One issue leaders highlighted is the speed of change in AI. The landscape can shift in as little as 12 to 24 hours, says , AI specialist for the Utah State Board of Education. Attending conferences like FETC is vital for getting a “finger on the pulse” of global trends to integrate in his home state.

Meanwhile, the state board remains focused on its research-based Portraits of an and , which outline the foundations for future-ready learning with AI. Winters says this project is guiding many of his conversations at the conference.

“The document is the first of its kind as far as we know,” he says. “It’s not about new skills, but actually reinforcing the skills that have existed in education for a long time, like collaboration and critical thinking.”

In the superintendency, tech enthusiasts like John Federline rely on their tech directors to keep from adopting emerging tools like AI too quickly.

“AI is just moving at a speed faster than we could keep up with it for kids and for our teachers,” he says. “Our teachers have some concerns, not only about things like cheating, but is this going to be a replacement.”

Federline doesn’t believe technology can ever replace the personal relationships teachers form with students and colleagues.

“Leading through change is always a challenge,” he notes. “But one of the most important things you can do in leading through change is get stakeholder input and make sure that everybody has a seat at the table, including students, to make sure that what we are doing is not going to adversely affect them in the future.”

Superintendents like Federline and New Jersey’s Central Regional School District Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder attend conferences like FETC and the District 91心頭istration Leadership Institute to connect with other superintendents who are finding solutions to common challenges.

CarneyRay-Yoder, a self-described “tech geek,” also sees FETC as an opportunity to find tools that allow students to “create their own story.” She says new technology allows educators to move away from less engaging tools such as worksheets.

“I want teachers to have opportunities for 15 to 20 minutes in their 80-minute blocks where students are moving and feeling engaged and excited about learning,” she says. She adds that “organized chaos” is a sign of a highly engaged classroom.

A major priority for her in 2026 is to use technology to streamline the district’s multi-tiered systems of support, allowing staff to see students as individuals rather than just test scores. While she is eager for change, she says that integration must be thoughtful so it does not become “one more thing” for veteran teachers to manage.

“I know how important it is to see students as individuals, and a lot of times in education we operate in hypotheticals,” she says. “I don’t want to operate in hypotheticals. I want to know how students are doing academically, not just through their test scores.”

More from 91心頭: 5 more AI prompts every administrator should know

The post These leaders are discovering big ideas at FETC appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

“AI is a fundamental piece of our civilization and it’s going to continue to be a fundamental piece,” says Matthews Winters, the AI education specialist for the Utah State Board of Education. “I don’t think AI will ever be able to replace a human fully, especially in a context of a classroom, because there’s so much happening there from a human standpoint.”

Winters’ agency received a $500,000 grant to train thousands of Utah teachers to use AI. Winters is also part of a team that will soon release Portrait of a Graduate-style frameworks called “Portrait of an AI-Ready Student” and “Portrait of an AI-Ready Teacher.” Teachers, students, administrators and community members contributed to the projects.

Schools need AI guidelines

School leaders looking to integrate AI into their classrooms successfully should take a guidelines approach, rather than enacting rigid policies, says Ken Shelton, an edtech thought leader and featured FETC speaker.

���The most effective guidelines encourage critical thinking, center human decision-making and allow for nuance,��� Shelton says. “If you have a set of policies that are likely to be interpreted in a binary way, you���ll spend more time than you want constantly updating them.”

Guidelines should be drafted in collaboration with classroom educators, students and leadership. The most effective guidelines align with a district’s profile of a learner, profile of a graduate and strategic plan.

The most effective guidelines encourage critical thinking, center human decision-making, encourage reflective thought and allow for nuance.

“When used in ways that are both ethical and responsible, AI can most definitely streamline tasks, support idea generation, automate many things and expand learning opportunities,” Shelton says. “The key here is to know when to use it for these purposes and to identify which platform works best.”

From hype to integration: Become an AI expert at FETC 2026

Personalized learning culture shift

Personalization in today���s K12 system requires more than a new curriculum. It���s a culture shift that prioritizes student voice and choice, strong student-teacher relationships and proficiency over seat time, says Nicki Slaugh, principal of the Weber School District���s Innovation High in Utah.

