Bellevue, Washington, a natural goal seems to be getting everyone to speak the same language when it comes to school direction and cohesion.

Ironically though, this district is home to students literally speaking more than 117 languages.

“Just at Ardmore, we have students speaking 37 or 38 languages, which gives you a picture of how diverse our school is,” says Yusra Obaid, Principal of Ardmore Elementary School, who was recently recognized for her leadership with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award.

Bellevue School District not only celebrates that reality, but builds on their beautiful blend of cultures and backgrounds with a global competency initiative. One element of this is the Multilingualism for All language programs that include both Spanish and Mandarin programs, with unique language opportunities in Arabic, Korean, and Hindi. BSD middle and highschoolers can take Arabic, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.

“Students learn the majority of their day in English, with an hour and 20 minutes of daily Arabic instruction in language arts with additional translanguaging throughout the day,” says Obaid. “If you walk into our Arabic classroom, you can't tell the difference between it and a general ed classroom. Half of our classes are multi-language learners. The vision of Ardmore is to affirm and identify this idea that our kids come to us speaking either one or multiple languages. We provide opportunity for those kids and make sure that any students who don't speak another language at home can learn in some way or form here.”

That vision is creating results.

“There is a science where students learning a new language at an early age tend to do better in math, science and overall academics,” says Obaid. “This is an accelerated program because kids are actually learning two languages at the same time, which places extra cognitive demands on students. It helps shape their brain in a different way.”

Using Tech Translates to Success

While many of the students come from backgrounds in which they learned languages naturally in the home, it never hurts to use the latest tech to aid acquisition.

“There's a range of tools that make learning more accessible to kids, even language learning,” says Obaid, noting BDS is a Microsoft district. “We know a lot about language acquisition and students learn by repetition and visuals. Our teachers use our whiteboard touch screens in an interactive way to have kids repeat the language. They press on it and can hear the word pronounced. They do image and word matching, they annotate specific words, drag and blend certain letters together — it’s created an accessibility for language learning in general.”

Obaid says these platforms bring together the four different domains of language acquisition (listening, reading, writing and speaking) more effectively than simple worksheets.

The program creates language learners, but also has a bigger picture of enhancing global citizenship.

“When kids come to us, we want to create global citizens who are thinking not just about their local community, but the larger world and their impact on it,” says Obaid. “We want to create that sense of community that our actions affect others not only here in Bellevue, but in the world.”

Obaid has integrated the Global Goals of UN Sustainability framework across grade levels to support this effort on a daily basis.

For example, for first grade, it offers a literacy unit about animals focused on building vocabulary about endangered animals. “They learned about all the animals and then focused on elephants. ‘How do we protect elephants? They're being endangered,’” says Obaid. “Students learned about dangers involved in their habitat, and then raised money and adopted elephants which they continue to nurture and care about. The organization sent a certificate and they have a website with a live camera feed.”

Using technology to connect a lesson to the real world still continues to be effective.

“It's really cool to just see kids thinking, ‘Wow, we learned about this, and now we actually did something that helped this animal survive those dangers in a place on the other side of the world,’" says Obaid.

3 Tips on Creating Global Initiatives in the Classroom

Obaid offers this advice to other educators:

1. Don't wait to make change. “We can get stuck in a place of ‘It has to be perfect, do I have the funding?’” she says, emphasizing the importance of partnering with students and families to learn their aspirations and goals. “Languages and global citizenship were important for our families, so we didn’t wait for things to happen, we just acted by starting with simple things and letting it grow.”

2. Community partnership is huge. “Look within the community for expertise, rather than thinking about outside resources,” Obaid says. “Shifting that idea to where is capacity and expertise within our whole community — our families, our teachers, everybody who walks through our building are potential partners.”

3. Engage all stakeholders right from the start. Assess, adjust, and collect feedback with everything that you do to demonstrate the success for stakeholders. “When something is innovative and new, partnering with the people who you're serving the most helps,” she says. “We have listening sessions. We collect numerical data. We listen to stories from kids. We do empathy interviews. This is how we continue to refine and adjust anything that we bring into our school.”

Finding Local Funding for Global Awareness

The thought of tapping already-stretched budgets for bonus initiatives can be intimidating, but the adage of “use your resources” certainly applies.

“When we think about innovation and change with a financial aspect, sometimes we forget about the open resources, the free availability, the opportunities in our local community that exist where we can make connections,” Obaid says.

The first grade project which made such an impact on the students was born of a simple wildlife trust website and adoption program. Local fundraising helped with the rest.

“Tapping areas of expertise and opportunities within our local community might not necessarily include a direct financial aspect, but are still very valuable,” she says. “It's about relevance. It's about connection. It's about kids thinking, ‘Wow, what I'm learning matters, and I can do something.’ It's not always about money.”

Creative problem solving goes a long way, but the district also benefits from the Bellevue Schools Foundation, filled with local stakeholders.

“One of the really great things we're really proud of is our amazing educators,” Obaid says. “They really go all out looking through different organizations and partnerships. They would reach out to the Pacific Science Center, ‘Hey, the budget is really tight. Would you be willing to host us?’ Our educators do a really good job in advocating and finding opportunities for community partnership.”

Another way of generating funding is spreading word about the innovative programs at the school. Ardmore got a big boost of publicity when Trevor Noah decided to join the school’s “Hour of Coding.” As Microsoft’s Chief Question Officer, the comedian and actor sat in on a fifth-grade class and discussed tech with Ardmore teachers.

“It was such a great connection,” Obaid says. “We have a whole ‘Wall of Wow’ at Ardmore where we post photos and news articles—every time our school gets recognized or we have a special visitor. It's a great inspiration for us to continue to reach for the stars.”

Tools They Use

• Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• Microsoft Tools for Education 365
• i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction (My Path) K-8 for English and Spanish dual language immersion, literacy, and math
• Code.org Hour of AI/Code

Montana Digital Academy (MTDA) is a designated state virtual school in Montana, created by the 2009 Legislature to provide supplemental online learning to K-12 public school students. The Frontier Learning Lab (FLL) is MTDA’s new statewide hub for cutting-edge learning tools —a place where teachers and students can explore AI, virtual and augmented reality, and other emerging tech.

“It was a natural space for us to go into with applicability in K-12 across the state,” says Jason Neiffer, Executive Director of Montana Digital Academy. “We were early to the AI conversation because we saw an issue we would have to come to terms with at our state virtual school. In January 2024, members of our team were invited to testify about the role of AI in education. That turned into a deeper conversation about what we wanted to do to support Montana schools.”

In an effort to ensure such rural schools could offer access to interested teachers, a solution for opening exploratory spaces for all regardless of budget toward high-quality PD needed to be reached. Having awareness and a deep understanding of that state’s unique needs and challenges was critical.

“One of the things that we've been very conscious of is that the rural nature of Montana is sometimes underestimated,” says Neiffer, who notes that the state is the size of Germany with one-eightieth of the population. “We have a couple of counties that are larger than some U.S. states with a single school district. The superintendent is also the K-12 principal and substitute bus driver and has their boiler's license in case they're pressed into service.”

Neiffer, who was recently recognized with an Innovative Leader Award during Tech & Learning’s recent Northwest Regional Summit, and his team knew truly rural Montana kids were just as important a constituency and deserve to have access to tech experts and resources.

“The Montana School Boards Association stepped up this year and provided a model policy for districts across the state,” he says. “There are endless organizations, nonprofit and for-profit, that help with policy development in schools. However, they don’t always understand that a rural school doesn’t have a full-time tech person — maybe not even any part-time staff — and might have to rely on third-party vendors for that role.”

That is where the Frontier Learning Lab, under the umbrella of the 16-year-strong MTDA state virtual school, stepped in to form a core planning piece for time-challenged leaders.

Time Is Everything

Time management is an important element of any endeavor but already-stretched rural districts really feel that pinch when faced with absorbing new tech initiatives.

“The time piece is a critical factor here,” Neiffer says. “I've been in the business for almost thirty years now and I do think we underinvest in professional learning around technology. We also get that you can't spend all of your time learning about evolving technologies because teaching is a very technical job.”

Neiffer feels part of any strategy needs to be meeting teachers where their resources are.

“Is it face-to-face training, or is it asynchronous online training?” he asks. “We’ve opened up a help desk for teachers that they can email and ask for assistance because not every one of our teachers will be able to dedicate significant professional learning time. So they really do need the old ‘just-in-time’ training. Sometimes that's really just a one-on-one conversation. We want to be able to provide it however works best for their busy schedule.”

The help desk accepts emails 24/7 with someone manning and responding 9-10 hours a day. This has been particularly helpful for those teachers exploring on their own time or who may not have colleagues at their level.

3 Actionable Tips When Starting a Virtual Academy Such As Frontier

1. Need should drive everything. “One of the reasons why our program was originally created was because Montana’s vast geography needed a virtual option with stable funding and consistency in availability for students every semester,” Neiffer says. “Investment in the program is critical so funding at minimum ensures schools know when they need access to the program, they have access to the program. It can’t be dependent on an unstable funding source. You only get that consensus around need. Look at where gaps are and get coalitions together across many different political, philosophical, pedagogical views.”

