Where are you?
Nobody starts with a framework.
Everybody starts with a worry.
Below are the eight concerns we hear most from school leaders, teachers, and communities. Start with yours. Each opens into what the evidence says, what to do first — in 30, 90, and 365 days — and the tools that carry the work.
Students are already using AI — and we have no policy.
An AUP update can't govern AI. You need policy that covers automated decisions, vendor data practices, and staff use — not just ChatGPT in the classroom.
Policy & governance →2I can't tell anymore what my students actually know.
AI didn’t create a bad assessment system. It revealed a design gap that was always there.
Integrity & assessment →3Staff are putting student data into tools we've never vetted.
The riskiest surface isn’t the vendor database — it’s the prompt box. Classify before you type.
Privacy & data →4AI could widen the gaps we've spent decades closing.
A double edge: democratized tutoring and differentiation — or encoded bias your district never notices. Equity as audit, not rhetoric.
Equity & access →5My teachers range from all-in to opted-out — and both worry me.
The unguided enthusiast and the silent refuser are the same problem: capacity-building that hasn’t happened yet.
Educator capacity →6What do students actually need to learn about AI?
AI literacy confined to the CS elective isn’t AI literacy. Eight domains, every grade band, every subject.
Student AI literacy →7Our community is split — hype on one side, fear on the other.
The trust gap is measurable, and families are usually furthest from the conversation. Co-creation beats communication.
Family & community trust →8If AI can do the work, what is school for?
The bell schedule is a ghost of 1892. AI is the forcing function that finally makes the purpose question unavoidable — and answerable.
The purpose question →None of these quite fit?
Districts rarely have just one of these — and sometimes the presenting worry isn't the real one. A short conversation is often the fastest way to sort that out.
Talk with Stephen