���That���s centered around moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach, and helping educators and leaders look at education through a new lens,��� says Slaugh, a featured FETC speaker.

���It���s increasing engagement by focusing on student-centered learning versus teacher-centered learning, and removing the barriers to let students move at their own pace.���

She has eliminated traditional point-based grading, percentages and extra credit. ���We got rid of the whole game of school,��� she explains. ���Students advance upon mastery of skills, feedback and conferencing, and regular self-assessment and self-reflection. And then learning���not the grade���became the celebration.”

Tech evolves ‘every minute’

Middle school librarian Brandi Grant believes the library is a place where every student should feel seen, heard and empowered. Students also need guidance from educators as technology changes ���every minute,��� says Grant, an educator at Pearson Middle School in Texas���s Frisco Independent School District.

���The reason why I became a librarian is to create a space of collaboration, creativity and a love of reading, and help students navigate this ever-evolving world of information and technology,��� says Grant, who will share her insights as a featured speaker.

Teaching students how to use technology responsibly starts with staying up-to-date on the latest digital trends. Educators must at least dabble in social media platforms to better help young people navigate the digital world. Simply dismissing these sites will only build barriers with students.

���Digital citizenship shouldn���t be what they can���t do or how they���re gonna get in trouble,��� Grant explains. ���If you automatically X out what they like, how are you going to be open to talk about digital citizenship?���

Microschool success

Wichita Public Schools Chief Information Officer Rob Dickson launched the Creative Minds microschool, a K-6 vertical classroom where technology and design transform students into active, engaged learners who ���create meaning through doing.���

Dickson���s also an advocate for alternative sports, including drone soccer. ���Gaming Concepts��� is the most-taken elective among the district���s 50,000 students. He says programs like this are what help bring relevance back to education.

���If you want some form of toughness to learn, it will help you retain it,��� he says. ���But you also have to have relevance, which we���ve lacked in public education over the last couple of decades.���

Making time for self-care and communication

Rachel Edoho-Eket, Ed.D., a Maryland principal, aims to help educators build some of their soft skills amid the edtech innovations at FETC 2026.

Edoho-Eket油encourages other leaders to do their work during designated work hours, even as they���re pulled in multiple directions, and become aware of how much work they���re bringing home. Leaders can then make the necessary shifts in their work schedules so they can accomplish tasks during the school day.

Another skill she has been honing since COVID is communication, and tailoring her outreach to the channels preferred by families. She and her leadership team still make phone calls and send emails, but now they text and video message families with help from an automated translation app.

She has also learned the value of being both a mentee and a mentor during her career in K12. She said she was more than content teaching kindergarten when a mentor recognized her potential to move into a building leadership position.

���We can ask people what they are passionate about, and then give them more opportunities to do it,��� she concludes. ���That���s how you develop great leaders, and growing other leaders is our legacy. Who did we lift up into more leadership?���

The post FETC 2026: How to drive new levels of student engagement appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

The administration had been pressured in recent days, most notably by a group of Republican senators, to restore the nearly $7 billion the Department of Education withheld on July 1.

The grants, which are being reviewed for divisive concepts, cover English-language learners, migrant education and professional development for teachers to work with underserved students.

The unfrozen $1.3 billion supports afterschool and summer programs known as 21st Century Community Learning Centers, .

“Guardrails have been put in place to ensure these funds are not used in violation of Executive Orders,” an unnamed official said in .

21st Century Community Learning Centers fund about one million students in 10,000 programs across the country, ABC News noted.

The $5 million in funds that remain frozen are still under review.

“While we’re pleased to see crucial dollars going to afterschool programs which are vital for students across the nation, the bottom line is this: Districts should not be in this impossible position where the 91心頭istration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our public schools, by Congress,” AASA, The Superintendent’s Association said in a statement. “The remaining funds must be released immediately���America’s children are counting on it.”

(LAST UP91心頭TE: July 1) The U.S. Department of Education is freezing more than $6 billion in federal funding, severely impacting more than a dozen states.