2. Don't recreate the wheel. “Unless you are on the exceptionally bleeding edge of something (and if you are, great, just make sure you tell the rest of us what you did!), look at existing models,” Neiffer says. “Montana Digital Academy is part of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance which is a coalition of 20 state virtual schools across the United States. Instead of coming up with something from scratch, find something that's 50%, 70%, 80% of the way there and just adjust it for your locality and specific needs. Chances are someone is already doing this work elsewhere. If they aren’t far enough along to give you hints, they'll be a wonderful collaboration partner.”

3. Don't be afraid to ask for resources from others. “We don't spend enough time asking our colleagues down the street what they're doing,” Neiffer says. “Whenever you can take advantage of a room of people that agree or disagree with you about your approach, it's a real opportunity to push yourself and make your planning process that much richer.”

Looking To The Horizon In Big Sky

In an era of ever-tightening budgets — the sky is not the limit, even in Big Sky Country. Investment into innovation can be an intimidating mountain to climb.

“We are actively balancing costs, which are still significant in this space, with utility inside of a classroom,” Neiffer says. “I have no doubt that we can find lots of good, showy, fun, interesting, even pedagogically useful places for virtual reality, but it's always balanced against the cost of the hardware and the cost of maintaining those pieces.”

One pilot that Neiffer and his team is exploring is securing access to virtual dissections for online anatomy and physiology students. “There are anatomy and physiology classes available from two and four-year Montana colleges, but it can be very geography-based due to the human dissection lab requirement,” he says. “So how do we provide that access to online students?”

Stretching resources continues to be a challenge.

“We have four different departments in Montana Virtual Academy with a mix of public, private and school-based funding,” Neiffer says. “In particular, in our Business Learning Program and our Digital Learning Clearing House, we find a reasonable cost to share with schools. The legislature wants schools to have skin in the game so that they know that it's something they are investing in for access to opportunity.”

Embracing partnerships is key. For example, MTDA has access to STEM experts and research professors at the University of Montana who provide guidance on AI, virtual and augmented reality.

Neiffer believes that the lab itself — the professional learning — should be covered with a combination of state appropriation, federal grants and private foundations to help create a sustainable model to ensure access for the most rural schools when public funding might not reach that scalability down to the smallest of schools.

“With such great future-looking leadership in this space, we are now working with vendors to find the most affordable solutions for what is to come,” Neiffer says. “A previous superintendent of public instruction called Montana a frontier state. I think that that's an accurate way to describe what we do.”

Neiffer is enthusiastic about the future of education as well as the hard-working team around him.

“Find people who are interested in helping you and don't be afraid to fail,” he says. “Chances are not every new initiative will be successful so just use that as an opportunity to grow and become better. It’s a really critical part of being a design-thinking forward organization, but it's also the best way to approach teaching and learning. Institutions are learning as much as the students.”

Tools They Use

Neiffer discusses some of his go-to tech tools.

• TextExpander - “I can’t live without a text expansion app. My longtime favorite is TextExpander, which works on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. I use it for stock AI prompts, phrases I type all the time, such as, ‘Hello, my name is Jason Neiffer, and I am the Executive Director of Montana Digital Academy,’ and even bits of code.”
• NotebookLM - “I experiment with many fast-moving AI tools, but I keep coming back to Google NotebookLM as a dependable place to organize the large volume of information I collect for work and personal projects. That includes reports, journal articles, presentations, travel guides, restaurant recommendations, and videos about places I want to visit.”
• ChatGPT CustomGPTs and Gemini Gems - “One of the most useful things about today’s generative AI tools is the ability to create small, purpose-built helpers that work through information with you. I love building CustomGPTs and Gems to handle specific tasks, like creating alt text for images, rewriting assignment directions for clarity, brainstorming workshop materials, or helping organize drafts and ideas. They are not perfect, of course, but they can save a great deal of time and mental energy.”

Watch this conversation above or listen/download it below.

A $9.99 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant is bringing together three partners to tackle one of education's most persistent challenges: helping young readers build the skills they need to succeed, especially in rural communities where specialized support is hardest to access. I had a chance to chat with two of the program's architects about their efforts, Allison Zimmermann, CEO of Foundations in Learning, and Dr. Seth King, Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Iowa.

WordFlight, developed by Foundations in Learning, has partnered with the University of Iowa Reading Research Center and Wyoming State to conduct a five-year study involving 80 to 100 schools. The project builds on previous success—a randomized controlled trial with middle school students that showed the intervention was "extremely successful" in moving students forward on foundational skills and fluency.

The study uses a wait-listed design in which half the schools implement WordFlight in year one while the other half serves as a control group, with all schools receiving the intervention by year two. Independent evaluators from Iowa's Center for Evaluation and Assessment will measure outcomes using assessments not directly aligned with the curriculum.

"We have to stop the bleeding," Alli emphasizes about older struggling readers. "We have to give them the foundation that they need to be successful."

• Tech & Learning Conversations with Kevin Hogan

When I first became a school leader, one of the first realities I had to confront was email volume. Not a handful of messages but sometimes dozens before 8 a.m., sometimes hundreds by day’s end. Staying on top of it required strategies, routines, and discipline as I had to learn how to triage, delegate, and protect attention so the inbox did not become my only job.

But even so, I never assumed silence was the answer. Not every email deserves a long reply, and some do not deserve any. Still, for legitimate questions tied to work, decisions, and people, I’ve always tried to respond because email is often how others experience your leadership when they cannot access you in the moment.

‘Digital Snubbery’

I hear from my educational leadership students all the time that their school leaders do not answer emails. Messages go unanswered for days or weeks, sometimes indefinitely.

This may sting for some readers, but that is not acceptable. Not because leaders should be available 24/7, and not because instant replies are the standard. It is unacceptable because sustained non-response communicates something, whether you intend it or not.

Adam Grant has called this “digital snubbery,” the online equivalent of walking past someone who waved at you. His point is not that every email is urgent. It is that silence of a non-response that is interpreted. And in schools, interpretation becomes culture.

What makes this especially tricky in schools is the power dynamic. When a leader does not respond, the silence carries more weight than when a peer does. People hesitate to follow up because they do not want to appear needy, impatient, or out of line, and wait longer than they should, even second-guessing themselves. In some cases, they stop asking altogether.

This lack of communication creates blind spots for leaders. The very people closest to the work begin to go quiet because experience has taught them not to expect a response. Over time, this weakens feedback loops and slows organizational learning.

Some consequences are obvious: Work slows, decisions stall, and people follow up repeatedly or escalate issues that did not need escalation. Non-response also erodes trust, discourages initiative, and can delay a problem until it is bigger, messier, and harder to solve. Over time, people start working around you instead of with you. That should worry any leader who values coherence, collaboration, and shared ownership.

Not Time Management, But A Disposition Problem

Perfection is not the point here, nor is inbox zero the target. The goal is a mindset shift: email is not just administrative or technical, it is part of your leadership presence. You can and should have boundaries, but these must be communicated.

It is also worth naming the emotional labor involved in email. Many messages carry frustration, urgency, or disappointment, so avoidance is sometimes less about time and more about discomfort.

Leadership often requires engaging with discomfort early, when issues are still manageable. Delayed responses allow tension to grow and misunderstandings to harden, so a short acknowledgment can de-escalate more effectively than a perfectly crafted response sent too late.

Sometimes this is not just a personal habit, it is structural. If a leader is hard to reach by phone, unavailable on video, and inconsistent in person, then email becomes the only door. When that door stays closed, leadership becomes something people cannot access, only assume.

If you want a staff that takes initiative, raises concerns early, and brings you solutions, you can’t train them – explicitly or implicitly – to expect no response.

5 Practical Ways To Handle Email Without Breaking Trust

1. Schedule response time and put it on your calendar. If it matters, it gets scheduled. Two short blocks a day can produce meaningful changes.
2. Set up folders and prioritize on purpose. Keep it simple. Examples: Urgent Today, This Week, Waiting On, Read Later. The goal is not a perfect system. The goal is not losing important messages.
3. Acknowledge quickly, then follow through. “Received. I’ll get back to you by Thursday.” Then actually do. Trust is built in the follow-up.
4. Use AI to draft non-sensitive, non-confidential correspondence. Let AI create a first draft for routine updates, confirmations, next steps, scheduling, thank-yous. Add your personal touch, correct tone, and keep confidential content out of the prompt.
5. Create a routing plan so you are not the bottleneck. Some messages should go to a point person or team. Proper routing is not avoidance, it is clarity.

Responsiveness is not about replying to everything instantly. It is about accountability. Whatever system you choose, protect your time, but do not disappear. Email silence may not be a visible leadership trait, but it is felt – and it shows up as trust, or the loss of it.

The School Superintendents Association (AASA)’s 2026 National Conference on Education took place in Nashville, offering a whirlwind of sessions, roundtable discussions, and plenty of cool tech to explore in the Expo Hall.

One of the highlights of the conference was the launch of AASA’s "Public Education Promise"—a framework designed to provide “every child in every community access to a highly effective education that prepares them for college, career, and real life in the real world.”

