Preparing Education Leaders to Manage AI

Presented by Krestin Bahr, James CantonwineConference SessionFor CCSSO Conference

Preparing Education Leaders to Manage AI: A State-Level Playbook

This presentation, delivered on October 31, 2025, to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), provides a strategic guide for State Education Agencies (SEAs) on how to effectively support Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and school leaders in navigating the complexities of Artificial Intelligence.

Key Takeaways:

  • Principles Over Policy: A central theme is that rigid policies struggle to keep pace with rapid technological change. Instead, leaders should establish enduring principles—such as Human-in-the-Loop, Privacy by Default, Equity by Design, and Transparency—to guide decision-making.
  • Actionable Solutions Over Problem Lists: The presentation advocates for providing leaders with practical "playbooks" and real-world examples rather than abstract problem catalogs. Guidance should be actionable, with clear next steps.
  • Empower Principal Agency: Effective state support focuses on empowering school principals and local leaders, avoiding over-centralization of the work. This includes providing resources, training, and networking opportunities.
  • Three Core Needs of LEAs: State agencies should focus on supporting LEAs in three key areas:
    1. Guidance: Providing principles, model language, and lists of state-approved tools.
    2. Capacity-building: Offering networking opportunities, micro-credentials, and turnkey professional development modules.
    3. Infrastructure: Assisting with clear data privacy language and the setup of secure AI "sandboxes."
  • PSD as a Case Study: The Peninsula School District's journey is presented as a model of teacher-driven innovation, highlighting the importance of starting with classroom practitioners and learning from the process (including the lesson to involve principals earlier).
  • Addressing Privacy Concerns: A key technical solution is proposed: running generative AI on SEA or LEA servers to keep all interactions and data governed by existing privacy agreements.

Actionable Insights for State Leaders:

  • Focus on Providing Playbooks, Not Problem Lists: Create practical resources like checklists and templates that local leaders can immediately adapt and use.
  • Prioritize Principles Over Prescriptive Policies: Develop and share a core set of ethical principles that can guide decision-making in novel situations as technology evolves.
  • Address the Three Core Needs of LEAs: Strategically plan how your agency can provide support across guidance, capacity-building, and infrastructure.
  • Empower Principals and Local Leaders: Create opportunities for principals to learn alongside their staff, lead through discomfort, and be nimble in their approach to AI tools.
  • Foster 'Intrapreneurship': Encourage staff within your own agency and in LEAs to identify problems and construct AI-powered solutions.
  • Investigate Secure Infrastructure: Explore the feasibility of hosting AI models on state or local servers to provide a secure environment for educators and students.

Looking Ahead:

This presentation serves as a call to action for state education leaders to become proactive partners in the AI journey. By shifting the focus from top-down policy to empowering local innovation through guiding principles and actionable support, SEAs can help prepare school leaders to manage AI effectively. The ultimate goal is to build a statewide ecosystem that is ready to leverage AI's potential while responsibly mitigating its risks.