The federal funding, which was expected to be available to districts on July 1, is being withheld, according to notices sent to federal grantees on Monday. The July 1 date is significant, according to the update, because these funds are designed to support summer programs and help districts prepare for the upcoming school year.

As of July 1, states have yet to receive the allocation tables necessary for them to draw funds for several education programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including programs like:

1. : These funds support migratory children in reaching certain academic standards and graduating from high school.
2. : These funds help increase student achievement by improving educator quality for underserved students.
3. . These funds help students learn English and meet academic standards.
4. : These funds help support overall student academic achievement while providing students with access to a quality education, improving school conditions and the use of technology.
5. : These funds provide academic enrichment opportunities like literacy and other educational services during non-school hours in underserved communities.

A notice sent to by an anonymous source suggests that the administration is still reviewing fiscal 2025 grant funding for the affected programs. It has not yet made decisions about awards for the upcoming school year.

“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” the agency wrote to states about its plans.

According to estimates from the Learning Policy Institute, some 17 states are expected to face “severe impacts” as the funding cuts across the five programs are 15% or more of their overall federal K12 funding.

“For now, states and territories must begin to plan for the possibility that these funds may not become available, and if they do, it may not be for several months or longer,” reads the update from the Learning Policy Institute.

States like California are already speaking out against the decision.

BREAKING: The California Department of Education just received word that billions of dollars appropriated by Congress for the coming school year are being illegally impounded by the Trump 91心頭istration. Follow for continued updates.

��� CA Department of Education (@CADeptEd)

油This story will be updated.

(LATEST UP91心頭TE: March 20) President Donald Trump signed Thursday afternoon to “begin eliminating” the U.S. Department of Education. Surrounded by students at a White House ceremony, he introduced Linda McMahon as “hopefully” the last secretary of education.

“My administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said. “We’re going to be returning education back to the states where it belongs. The costs will be half and the education will be many, many times better.”

Eliminating the department requires an act of Congress, where Democrats have enough seats to block such a measure. In the meantime, Trump and McMahon can strip the agency of its responsibilities.

On Thursday, Trump said Department of Education staff who oversee core functions such as Title I, services for students with disabilities and Pell Grants will remain. Those programs will be “preserved in full” under administration by other agencies.

He also called teachers “among the most important people in the country.” “We’re going to take care of our teachers,” he pledged. “I believe states will take better care of them.”

Last week, McMahon began dismantling the agency by laying off half its staff and Trump’s comments Thursday appeared to promise more staff reductions.

The Trump 91心頭istration contends that the Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion since its creation in 1979 but there has been “virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement.” For example, the White House cited statistics that show math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are at the .

“Instead of a bloated federal system that burdens schools with regulations and paperwork, the Trump 91心頭istration believes states should be empowered to expand educational freedom and opportunity for all families,” the administration said in a statement earlier Thursday.

Trump’s actions will almost certainly draw a legal response from teachers unions and the departments’ other proponents. “,” is the terse statement that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten posted.

(LAST UP91心頭TE: March 18) Democratic congressional leaders are demanding more details regarding Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s decision to wipe out 50% of the Department of Education’s workforce.

The letter, sent by Sen. Patti Murray of Washington, Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, identifies key areas of concern, including federal student aid programs and services for students with disabilities.

Specifically, the 10-page letter, addressed to Linda McMahon and Institute of Education Sciences Acting Director Matthew Soldner, demands details on:

• The total expected savings in salaries and benefits in FY2025.
• The share of the department’s FY2024 budget that these savings represent.
• How many remaining staff were assigned additional duties?
• The average number of new duties assigned to remaining staff.
• A complete list of office teams terminated.

It also asks for clarification on how the staff cuts reflect McMahon’s statement that accompanied her confirmation, which included a promise to commit to efficiency.

“How do these reductions reflect the department’s ‘commitment to efficiency,'” the letter reads. “Please provide three examples and the analysis supporting the expected changes.”