I had the opportunity to talk with David Schuler, Executive Director of AASA, to dig into this new initiative.

Schuler describes The Public Education Promise as an "attempt at reimagining what we believe public education needs to look like for this next generation of learners." This reimagining is not just about academic rigor but about a holistic approach to student success. "We know every generation learns differently," he says, emphasizing that "our educational system has to adapt and evolve to make sure we're meeting the needs of our learners."

The Public Education Promise is anchored in five core principles, each designed to help district leaders foster innovation and equity in their schools.

Principle 1: Prioritize Student-Centered Learning

The first principle focuses on personalized instruction that meets students where they are. In many traditional classrooms, the pace of learning is dictated by the curriculum rather than the student's mastery. Schuler challenges this outdated model: "If a student gets 1 to 13 right, why are we asking them to do 15 to 53? And if a student gets 1 to 13 wrong, why are we asking them to do 13 to 53?"

The goal is to leverage modern tools to accelerate learning for everyone. "Technology now gives us the opportunity to meet every child where they're at," Schuler says. By doing so, educators can move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and instead offer tailored experiences that allow students to soar.

"You want to accelerate learning, the way we do that is meeting every child where they're at," he adds.

Principle 2: The New Basics: Real Skills for Real Life

As the workforce changes, so too must the definition of "basic" skills. This principle advocates for a dual focus on cutting-edge technology and timeless interpersonal skills. "AI is here. So let's teach our kids how to use it," Schuler urges. But he is quick to note the importance of balancing this with the human element.

Schuler refers to this blend as "real skills for real life," or "the new basics." It includes practical professional standards that employers demand but often find lacking. He notes that for students entering the workforce, understanding professional norms is critical—for example, knowing that "five minutes late is not ‘close enough’."

Principle 3: Attract, Hire, Retain, and Reward the Best People

The third principle addresses the critical teacher shortage by rethinking the profession itself. Schuler points out a fundamental misunderstanding about why educators enter the field: "I think there's a big misnomer that a lot of teachers got into teaching because they love to teach . . . I think people got into teaching because they love to learn."

To retain talent, districts must improve the quality of life for educators, making the profession compatible with modern workforce expectations. AASA is currently running pilots to test new schedules.

"There are pilots happening in the country right now where kids are going to school 5 days a week, but teachers are only in classrooms 3 days a week," Schuler says. Innovations such as these are essential to compete with other industries in which remote work and flexibility are now standard.

Principle 4: Build Highly Engaged Family, Community, and Business Partnerships

Schools cannot do this work alone. This principle emphasizes the power of community "hubs" where districts, businesses, and families collaborate. Schuler highlights a region in Western Pennsylvania where 45 districts are working together "to really try and crack a nut" regarding local challenges.

He shares a compelling success story about his time as Superintendent of Schools at Township High School District 214 in Illinois when a teacher facilitated a partnership with Redoro, a local olive oil company. While some in the district were initially skeptical, Schuler told the teacher, "I think that's a great idea, let me know how I may be of support." The result was transformative: "We sell olive oil at all the local malls and kiosks and Redoro pays for two full summer internships for kids to go to Italy."

This success came because the teacher didn't just ask for money but created a value-add for the business, illustrating that "students succeed when families, schools, businesses work together."

Principle 5: Measure What Matters

Perhaps the most provocative principle is the call to rethink how success is defined. "We have to decouple student achievement from school accountability," Schuler asserts. While acknowledging that test scores are a "critical component," he argues they are insufficient for judging a school's total value.

He offers a stark example: "If you have a child, and your child is 18 years old and has an electrician's apprenticeship making $80,000 a year, I don't care what they got on their ACT."

The current system often fails to capture these non-academic successes. "What really matters is how successful the kids are not when they cross the stage, but how successful they are after they cross the stage," Schuler says.

Leading Through Innovation

Implementing these principles requires courageous leadership. Schuler advises superintendents to give their teams "permission to fail forward" and to start small with pilots. "If everything you do is working, you're not being as innovative as we believe you are," one board member told him.

Ultimately, the Public Education Promise is about restoring the joy of learning and ensuring that American public education remains the economic and social engine of the country. By telling good stories and focusing on what truly matters, leaders can build systems in which "everybody can see themselves" and every child has a path to a fulfilling future.

Schools do not run only on vision statements and instructional frameworks, but on calendars, inboxes, shared drives, slide decks, and dashboards. Schools operate on a thousand small digital decisions that either reduce friction or create it.

As such, a school leader’s digital habits have a direct impact on the entire school, sometimes for the worse.

Most of these habits are not malicious. Many come from good intentions and limited time, but intention does not cancel impact. In schools, attention is precious, so when our digital communication creates extra steps, people spend more energy decoding the message than acting on it. When leaders add avoidable friction, we shift the burden onto the people who already have the least time to spare.

These are not “gotchas,” but patterns which help to shape culture. The way we communicate digitally becomes a daily lesson in what we value: clarity, care, quality–or the lack of it–all of it shows up as you.

Here are six digital pet peeves I keep running into at schools, what each quietly reveals, and what you can do instead.

1. Reply-all as a performance of unity

The reply-all storm is the classic. Someone sends a birthday email, a holiday greeting, or a quick shout-out, then the chain begins. “Happy birthday!” “So true!” “Agreed!” “Thank you!” The content is kind, the intention is fine. But suddenly we have 30 messages that accomplish nothing except proving that we are all, in fact, checking our email.

I am not against appreciation; I am against forced audience participation.

Sometimes reply-all is not communication, but a performance. People feel socially compelled to respond because it feels rude not to, so for anyone managing a high-volume inbox, it becomes a productivity tax.

Do this instead: If your reply does not change anyone’s work, it probably does not need to go to everyone, so send it directly to the person. Or if your platform allows it, react instead of replying. If the message is truly for the whole staff, one person can compile appreciation and send a single follow-up. Culture does not require clutter.

2. Using AI to inflate a simple message

This one is newer, and it may become the biggest one if we are not careful–using AI to turn a simple message into a long email that the reader has to wade through.

I had a colleague show me an email she was about to send with a simple message: she was sick and would miss a deadline. That was all the recipient needed. Instead, the email became three paragraphs that repeated the same point in different ways, with extra personal details that did not help the reader take action. I had to take time to read it, she had to take time to generate it, and none of that improved communication.

AI can be useful, but the standard should be simple–it should reduce cognitive load, not increase it, and help communication become clearer, shorter, and more actionable.

Do this instead: If the message is a status update, keep it to three sentences: what happened, what you need, and what happens next. Use AI to tighten and clarify, not to sound more elaborate.

3. Dead links and “I sent it” culture

Dead links turn simple tasks into scavenger hunts. “Here’s the resource.” The link does not work. “Here’s the folder.” No permission. “See the attachment.” The attachment is missing, or the file is named Final_FINAL_v7 and no one can tell what is current.

This is not really a technical issue. It is a respect issue.

When a leader sends information that is not usable, the message becomes: “I pushed this out, now you figure it out.” Over time, staff stop trusting communications, and stop clicking.

Do this instead: Test links before you send any, and check permissions using a non-owner view if possible. Use file names that humans can recognize later, ideally with a date and topic. And add one small leadership move that goes a long way: “If you cannot access this, reply and I will fix it.”

4. QR codes in PDFs that assume you are holding paper

This one is so common that I still cannot believe we do it. Someone creates a flyer for an event. “Register here!” They include a QR code. Great idea if the flyer is printed and taped to a wall.

But what happens in real life? The PDF is emailed or posted on a site, and someone opens it on their phone. They see the QR code, but they cannot scan it because it is on the same device they are using to read it. If they do not have a second device, they are stuck.

QR codes are usually meant to make registration or information more accessible, however, in a digital setting, the opposite can happen.

Do this instead: If you include a QR code in a digital document, include a clickable link underneath it or add a short URL that can be copied. Design for the most realistic scenario: a busy teacher reading it on a phone in a hallway between periods. If it cannot be opened in ten seconds, it is not ready.

5. Sloppy outputs: grammar, slides, and basic accessibility

We live in a world where tools can catch basic grammar issues instantly and templates exist for decent slide design. And yet, we still circulate staff-wide messages with obvious errors and preset decks that are hard to read. Tiny fonts. Low contrast. Walls of text.

This is not about being fancy, but about quality control.

When grammar is unchecked, it distracts from the message and signals haste. Slide quality does the same. Consequently, if the communication is sloppy, people assume the planning and thinking behind it is sloppy, too.

This is also where basic accessibility shows up. If the font is tiny, the contrast is weak, and the document is a scanned image that cannot be searched or selected, it creates barriers. Some staff will struggle quietly while others will disengage. Either way, the message does not land the way it should.

Do this instead: If a message is going to the whole staff, take two minutes to proofread. If it is a deck for a real meeting, make it readable. One idea per slide, large font, high contrast, and less text. Aim for materials that are usable on a phone, searchable, and readable without squinting.

6. Data dumps with no story and no action

I love data. I also hate data dumps.

There is nothing worse than receiving a spreadsheet or dashboard with “FYI” and no explanation–no context, no interpretation, no action, just numbers floating in space. If there is no decision to make, no next step to take, and no owner to follow up, then the data becomes noise wearing a serious outfit.

