Where does your school stand on the AI adoption curve heading into 2025-26?
As June comes to an end and I reflect on what has been an incredible spring of consulting with more than 550 Superintendents and School Directors across 10 states, I wanted to share a slide I have been using for discussion purposes. In some cases these school leaders have spent more than 10 hours with me preparing for this future.
It is crucial to honestly assess where our institutions are in embracing AI technology. This isn't about jumping on the latest trend—it's about preparing our students and staff for a world where AI literacy is becoming a fundamental skill.
The schools that thrive will be those that move beyond simply acknowledging AI exists to actively integrating it in thoughtful, strategic ways. Whether that's implementing AI tools to support personalized learning, using AI for administrative efficiency, or developing comprehensive AI literacy curricula, the key is intentional progress.
The "line of falling behind" isn't meant to create panic, but to highlight the reality that educational institutions risk becoming increasingly irrelevant if they don't adapt to the tools reshaping how we work, learn, and create. At the same time these AI models are getting smaller and cheaper to the point where we are now installing them inside of schools for around $10,000. Yes…a school has their own AI server running all the latest AI models, able to create unlimited custom AI bots and have full control of the entire process meeting all privacy and laws surrounding AI and student data…no internet connection needed (although you’ll want it to do deep research and search the web for you). I am all in on schools installing their own AI servers because the money is going to need to be spent on (re)training an entire workforce. That should be the heavy list, not whether or not you can afford an AI subscription.
Questions to consider as you plan for 2025-26:
Where would you honestly place your school on this adoption curve right now?
What's one concrete step your institution could take this summer to move further along the curve?
How are you involving teachers, students, and parents in conversations about AI integration?
What's your school's AI story? I'd love to hear where you're headed and what obstacles you're navigating.
#EducationTechnology #AIinEducation #SchoolLeadership #EdTech #FutureOfLearning