They also suggest the department is obligated to provide details on how it plans to use taxpayer dollars to carry out the president’s vision given Donald Trump’s “disregard for appropriations and other laws,” the letter reads. The congressional leaders request a response from the department to each of the concerns mentioned in the letter by March 21.

“Given the profound change to staff, budgets, and agency operations promised by this administration, it is critical that we receive additional information on these staffing reductions and changes to agency operations,” the letter reads.

(LATEST UP91心頭TE: March 12)油Funding for key programs such as Title I and IDEA won’t be interrupted but this week’s staff cuts油at the Department of Education represent the “first step” of President Donald Trump’s plan to shut down the agency, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon says.

McMahon has initiated a at her department, scheduled to be completed by March 21. She that the Department of Education staffers who were油not油terminated are involved in managing Title I, IDEA and other programs.

The Trump administration’s goal is to eliminate “red tape” that holds up education funding and give more financial control to states and districts, McMahon said in the Fox News interview.

“[Trump has] taken bureaucracy out of education so that more money flows to states, and better education is closest to kids, with parents, with local superintendents, with local school boards,” she said. “I think we’ll see our scores go up with our students when we can educate them with parental input as well.”

National Education Association President Becky Pringle warned that the nation’s most vulnerable students will be most impacted.

“Gutting the Department of Education will send class sizes soaring, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections,” .

She vowed that educators, parents and allies will “continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize so that all students have well-resourced public schools that allow every student to thrive.”

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten predicts chaos across the education system.

���Ten million students who rely on financial aid to go to college or pursue a trade will be left in limbo,” . “States and districts will be forced to navigate funding crises without federal support, hurting millions of students with disabilities and students living in poverty.

(LAST UP91心頭TE: Feb. 27) The “” launched Thursday by the Department of Education lets students, parents and other members of the public report discrimination based on race or sex in K12 schools.

The reports could spawn investigations, says the submission form, which displays the banner “Schools should be focused on learning.”

Moms for Liberty Co-Founder Tiffany Justice lauded the End DEI portal on the Department of Education’s .

Superintendents on the move: More than a dozen districts have picked new leaders油

���For years, parents have been begging schools to focus on teaching their kids practical skills like reading, writing and math, instead of pushing critical theory, rogue sex education and divisive ideologies���but their concerns have been brushed off, mocked, or shut down entirely,” Justice posted. ���Parents, now is the time that you share the receipts of the betrayal that have happened in our public schools.”

The “End DEI” form launched on the eve of the Trump administration’s deadline for K12 schools to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk loss of federal funding. The American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit earlier this week asking a judge to declare the DEI directive unconstitutional.

“This vague and clearly unconstitutional memo is a grave attack on students, our profession and knowledge itself,��� AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. ���Federal statute already prohibits any president from telling schools and colleges what to teach. And students have the right to learn without the threat of culture wars waged by extremist politicians hanging over their heads.���

This is a running article covering changes at the Department of Education and will be updated regularly.

���Divisive��� teacher prep is latest target of spending cuts

(LAST UP91心頭TE: Feb. 19) Schools and nonprofits will lose $600 million in grants for training teachers in what the Department of Education calls “divisive ideologies.”

The department announced the cuts just days after it gave schools less than two weeks to eliminate all DEI-related instruction, hiring initiatives and other programs.

The grants funded training materials that covered DEI, social justice, anti-racism, white privilege and white supremacy, , calling those topics “inappropriate and unnecessary.”

“Many of these grants included teacher and staff recruiting strategies implicitly and explicitly based on race,” the agency said.

The department listed examples of the defunded grant applications:

• Requiring practitioners to take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities (e.g., racism) and critically reassess their own practices.
• Professional development workshops on topics such as ���Building Cultural Competence,��� ���Dismantling Racial Bias��� and ���Centering Equity in the Classroom.”
• Acknowledging and responding to systemic forms of oppression and inequity, including racism, ableism, ���gender-based��� discrimination, homophobia and ageism.
• Providing spaces for critical reflection to help educators confront biases and have transformative conversations about equity.

Department of Education: I want it ‘closed immediately,’ Trump says

(LAST UP91心頭TE: Feb. 13) Calling the Department of Education “a big con job,” President Donald Trump said that he wants the agency “,” a video from CNN shows.