Data only becomes helpful when it answers a question and drives an action. Without that, we are not using data, we are distributing anxiety.

Do this instead: Every data share should answer three questions:

1. So what? What does this data mean and what matters most here.
2. Now what? What are we going to do differently by knowing it.
3. Who owns it by when? What is the follow-through here and who is responsible.

Staff can handle hard truths. What they cannot handle is being handed numbers with no direction and then being judged for not magically improving them.

A closing thought about digital leadership

I am not writing this from a place of perfection as I have sent messages too fast, shared the wrong link, and have built a deck late at night and hoped nobody noticed. That is all part of leadership life. The point is not to shame anyone but to notice what our habits communicate and what these cost other people.

Digital choices are rarely neutral, and send signals about our standards and our care. These reveal whether we are thinking about the people on the receiving end, especially the ones who have the least time and the most daily demands. That is why I keep returning to the same line: It shows up as you.

If people have to decode you, they cannot act on your requests. So lead with the ask/task, make links usable, design for phone-first access, proofread anything that represents the school, make slides readable, do not send data without a next step, and use AI to clarify, not inflate.

Our digital habits should make it easier to do the work, not harder. When we reduce friction in small ways, we protect time for what actually matters: better instruction, stronger relationships, and better support for students. That is not tech. That is leadership.

Watch the episode above or listen/download the audio below.

Despite being a self-proclaimed "technology dork," Marlon Styles Jr. is also an educator, an author, and an influencer who insists technology should never lead educational initiatives.

"I love immersive reality. I love virtual reality. It's cool. It's fantastic," he says. "But I need a purpose for that to show up inside of a classroom and have that technology really influence the kids' experience."

Marlon will be keynoting next month’s Tech & Learning Leadership Summit at NCCE 26 in Seattle, WA. During our conversation, I was able to pull some exclusive insights into what he has in store.

Marlon will propose something many leaders might find uncomfortable: breaking the habit of relying on the same "inner circles" to make strategic decisions. "We break the habit of engaging the same inner circles to make strategic decisions in our systems. Inner circles mean the same people show up to the table to make decisions," he explains. "What I'm proposing is that we really leverage expertise in a unique way and bring specific intentional expertise from our employee base to the table to help us engage in strategic decision-making."

Marlon also challenges another education buzzword: data-driven decision-making. "I'm no longer saying that we need to be data-driven decision-makers," he suggests. "I'm saying that we need to be really strategic about how we collect and interact with intelligence from across our system to better inform the kind of decisions that we might make."

Finally, Marlon advocates for what he calls "agentic AI" — artificial intelligence that acts as a partner in decision-making rather than just a productivity tool. "How might we uniquely engage agentic AI with a specific set of expertise that we've convened to help us really make better strategic decisions?"

• Tech & Learning Conversations with Kevin Hogan

You can watch this week's episode above or click/download on the audio-only version below.

While talking about BETT 2026 on Zoom is not half as much fun as in a pub or London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, it’s always great to get the skinny from players in the edtech field. And who better than Liz Crawford to lay out the details.

Unlike previous years when companies rushed to rebrand themselves as "AI companies," BETT 2026 featured more substantive discussions about practical integration. Says Liz: "AI was definitely a hot topic. It was everywhere as part of every conversation. But I think the conversations are getting a little bit more thoughtful about AI and how we support teaching and learning with AI, and keep some of the fundamentals like reading and math and obviously the teacher-student relationships intact."

The conference drew ministerial delegations from around the world, creating what Liz describes as a "high energy" atmosphere with "people speaking multiple languages, cultures," and booths "packed pretty much all day, every day, three people deep trying to get demos."

One notable difference from U.S.-centric conferences such as ISTE: LMS adoption patterns vary significantly by region. "I hosted some sessions in the booth and asked if the educators were using LMS as an example, and sometimes they weren't really," Liz observes. "So I think from that perspective, the U.S. is a little bit ahead on the LMS usage."

However, Kahoot is experiencing "viral growth" in markets including Germany, France, Indonesia, and Japan—driven not by top-down government mandates but by teacher adoption. "I think it's just driven by teacher adoption of tools that are a good user experience, that provide value, that impact learning outcomes," Liz explains.

Two other topics generating significant buzz at BETT: future-ready skills (formerly called "21st century skills") and formative assessment. The latter received particular attention, appearing in stage keynotes, concurrent sessions, and booth demonstrations.

Discussions also centered on how technology supports soft skill development and how edtech platforms can work together more seamlessly. "Partnerships is still a big conversation around amongst edtech tools and amongst the platforms that are used every day in education, and how do we work together to make sure that we're trying to be seamless and help educators connect the dots across all the platforms they're using," she says.

In the snippet below, Liz discusses the evolution of AI in education:

• Tech & Learning Conversations with Kevin Hogan

Every leader faces the same challenge: how do you make your team's work visible and valued at the highest levels of your organization? The answer lies not in presenting more data, but in weaving that data into compelling narratives that directly connect to what boards care about most: the organization's mission and strategic priorities.

The Power of Strategic Alignment

School boards and administrative teams don't remember statistics. They remember stories that illuminate progress toward goals they've committed to achieving, especially those that illustrate how the students are improving through your auspices. When advocating for library and IT programs, for example, don’t focus on the equipment or software but on what the students and teachers will be able to do now that they were not able to do previously.

The most effective advocates understand that every board has articulated priorities, whether that's closing achievement gaps, preparing students for college and career, advancing equity, or fostering innovation. Your task is to position your department's contributions within this existing framework, showing what you do and why it matters in the context of the district's strategic educational goals.

Finding Your Story in the Data

Begin by examining your department's metrics through a strategic lens. Raw numbers, website visits, training completions, tickets resolved, number of books checked out, etc., tell an incomplete story. The narrative emerges when you ask, “What change do these numbers represent, and how does that change advance our mission?”

Consider an instructional technology department that increased learning management system adoption from 45% to 92% of faculty. The data point alone is impressive, but the story becomes powerful when connected to strategic outcomes. If the board's strategic plan emphasizes "personalized learning experiences," that increased adoption translates into 15,000 students now accessing differentiated content, real-time feedback, and flexible learning pathways. That directly advances the district's equity and achievement goals.

For a library media center tracking resource usage and information literacy instruction, rather than simply reporting that digital resource access increased by 80%, frame this within the board's college and career readiness goals: "Our expanded digital library and embedded research instruction reached 3,200 students this year, with 89% demonstrating proficiency in evaluating source credibility. The improvement in this critical skill for academic success and informed citizenship directly supports our graduate profile."

Crafting Your Narrative Arc

Effective board presentations follow a narrative structure that creates emotional resonance while maintaining analytical rigor. Start with context that grounds your story in the organization's strategic landscape. What challenge or opportunity existed? Why did it matter to the mission?

Next, illuminate your department's response. This is where you integrate data, but always in service of the story. Show the progression: where you started, the interventions your team designed, and the measurable changes that resulted. Use concrete examples that humanize the numbers. If your library services team launched a maker space that served 800 students, share a brief story about a reluctant reader who discovered graphic novels through your new browsing displays and went on to check out 23 books that year, reigniting a love of reading that had dimmed.

The climax of your narrative demonstrates impact aligned with strategic priorities. This is where you explicitly connect your department's outcomes to the board's goals. Use their language. If the strategic plan mentions "closing achievement gaps," show how your instructional technology initiatives enable differentiated instruction at scale. If they prioritize "innovative learning environments," demonstrate how your library transformation created collaborative spaces where students develop critical thinking and creative engagement.

Making the Strategic Connection Explicit

Don't assume board members will automatically draw connections between your data and their priorities. Make the alignment explicit and direct. Consider creating a simple visual framework that shows the strategic goal, your department's contribution, and the measurable impact.

For example:

Board Priority: Prepare all students for post-secondary success.

Our Contribution: Implemented one-to-one device program with an embedded digital citizenship curriculum and expanded library database access.

Impact: 94% of seniors now demonstrate college-level research skills, up from 67%, and digital tool proficiency increased from 58% to 91%. This directly supported the goal of eliminating barriers to post-secondary readiness.

This approach transforms you from a department head requesting technology budgets or library materials into a strategic partner demonstrating return on investment in terms the board values most: student outcomes and achievement of educational goals.

Building Long-Term Visibility

Improving your department's identity with leadership isn't about a single presentation either. It is about consistently demonstrating strategic value. Create a rhythm of communication that keeps your contributions visible. Share monthly or quarterly updates that track progress on specific strategic metrics. Advocate for regular opportunities to present to the board to highlight accomplishments. Work with building principals to highlight how you have supported their goals as well. When organizational wins occur, proactively identify your department's enabling role.

Perhaps most importantly, invite board members into your work area or encourage them to participate in programs your department manages and observe your team in action. These experiences create advocates who understand your value firsthand.

The Transformation

When you master the art of wrapping data in a strategic narrative, something shifts; your department moves from being seen as a support function to being recognized as a strategic asset. Budget conversations then become easier because you have demonstrated clear connections between your resources and organizational priorities. Recruitment also improves because talented professionals want to join teams doing meaningful, visible work. Most importantly, your team gains the recognition and support they deserve for their contributions to the mission.

