“Some frequent users of AI companion apps say safety concerns are overblown. They argue the apps are an immersive upgrade to the online experimentation young people have done for decades — from fan fiction on Tumblr to anonymous encounters in AOL chatrooms.”

That part of The Journey—sharing with a peer—was as much about community building as tool building. Because leading change is a lonely endeavor. You need kindred spirits, from inside and outside your school, to inspire you, support you, and guide you. Participants may have come from places as far-flung as South Korea, Greece, Spain, Puerto Rico, and all over the United States, but they connected deeply because of their shared purpose: to lead wise change in their schools.

What makes for a great learning experience? It’s actually simple: When learners apply the knowledge they’ve gained to real-world situations that genuinely matter to them.

That is why teachers should have the opportunity to participate in project-based professional development.

At Middle States, we worried that attitudes of compliance or credentialism would result in schools “integrating” AI into what they are already doing.

That’s why RAIL is not just an accreditation-style endorsement, but also an implementation framework. It relies on the wisdom of Stewart Brand’s “pace layering” model, which reflects how complex, adaptive systems change (or resist change) over time…

Some leaders impress you with their intelligence. They seem to have mastered every angle of their work.

Other leaders impress you with their emotional intelligence. They make sure people feel seen and known and cared for.

And then there is a leader like Ren Parikh, the founder of Ideal Institute of Technology (“Ideal”). He’s more like a force of nature…

Over a decade ago, I was speaking at a faculty meeting at Malvern Prep, where I was a new Head of School. Not long before I had shared a short paper describing a vision for student-centered learning.

“We need to develop entrepreneurial students,” I said during this faculty meeting. “In a world like ours, they will need to solve problems critically and creatively.”

One teacher—whom I tremendously respected—erupted…

According to innovation diffusion theory, 16% of any population will consist of “innovators” and “early adopters,” two psychographics that leap in feet first when they have access to an innovation.

But what about resources for the other 84%? …

Given how quickly the AI landscape changes, it might seem counterintuitive to invest time in reading books on the subject. Yet a handful of books will reward your attention.

And at least one book on AI in education is not worth bothering with.

As you head into the summer with more time to read, I hope you’ll find these recommendations useful…

We know that teachers can expect feedback on their craft substantially less than 1% of the time. Yet to foster genuine growth and development, merely increasing touch points is necessary, but insufficient.

In our recent conversation about AI in education, Jennifer and I agreed that education is at the threshold of a “before and after” moment. We talked about four key takeaways for school leaders:

Reading detailed feedback is rewarding, but things get more interesting when we debrief peer visits. Having read all 24 pieces of feedback, the visited teacher leads the debrief, rather than being put under the microscope by their visitors. This allows them to ask clarifying and probing questions aligned with their growth priorities. We visitors act as teammates, helping the visited teacher to level up.