His comments came as the Department of Education remained open but was reportedly firing staff and Trump’s nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon, was appearing at a confirmation hearing, according to multiple reports.

“They rank the top 40 countries in the world, we’re ranked No. 40th,” Trump said when a reporter asked him about the department’s future. “But we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: Cost per pupil.”

that the Department of Education this week terminated “a swath” of employees. Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been moving aggressively to shrink the size of the federal government.

Many of the laid-off employees were probationary, working in the Office for Civil Rights, Federal Student Aid, and Office of Communications and Outreach, Politico reported.

Earlier in the week, DOGE canceled $900 million in contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences, a research arm of the Department of Education that tracks academic performance, contains the National Center for Education Statistics and produces the Nation’s Report Card,油.

A Department of Education spokesperson told油ProPublica油that the move would not impact the Nation’s Report Card.

Department of Education: Latest developments show agency in crosshairs

(LAST UP91心頭TE: Feb. 10) News about the fate of the Department of Education is swirling, with rising concerns that Elon Musk’s DOGE personnel are accessing sensitive student data.

Aside from the murky implications for K12 and higher education, over the weekend Musk claimed on X that the education department according to MSNBC.

On Friday, Democratic members of Congress were the Department of Education, The New York Times油reported. The lawmakers attempted to visit with acting education secretary Denise L. Carter, who had not responded to an earlier request for a meeting about whether President Donald Trump intends to close the department, the newspaper said.

More from 91心頭: New executive order bans transgender athletes from girls’ sports 油

The also noted the lawmakers’ fears that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is now examining student loan databases and other systems.油Those concerns have sparked a lawsuit from college students in California,

The University of California Student Association DOGE is “violating privacy laws and federal regulations by infiltrating computer systems that house student financial aid information” in its lawsuit filed Friday.

Transgender students

Last week, Trump signed an executive order restricting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports in K12 and higher ed. The administration has gone further, .

The investigative website reported the Department of Education has told employees that it will cancel all programs that don’t affirm biological sex, such as mental health counseling.

This is what a smaller Education Department might look like

(LAST UP91心頭TE: Feb. 5) This week’s reports contained few specifics about President Donald Trump’s initial steps to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Some in the K12 world are now filling the void around the ramifications of the agency’s potential demise.

Two state education superintendents are looking forward to greater local control of their K12 systems. Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield that students will be better off if states have more influence but was less sure about how schools will be funded.

���Federal funding, for instance, remains a key component in how we fund education here in Idaho,��� Critchfield said. ���How those dollars would be distributed under a new model is something I will closely monitor.���

On the move: The latest superintendent hires and promotions油

Megan Degenfelder, Wyoming’s superintendent of public instruction, that she expects “red tape” and other rules will be eliminated if the department closes. Degenfelder envisions states deciding how to spend education funding that will be allocated directly as block grants.

But National Education Association President Becky Pringle warned the most vulnerable students will suffer if the Department of Education disappears. Pringle said the move could “explode class sizes, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections.”

“Eliminating the Department of Education is equivalent to giving up on our future,” Pringle said in .

detailed the programs under the most threat:

• Distributing Title I funding as block grants���as proposed in Project 2025���would eliminate oversight of how states spend the funds. warned that 180,000 teaching positions could be lost in low-income communities.
• Moving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act program to another agency could mean less support for the 7.5 million students who now receive $15 billion in services.
• Moving the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice could “severely weaken its ability to protect students against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability.”
• Disruptions to Pell Grants, federal student loans, and loan repayment and forgiveness programs would limit students’ access to higher education and drive current college students to drop out.

How does the Department of Education end?

The Trump administration is reportedly drafting an executive order that would begin shrinking the Department of Education. He is then expected to call on Congress to pass legislation abolishing the agency.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has introduced such a bill, which contains just one sentence: “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026.���

“States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students,” Massie said in. “Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including homeschool, public school or private school.”

The post More than $1 billion in frozen funds are released appeared first on District 91心頭istration.