The data has always been there. The impact has always existed. Your task is to tell the story that makes both impossible to ignore.

Watch this week's conversation above or listen/download the audio only below.

Superintendent Tom Livezey of Oakridge Public Schools in Muskegon, Michigan, wanted to be heard. So when he discovered that nobody noticed when he stopped sending the district's printed quarterly newsletter, he began to implement a deliberate approach to communication.

His progress wasn't part of a grand strategic plan but rather a series of "course corrections" responding to parent needs and changing technology.

The key innovation was unifying staff communication around a single rostered platform that allows teachers to send messages, photos, and updates to entire classes or individual students while receiving responses—all translated into multiple languages. Previously, only the superintendent had access to sophisticated communication tools, while teachers used various free internet platforms, creating a fragmented experience for parents. The district now has approximately 1,000 TikTok followers and receives unsolicited praise from teachers and parents alike.

Tom's advice to other districts: focus on strategy, message, frequency, and listening rather than obsessing over which specific tool to use. Match solutions to actual problems rather than implementing technology for technology's sake.

In this snippet, Tom talks about unifying communications for parents.

In this snippet, Tom offers advice to other districts looking to simplify their communications strategy:

• Tech & Learning Conversations with Kevin Hogan

Quakertown Community School District is a diverse suburban district of 5,000 students 40 miles north of Philadelphia.

“We find that many generations of families have gone through our district,” says Superintendent Matthew Friedman. “As a long-time professional in education, that’s always a good sign that people like the school system. When I arrived, I listened to all the internal and external stakeholders to learn the strengths, the pain points, where we needed to grow. What I really wanted to focus on was life beyond the walls of the schools.”

For Friedman, who was recently recognized with an Innovative Leader Award at the Northeast Pre-NYSCATE Summit in Verona, NY, there was one important question to answer: What are kids going to do when they graduate?

“We have a mix of white-collar and blue-collar families and a separate technical high school with about 1,000 kids that feed in from three different districts,” he says. “A lot of our kids go into trades. We support two-year paths, four-year paths, trade school, workforce, military — all the different options. But we really had no dedicated exposure to STEM education at that elementary level.”

To start, Friedman helped design and implement an elementary computational thinking and design thinking course for K through 5.

“It gave the students an opportunity to be hands-on in their learning, to understand the computational thinking process and have exposure to STEM education at the younger level,” he says. “I always use the analogy from a leadership position of building a house. You can build the biggest house in the world, but if you don't have a strong foundation that house is going to collapse."

Friedman saw a lot of schools try to implement things from the top down. He wanted to try to do things from the bottom up, starting conversations in kindergarten to set kids up for success in high school by having K-8 CTE exposure. To do that, he wanted to have career conversations with a common career language K-12 and to take a dialogic approach using the RIASEC taxonomy of career interests.

Far from a one-off concept, RIASEC is now used by many universities such as U of Hawaii, Purdue, FSU, and Michigan State to help students determine prospective majors that speak to their true talents, interest and abilities.

“If you put in your RIASEC results, it will show you what majors align with your letters and what courses you could potentially take,” Friedman says. “It takes a lot of the guessing out and really helps to frame it for students.”

The 6 RIASEC Types to Guide Students

Friedman explains the RIASEC taxonomy:

• Realistic (The Doers): These people are often good at mechanical or athletic jobs (e.g., mechanics, engineers, farmers).
• Investigative (The Thinkers): These people like to watch, learn, analyze and solve problems (e.g., scientists, researchers, data analysts).
• Artistic (The Creators): These people like to work in unstructured situations where they can use their creativity (e.g., artists, musicians, writers, designers).
• Social (The Helpers): These people like to work with other people, rather than things (e.g., teachers, nurses, counselors).
• Enterprising (The Persuaders): These people like to work with others and enjoy persuading and performing.(e.g., managers, salespeople, entrepreneurs).
• Conventional (The Organizers): These people are very detail oriented, organized, and like to work with data (e.g., accountants, clerks, administrative assistants).

Some schools use simple questionnaires to ask students to consider their strengths, dislikes, talents and interests — making it clear there are no wrong answers, as seen here.

Deeper Conversations and Deeper Culture

Friedman has seen a positive change not only in the classroom but the greater school culture.

“We were talking about Martin Luther King Jr's birthday coming up and instead of very low-level factual information, we can integrate career conversations such as, ‘What letters do you think Dr. King would be? What letters are you? Find two or three in the room to have a conversation. What are the similarities between you and Dr. King? What are the differences? Why do you think he would be these letters? Does that align with your strengths and your interests, could you do something similar to what Dr. King did one day?’ It takes the conversation to a whole other level,” Friedman says.

Friedman explains how a third-grade Veterans Day classroom conversation he overheard discussing RIASEC letters in regard to an Army Ranger visitor in the classroom might have affected a student’s career path.

“Students really have to understand all six letters in order to understand where they fit in the framework,” he says. “Their letters could change daily, weekly, yearly. The letters you have in kindergarten are probably not the letters you have in 7th or 12th grade. But if you continue to think about your strengths and your interests, teachers can flexibly group students in classrooms based off of their dominant letter.”

The success stories that are most satisfying to Friedman are those involving helping a student find their own right future path. For example, one strong student admitted he was considering dropping out of school because he didn’t see a fit with what was happening in the classroom. Now an engineering major at a top school, he shared that after being introduced to RIASEC and career conversations using a common language, he realized that his strengths and interests actually had a pathway beyond K-12.

From a leadership perspective, Friedman always wants growth and achievement from his students. A common language is changing the culture of the program.

“We’ve had the kids say, ‘I'm having conversations with people I never thought I would talk to in school,’” he says. “That’s so great. It shifts the paradigm.”

The use of RIASEC also helped in a recent career and jobs fair.

“We’ve created different types of pathways students can take,” Friedman says. “They can take courses and get externships and job shadows and internships throughout high school with local businesses. Integrating Riasec into their decision-making process was invaluable at a recent college and career fair in our high school. We had 96 colleges, universities, businesses, military and trades. Six weeks before the fair, our college and career counselor contacted all 96 attendees. ‘This is the Riasec framework. We want you to list your top 10 majors or job roles with appropriate letters.’"

When students arrived at the fair, rather than wandering aimlessly, they could instantly target the best fit and have productive conversations about their future.

“It’s just such a helpful tool, at any age,” Friedman says. “When we introduced this to parents, a number of adults came up to me afterward and said, ‘I might rethink where I am in my life and my career.’"

The Tools They Use

• Google Gemini
• Google Gems
• Notebook LM
• Streamable Learning
• ClickView

In the rapidly evolving landscape of K-12 education, the role of a Technology Director often fluctuates between maintaining infrastructure and shaping pedagogy. For Eric Coronado, Director of Technology for Suffern Central School District in Rockland County in New York, who was recently awarded the Tech & Learning’s Innovative Leader Award at the Tech & Learning Northeast Summit, the mission is clear. While his responsibilities cover everything from cybersecurity to student devices—"If it has a plug, that's me," he jokes—his core philosophy is rooted in a much softer skill set: supporting people.

Coronado’s path to educational leadership was non-traditional. Like many in the tech sector, he began his career climbing the corporate ladder. A short-term leadership experiment in a school district, however, turned into a long-term calling.

"Once I was in K-12, I realized how meaningful the work was, completely different from corporate,” he says. “When you help schools succeed, you're helping the next generation and it's incredibly rewarding."

Now leading a diverse district with a growing multilingual population, Coronado is leveraging strategic partnerships and cutting-edge tools to bridge the gap between complex technology and student success.

AI Integration: Guidelines Over Rigid Policy

One of the most pressing challenges in modern districts is the rise of AI. Rather than shying away from it, SCSD has leaned into AI, particularly to support their expanding community of English as a New Language (ENL) learners.

Coronado and his team were early adopters of SchoolAI and MagicSchool, identifying these as powerful allies in bridging communication gaps. However, the implementation strategy was just as important as the tools themselves. The district avoided creating hard-and-fast policies that would inevitably become obsolete within weeks. Instead, they established flexible guidelines focused on responsible use.

"Our goal was never to replace learning but to actually support it," Coronado says. He highlights SchoolAI specifically for its ability to create "translation agents." These agents allow for robust language support while maintaining strict educational guardrails. "Students could poke at it and try to break it, but it always stayed educationally focused," he says.

Building the Next Generation of Cyber Defenders

A standout among SCSD’s initiatives is the launch of a three-year Cybersecurity Academy at the high school. This program was born out of a partnership with the League of Innovative Schools and Digital Promise, a nonprofit focused on closing the digital learning gap.

Through a small cohort selected by Digital Promise, Suffern was able to implement a curriculum that emphasizes a "Play, Learn, Perform” learning process. Students aren't just reading textbooks; they are engaging in real-world problem-solving, such as simulating ethical hacking.

“I'm really proud of the cybersecurity academy” Coronado says. “It gives students hands-on exposure in cybersecurity and it gives them a clear career pathway."

The program is designed with a tangible finish line: by the third year, students are prepared to take the CompTIA Security+ cybersecurity certification.

Modernizing the Classroom Experience

Beyond specialized programs, Coronado is focused on the daily instructional environment. The district recently undertook a rollout of Promethean interactive boards. For Coronado, this wasn't just a hardware upgrade; it was a shift in instructional design.

"We wanted to change how the teachers engage with the students," he says. The goal was to move away from static displays to collaborative environments in which mirroring screens and touch interaction are the norm.

To support teachers without overwhelming them, the district utilized a "reverse training" model using Promethean’s self-paced PD website, allowing educators to master the tools at their leisure.

Operational Efficiency and Vendor Philosophy

Managing the backend of a district’s technology is a massive logistical feat, particularly regarding device management. Following the pandemic, the district faced thousands of Chromebooks and the inevitable breakage that comes with 1:1 initiatives.

To streamline this, Coronado implemented Incident IQ, which modernized their help desk, allowing for better tracking, reporting, and budgeting for repairs. This choice reflects Coronado’s strict criteria for vendor partners: interoperability.

"If I'm looking for a tool, I don't want it to be just for Google, just for Microsoft. I want it to be everything," he says. He values vendors that offer proactive customer service—partners who reach out to him rather than waiting for a ticket to be filed.

Leadership Based on Trust

Ultimately, Coronado attributes the success at Suffern Central School District not to the software or the hardware, but to the culture. His advice for aspiring education leaders is to stay curious and prioritize relationships over technical specs.

“Innovation in education is not about flashy tools,” he says. “It's about collaboration and keeping students in the right direction."

The Tools They Use

• SchoolAI
• MagicSchool
• Promethean interactive boards
• Incident IQ

Apply to attend an upcoming Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summits here.

Tech & Learning’s Leadership Summits offer a unique environment for district leaders. Beyond a standard conference, these summits are designed to build a national network of innovative school district leaders—a community you can turn to throughout the year for advice, strategy, and camaraderie.

The Philosophy: The Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room

We believe that collective intelligence drives innovation. That is why every Tech & Learning’s Leadership Summit agenda is bespoke, created based on information gathered directly from our attendees during registration.

We identify the topics that matter most to you and invite select attendees to facilitate valuable roundtable discussions. This format allows you to share successes, troubleshoot challenges, and develop lasting relationships that extend your professional learning network well beyond the event.

Why Attend? Hear from Your Peers

Here are key reasons to join us, in the words of past attendees:

• Elite Networking & Strategic Connections
  “As an IT professional in education, I cannot overstate the value of Tech & Learning's Regional Leadership Summit. This event offers an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with peers and gain insights into the latest trends and best practices in educational technology." — Nicholas Fountas, Chief Technology Officer, Brigantine Public School District
• Executive-Level Professional Development
  “The Tech & Learning Summit provides the perfect balance of networking, meeting vendors, exploring new products, listening to fellow district ideas, and roundtable discussions. It is interactive, fast-paced, and the speakers never disappoint!” — Kristen Honaker, Technology Coordinator, Houston County Board of Education
• Actionable Strategies & Peer-Driven Solutions
  “The Tech & Learning Summit creates an experience that was clearly designed with practitioners in mind. Everything about the event supported implementation, not just inspiration.” — Matt Joseph, Assistant Superintendent, New Bedford Schools
• Personalized Partner Matching for District Needs
  "The Tech & Learning Leadership Summit highlighted some new technology partners and resources that could positively impact our community and students! What more could you ask for?” — Megan Hanna, Senior Director of Curriculum & Technology, Legacy Christian Academy

2026 Dates & Locations

Each summit is free to attend and focuses on the unique needs of that region to help you develop concrete action plans. Tech & Learning also covers a two-night hotel stay for qualified attendees.

Join us at one of the following 2026 locations:

• February 25, 2026 | NORTHWEST (Seattle) - Pre-NCCE: NEW LOCATION! Tech & Learning is proud to partner with NCCE for our first Northwest Leadership Summit pre-con. Speakers include retired superintendent, Marlon Styles, Washington State’s Elementary Principal of the Year Cathi Davis, and more sharing valuable advice for school district leaders. Find more information and the link to apply here.
• March 13, 2026 | Southeast (Atlanta): Back at the Loudermilk Conference Center, this popular Leadership Summit draws district leaders from GA, AL, FL, and TN. The program will include conversations on topics like AI and emerging tech, data privacy and security, professional development, rethinking learning spaces, and more. Find more information and the link to apply here.
• May 1, 2026: NEW ENGLAND (Boston): Taking place at the beautiful Connors Center outside Boston, school district leaders from the New England area gather to share and learn about the most important topics for school district leaders impacting the region. Find more information and the link to apply here.
• June 27, 2026: PRE-ISTE (Orlando): Tech & Learning is taking our annual pre-ISTE Leadership Summit to the ultimate hub of innovation: The Kennedy Space Center. Surrounded by history's greatest engineering feats, we will explore the next frontier of education—diving deep into science, AI, and the future of classroom technology. This exclusive event sells out every year and draws a national audience. Apply to attend soon to secure your spot here!
• September 18, 2026: TEXAS: They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the Texas Regional Summit is no exception. We are tackling the region’s most significant challenges head-on—from navigating new cell phone bans and AI governance to mastering data privacy and security. Find more information and the link to apply here.
• November 7, 2026: MIDWEST: Returning to the conveniently located NIU Naperville Conference Center, Tech & Learning’s Midwest Summit brings together district leaders from IL, IN, MI, and WI. Join us to share strategies and solutions through a series of intimate, expert-led group discussions. Find more information and the link to apply here.

“This was one of the most beneficial and interactive events I have attended in my 20-year career in education,” writes attendee Billy Runey, Superintendent of Schools, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional Schools. “I would highly recommend this summit to anyone.”

Qualified school district administrators can apply to attend an upcoming Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summits here.

Sample Agenda: What to Expect

Each Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit follows an agenda designed to maximize learning and colleague interaction.

DAY ONE:

• Evening: Welcome Dinner

DAY TWO:

• 8:30 AM: Registration & Breakfast
• 9:00 - 10:00 AM: Welcome & Keynote
  • Hosted by Edtech luminary Carl Hooker, bringing enthusiasm and passion to the day.
• 10:00 - 11:30 AM: Problem-Solving Breakouts
  • Topics include: Generative AI, sustaining tech post-ESSER, rethinking PD, data governance, and managing staffing shortages.
• 11:30 AM: Beyond the Hype: Building a Sustainable AI Governance & Implementation Strategy
• 12:00 PM: Lunch & Meet the Partners
• 1:00-2:00: Navigating the Fiscal Cliff: Strategies for Sustainability Post-ESSER
• 2:00 PM: Problem-Solving Breakouts
  • Topics include: Student wellness, cybersecurity, rethinking learning spaces, and teacher recruitment/retention.
• 3:30 PM: Reflections and Actions
  • Closing activity led by Carl Hooker to solidify takeaways and next steps.
• 4:00 PM: Innovative Leader Awards Ceremony

Call for Nominations: Innovative Leader Awards

As part of our Regional Live Summits, Tech & Learning recognizes exceptional district administrators who are reimagining education with our Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Awards. We are seeking nominations for leaders who have launched unique, forward-thinking programs or policies that have a demonstrable positive impact and are replicable in other districts.

Winner Benefits:

• Invitation to the Regional Summit (including a two-night hotel stay).
• Profile feature in an issue of Tech & Learning.
• Official Innovative Leader Award Seal for district websites and communications.

Read more about our recent winners here.

Nominate yourself or a colleague for the Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Awards here.

For many educators, the path to leadership is a calculated climb. For Jennifer Mazza, Director of STEM and Instructional Technology at Clarkstown Central School District, it was a series of fortunate accidents and "trial by fire" moments.

Mazza, a recent winner of Tech & Learning’s Innovative Leader Award, began her journey in 1999 in Michigan, where she intended to be a wildlife biologist. However, a chance encounter with a principal while applying to substitute teach led to a long-term position teaching biology, geometry, and civics. Decades later, a similar pivotal shift occurred. Mazza moved into administration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and assumed her current role in September 2022; ChatGPT was released in November.

"It’s turned out to be mostly technology with a little bit of science," Mazza says of her role, noting that the release of generative AI "changed the whole nature of the position and everything that I was focused on."

Today, Mazza is leading a district of approximately 8,000 students through a technological evolution, focusing on student agency, community partnerships, and instructional integrity.

Scaling Innovation at Clarkstown

Clarkstown Central School District, located in Rockland County, New York, is a well-funded, suburban district comprising nine elementary schools, a large middle school, two high schools, and a therapeutic alternative school. With a small technology team consisting of herself and two facilitators, Mazza faces the challenge of implementing large-scale changes across a broad demographic.

Her strategy relies on small-group implementation and "The AI Roadshow." Tech facilitators visit elementary schools to meet with grade-level teams, grounding teachers in what AI tools are before they are introduced to students.

Mazza emphasizes that technology must serve instruction, not the other way around. "The goal of using the technology should be to take kids to places and opportunities and experiences that they couldn't have without that technology."

The AI Externship: A Reciprocal Model

Perhaps the most innovative initiative under Mazza’s leadership is the pilot AI Externship program. Recognizing that students often possess AI skills that surpass those of the average adult, Mazza saw an opportunity to change the traditional internship model.

"We really wanted to connect with our small business owners and our town government... and engage in a reciprocal relationship where instead of just sending a kid out to have an externship experience, we're actually giving them some agency to bring something to the table as well," Mazza says.

The program began with students earning AI certifications through Coursera. They were then placed in district departments and town government roles to create operations manuals and manage publicity using their new skills. The program is now expanding to include approximately 150 students across the county.

This initiative also connects to a broader career focus. One high school recently hosted a career fair organized by department chair Jess Flanigan, attracting professionals from American Express, the medical field, and finance to mentor students.

The Tech Stack: Tools and Partnerships

For district leaders curious about the specific tools powering Clarkstown’s innovation, Mazza offers a transparent look at their "tech stack." While the district has restricted ChatGPT, they actively encourage the use of Google’s Gemini and NotebookLM, particularly noting the latter's success in special education departments.

Video and content creation are also central to the district's strategy. "We train widely on Canva and WeVideo," Mazza notes. "We think it is really important to empower a student to share their voice in a world where technology is the platform for getting your voice out there."

Mazza also highlights the importance of strong vendor relationships for student safety. The district uses Brisk, an AI-powered content creation and feedback tool. Mazza praises Brisk for being responsive to safety concerns and connecting the district directly with product engineers.

"I can't monitor 17 different tools at the same time," Mazza says. "Building those vendor relationships is really important because this is new work and the one place that we can go wrong is related to student safety."

Leading Through "Natural Selection"

Mazza draws on her roots as a biology teacher when offering advice to other leaders hesitant to embrace AI. She views the current educational landscape through the lens of evolution.

"The environment has changed very significantly," she says. "What is going to work in one place may not work in another place. And so right now there's no excuse not to try because you can't really get it wrong. You can only provide more opportunities for kids."

By focusing on empowering new teachers through the district's "New Professionals Institute" and giving students a seat at the table through externships, Mazza is turning potential obstacles into opportunities.

"To see your teachers feel empowered and optimistic about their profession, it makes you feel good about doing the work," she says.

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Leaders

Mazza offers advice for aspiring edtech leaders.

• Embrace the "Accidental" Path: You don’t need a perfect roadmap to lead. Mazza’s career was defined by stepping up during "trial by fire" moments, from her first teaching job to navigating COVID-19 and the arrival of Generative AI.
• Prioritize Instruction Over Tech: Technology is a vehicle, not the destination. If a lesson works better without a screen, do it without the screen. Use tech only when it amplifies the experience or takes students somewhere new.
• Flip the Internship Model: Don’t just send students to learn from adults; acknowledge that students are often the experts in AI. Create "reciprocal relationships" in which students provide value to local businesses and government offices while gaining work experience.
• Vet Your Vendors: You cannot monitor every update on every platform. Build relationships with responsive partners who are willing to put engineers on the phone to discuss student safety.
• Start with Central Office: If you are hesitant to reach out to external companies, start your pilot programs within your own district office. Plenty of work needs to be done internally that can benefit from student tech expertise.

The Tools They Use

• Brisk
• Canva
• ChatGPT
• Coursera
• Gemini (Google)
• NotebookLM (Google)
• Prodigy
• WeVideo

As educators, we frequently encounter challenging situations, often involving aggressive or defensive responses that feel like a verbal assault.

I learned this firsthand as a new administrator when a student was seated in the office for detention and another child walked up, knocked on the window, and made fun of him. I redirected the heckler, and later that night I was stunned at what happened: the parent of the heckler wrote a letter to the superintendent, complaining that I had verbally assaulted his son and demanded I be fired; I was clearly unfit to work with children.

After thousands of encounters with difficult people, I developed microstrategies, which are quick, practical, and immediately impactful solutions that educators and leaders can use to manage daily interactions and challenges, saving time and keeping the focus on students.

The ability to adapt and successfully navigate hostile people demands recognizing how to manage and understand them. The key is to never match a difficult person’s aggressiveness, no matter how wrong they are, or how defensive you feel. Instead, always keep a steady eye on objectivity.

Understanding and Countering Blame Displacement

Blame displacement happens when people deflect responsibility for problems or failures onto others, resulting in avoidance rather than accountability. This deflection often stems from ego, which Ryan Holiday characterizes in Ego Is the Enemy, as a deep-seated desire to protect self-image and avoid the discomfort of perceived shortcomings. This ego-driven defensiveness manifests as subtle manipulations to offload responsibilities and maintain a perception of blamelessness and accusations.

To counter this, educators should deploy methods such as Todd Whitaker's approach on Shifting the Monkey. Effective leaders must consistently and respectfully deflect "monkeys" (responsibilities, problems, and complaints) back to their rightful owners to protect good employees and kids, and maintain an organization’s focus on student success.

For example, when a parent attempts to displace blame for their child's struggles on educators trying to help, strategic responses to recognize this transfer allows us to skillfully return the monkey back to where it belongs, through skillful redirection. A strategic redirection might be: “I've provided the resources and guidance and now I'd like to hear what strategies you believe would be most effective in helping your child meet these goals.”

Displacing blame perpetuates confusion and misunderstanding for children and that’s when kids lose. School leaders have to manage the monkeys, so students don't have to and win.

The 90/10 Rule

While educators experience disproportionate and aggressive responses, it's important to maintain perspective. Most families I encounter have a trusting and reasonable response to our management system for student conduct and development, which I refer to as the 90/10 Rule (or "rule of nines"): 90% of people are decent, understanding, and reasonable in our shared encounters, yet the difficult and exasperating 10% approach concerns with aggression, defensiveness, and insult and and occupy an inordinate majority of time and resources.

This small, significant minority makes themselves well known, having made the cashier at Target cry, insulted the security officer, etc. While challenging and even hostile, they are often doing the best that they can. We must implement strategies to manage our responses to them, not to avoid them.

Strategy Shifting and Taking the Higher Ground

Effectively countering blame displacement requires both a procedural approach to shift ownership and a conscious, objective alternative redirection to the ego-driven narrative fueling it. We must always take the higher ground, keeping in mind our most important role: how we are helping their child develop and thrive, serving as a role model for our students and them.

When a difficult person attacks, accountability is confronted by recentering the dialogue and reminding them that civility comes first for the sake of the child. A powerful redirection I use is: “I will never speak to you or your child like that and I expect the same in return.” This often shocks parents back into reality.

Clearly communicate expectations, focus on collaborative problem-solving that includes the difficult person’s role, and consistently reinforce that while the school plays a vital part, the parent's collaboration is crucial in student success. By refusing to accept displaced blame, educators protect their time and energy, allowing them to focus on supporting students in ways that are truly within our professional landscape.

The parent who demanded I be fired long ago eventually came to me (three years later), thanking me for my patience and understanding. He acknowledged his own shortcomings, realizing that I was not "after" his son, as he instinctively assumed. This was a strangely liberating and unexpected turnaround.

While most blame-displacers will not come around as he did, some will and that is the promise I offer. It has remained my true reward, because a child can see the other side, not a combative educator validating their parent’s irrational reaction, but a civil even-handed approach to their success.

Watch the video or download/listen to the audio below.

In an era dominated by discussions about AI and every other flavor of edtech, a new study delivers a surprisingly analog message: what makes teachers feel successful hasn't changed. It's human connection.

The 2025 Global Teacher Insights Report from Vivi reveals that 85% of nearly 2,000 teachers worldwide identified strong teacher-student relationships and active engagement as the two most influential factors in their sense of success.

I had the chance to dig into the report’s weeds with Peter Emmel, Director of Technology at Randolph Township Schools (NJ), and Juliana Finegan, VP of Educator Experience at Vivi. Juliana details the whys and hows of the report while Peter is able to apply the data to his insights on managing the tech in schools on a day-to-day basis.

The full 2025 Global Teacher Insights Report from Vivi is available for free download. Whether you're a district technology director evaluating new tools, a principal working to improve teacher retention, or an instructional coach looking to understand what makes teachers feel successful in their roles, the report offers data-driven guidance for creating the conditions in which both teachers and students can thrive.

In this snippet, Peter Emmel, Director of Technology at Randolph Township Schools, talks about the first step that district technology leaders need to take to help support student success:

In the rapidly evolving landscape of educational technology, the conversation often centers on efficiency—how quickly we can generate a lesson plan, grade a paper, or analyze data. However, for Noor Shammas, an Instructional Technology Coordinator at Naperville Community Unit School District 203 in Illinois in her second year of leadership – and recent winner of the Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award – the focus must remain steadfastly on the "human" element of the equation.

Shammas, who describes her role as a synthesis of her "Big Four" passions—instructional technology, curriculum and instruction, professional learning, and coaching—believes that while AI offers incredible utility, its true power lies in its ability to deepen human connection rather than replace it.

Defining Human-Centered AI

The fear that AI might replace educators is a common narrative, but Shammas argues that a human-centered approach renders that fear obsolete. To her, the definition is clear.

"Human-centered AI in education is when we integrate AI and other technology into classrooms in ways that enhance strong instructional practices, student learning, and human relationships rather than replacing them," Shammas says.

She clarifies what this looks like in practice. It isn't simply typing a prompt, generating an output, and copying and pasting it to save time. While Shammas acknowledges that "time is our greatest commodity that's depleting faster than we can keep up with," she emphasizes that efficiency should be a means to an end, not the end itself. The goal is to use AI to handle tasks that free up the educator to focus on complex problem-solving and interpersonal connections.

"It means that you're using AI to increase your efficiency in one area so that you can solve a problem or accomplish a goal with colleagues and students in another area," she says. "It’s keeping humans in the loop. You're the one who knows what your students need first."

AI in Action: From Penguins to Multimodal Learning

Shammas offers concrete examples of how her district is leveraging AI to personalize instruction in ways that were previously incredibly time-consuming. She highlights a coach she works with who utilizes image generation to support a student with specific needs.

"I've worked with a coach who is creating social stories for a student who loves penguins, and the coach is creating images of penguins to teach the student her lagging skills in social stories. Truly personalizing learning for the student," Shammas says.

Beyond individualization, teachers in her district are using tools such as NotebookLM to create multimodal artifacts, allowing students to review and extend their learning through different mediums. Crucially, the students themselves are becoming part of the process. Shammas notes that students are "creating their own images now . . . and refining their prompts to navigate the bias and inaccuracies that AI can produce."

This inclusion of student voice is vital. Shammas’ district recently facilitated a learning advisory during which staff listened to students in grades 6 through 12. The feedback was illuminating.

"We actually had one student say, 'I wish my teachers knew that we are truly trying to use it to learn . . . not only to cheat. I really want to use it for learning,'" Shammas says.

The Power of Coalition

Navigating this new terrain is not a solo endeavor. Shammas is deeply involved with the LEAP Innovations Chicagoland Coalition for Human-Centered AI. This group brings together a diverse array of educational leaders—from public and private schools to charter and rural districts—to grapple with the hopes and fears surrounding AI. The coalition allows districts to share stories, problem-solve, and realize that despite their different demographics, they are facing the same challenges.

For districts looking to replicate this success without access to a local coalition, Shammas advises looking at existing partners in a new light. She suggests that Customer Success Managers (CSMs) from edtech vendors are often untapped resources.

"Don't underestimate your customer service managers. They're not just selling products. They're also willing to help connect you," she says, noting that these partners often see what is working in other districts and can facilitate connections. (See her Tools They Use).

Leadership with a Vulnerable Heart

Implementing such a complex vision requires steady, authentic leadership. Shammas admits that stepping out of the classroom into a coordinator role came with "impostor syndrome," a feeling familiar to many women in leadership. Her advice to aspiring leaders is to lean into vulnerability and self-reflection.

Citing Brené Brown as an influence, Shammas suggests leading with a heart that isn't "armored." "To me, that just means being vulnerable, like admitting when I don't know something or I can't do something," she says.

She also emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with critical thinkers rather than "yes people," and maintaining a growth mindset even when the job gets tough. She shares a personal strategy for those difficult days when she feels the urge to retreat.

"By shifting my mindset from 'I want to run away' to 'What can I learn from it?' it really helps me grow as a leader," she says. "You have to always be growing as a leader."

Intentionality First

Ultimately, whether discussing leadership struggles or the latest AI rollout, Shammas returns to a core philosophy: intentionality.

"Technology should serve the inquiry, not dictate it,” she says. “Like the discussions we have at Tech & Learning’s events, we need a return to intentional use—focusing on pedagogy first, rather than chasing the latest shiny, flashy tools."

The technology must serve the learning, not the other way around.

"We try to quickly move staff from learning about the capabilities of a tool to focus on what we want students to learn and how we want them to show they've learned it. And then we align the use of the tool to those driving questions," Shammas says. "It’s all about choosing your starting point."

By keeping the focus on relationships, student needs, and clear instructional goals, Shammas demonstrates that the future of AI in education isn't about the code—it's about the people.

Tools They Use

• Shammas' district is a Microsoft and Google district. “Our Google rep has been incredibly helpful,” she says.
• Magic School - "They’ve also been incredible,” she says.
• Seesaw - "Another great one as well, offering lots of professional learning.”
• Formative - "An awesome group of people who really help us to get into the tools.'

There are still plenty of misconceptions around scholastic esports: kids are just playing games, esports lead to unhealthy screen time and poor academic performance, video games are isolating and don't teach valuable skills.

The facts show different results. When scholastic esports are structured properly, many schools see student academic performance improving. Players learn valuable skills like teamwork and critical thinking, and a recent study shows that esports can also be a key component to student wellness and social cohesion.

According to John Phillips of Berrien RESA, an educational service agency serving over 24,000 students in Michigan, the true power of esports lies not in the technology, but in its ability to reconnect a generation of students who have faced unprecedented isolation.

Phillips recently was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for his work in scaling Professional Learning programs across Michigan and his advocacy for esports and wellness.

The Great Generational Leveler

Phillips, whose agency encompasses a diverse mix of rural agricultural communities and corporate hubs near Benton Harbor, sees esports as a unique tool for equity. Unlike traditional athletics, which often rely on physical attributes or socioeconomic access to expensive equipment and travel leagues, esports opens the door for everyone.

"It is a great generational leveler," Phillips says. "Players of any socioeconomic status can participate. It doesn't matter if the student has high or low academic performance. None of that really matters in the esports space."

This inclusivity extends to students with physical disabilities as well. Thanks to adaptive controllers and accessibility features from game publishers, students who might never make the football team can finally experience the camaraderie of varsity sports.

"We're seeing all students get involved," says Phillips. "I think that is one of the great leveling components we've had from esports. It could be the varsity quarterback or it could be a student who sits in the back of the class and doesn't talk to anybody. They get to esports and all of a sudden that's their thing."

Busting the "Basement Dweller" Myth

Despite the inclusivity, administrators looking to start programs often face a significant hurdle: the stigma that gaming promotes sedentary, unhealthy lifestyles. Phillips is quick to point out that a well-run scholastic esports program actually teaches the opposite.

"Huge misconceptions include that these students don't care about their health. All they care about is the screen and all they care about is button smashing," Phillips says. "That couldn't be further from the truth."

Phillips emphasizes that to be a competitor, students must master skills that include healthy nutrition, physical activity, and balance. He jokingly refers to the need for students to "touch grass"—a gamer term for disconnecting and going outside.

"What they don't have mastered is: 'How do I take care of myself?'" Phillips says. "How do I take care of my physical self so that I don't end up with carpal tunnel or burning out or stress injuries? How do I take care of my mental wellbeing?"

By formalizing gaming into a school program, educators can provide the structure necessary to teach these wellness habits, addressing "rage quitting" and emotional regulation in a way that unsupervised home gaming cannot.

The Research: Safety and Social Cohesion

The push for wellness in esports isn't just anecdotal; it is backed by significant research. Phillips highlights a partnership involving NASEF (Network of Academic Scholastic Esports Federations) and the Department of Homeland Security focused on reducing violence and radicalization in online spaces. The goal was to see if structured esports programs could foster social cohesion and reduce isolation.

Using the eight-step program developed by NASEF, the initiative sought to help students feel a stronger connection to their school community.

"The idea was: could putting those steps in place actually help students feel more social cohesion to the school? Could it help them feel more part of a team?" Phillips says.

By creating a supervised environment, schools can turn a potentially isolating activity into a community-building engine.

Building a Durable Program

For districts inspired to launch their own programs, Phillips offers a crucial piece of advice regarding sustainability: "It cannot be a single person's passion project."

While a passionate teacher is necessary to kickstart the initiative, long-term success requires a coalition of stakeholders, including administration, parents, and students. "If you have multiple stakeholders involved, that's going to allow for that durability factor for this to continue," he advises.

This community approach also helps in overcoming parental hesitation. Phillips suggests that the best way to win over skeptics is to invite them to get involved.

"They have to see it to believe it," he says, noting that the demographic of parents is shifting toward those who grew up with video games, making the conversation easier than it was a decade ago.

Start with What You Have

Finally, Phillips addresses the financial barrier. Many districts assume esports requires a lab full of $3,000 gaming PCs. However, the barrier to entry has lowered significantly.

"You already have the infrastructure to start an esports program," Phillips asserts. "With the advent of cloud gaming and Minecraft being on the Chromebook, that makes esports pretty universally available in schools."

He also points to low-cost consoles like the Nintendo Switch as a viable entry point for games like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart. "It isn't as though you need to invest thousands and thousands of dollars. Don't let yourself get bogged down in what you don't have," he encourages. "Focus on what you do have and show that it can be successful."

Ultimately, Phillips believes that for esports to remain a fixture in education, it must be about more than just entertainment. It must serve the whole child.

"I'm grateful to Tech & Learning for the opportunity to share the wellness side of esports,” Phillips says. “While gaming is cool, gaming on its own is not a durable function in schools. There has to be more to the calling. Whether it's career pathways or wellness connections, those elements add the validity needed to integrate esports into both academic and social programming."