Over the years, many resources have been developed to assist superintendents and school leaders in successfully implementing educational technology initiatives. Listed below are just a few of the free resources that are readily available on the website:

• Self-Assessment for Superintendents
• Self-Assessment for Chief Technology Officers and Technology Staff
• Self-Assessment District Leadership Team
• Job Description for a Chief Technology Officer or Technology Director
• Interview Questions for Hiring an Educational Technology Leader
• Evaluation Rubric for the Chief Technology Officer

In addition to the items listed above, another very popular, free resource is the collection of ���Critical Focus Areas: Issue One-Pagers���. These 13 documents cover a variety of edtech topics and are written to help superintendents and school leaders communicate with multiple stakeholders on a wide range of critical educational technology topics.

Three examples of our one-pagers:

• “Screen Time and EdTech”
• “Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI”
• “Strategic Technology Planning and Investment”

EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panel Broadcasts

CoSN, AASA, and edWeb.net co-host an online edLeader Panel broadcast series, sponsored by ClassLink, to help superintendents, school leaders and educators connect and collaborate.

Season 8 of the EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panel Broadcast series concluded on March 9, with “Cybersecurity Priorities, Policies, and Practices for K-12 Leaders.” The broadcast featured superintendents Kristen Bahr from Peninsula School District, Tom Livezey from Oakridge Public Schools, and Dr. Mary Templeton from Lake Stevens School District, WA. The three superintendents were joined on the panel by Amy McLaughlin, CoSN���s cybersecurity project director.

You can access the recordings, podcast versions and articles���as well as multiple other broadcasts���.

CoSN 2026 Conference

The CoSN 2026 Conference, “Building What���s Next, Together��� will take place in Chicago, from April 13 to April 15 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. You can now view the pre-conference schedule, the ���schedule at a glance��� and the full schedule agenda, as well as learn about accommodations, and also .

CoSN membership: If you, your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN, contact membership@cosn.org.

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, which serves about 70,000 students, is at the forefront of using AI to deliver tailored instruction and streamline administrative tasks.

For instance, teachers are creating lesson plans and rubrics, differentiating instruction of assignments and giving feedback on student writing, according to Superintendent Gabriella Blakey. “It’s a time-saver for them,” she says.

The district has also integrated AI into its primary learning platform. Blakey says her middle and high school teachers have been piloting it, leveraging the tool for lesson planning, creating assignments, and, more importantly, taking care of the administrative tasks that often consume most of their time.

“Our teachers have found that it has really helped them focus more on their students and less on the things that take up their time,” she says.

None of this could be possible without proper guidance and training from the district. Blakey says the district’s AI policy ensures that teachers are following child protection laws.

Furthermore, the district has a team of educators, principals and technology leaders who vet the AI tools before they’re integrated for student use.

“They go through it, vet it to make sure it’s safe and makes sense instructionally,” she explains.

AI for administrative use

Blakey also uses AI herself. She says it’s helped analyze large datasets and collect feedback from her staff to give her a “10,000-foot view” of pressing issues.

Overall, she says staff who regularly use AI have been overwhelmingly positive. However, there’s sometimes still pushback from folks who don’t comprehend the technology and assume students can simply copy, paste and solve problems without digesting the information.

“That’s the kind of feedback we get when people don’t understand it,” she says. “Even in the classroom, our students are taught that AI can be used as a source. It’s a support tool. It doesn’t actually think for you.”

Advice for leaders

If you’re still on the fence about how AI can serve your district, Blakey recommends that you start small and assemble a team of teachers, IT staff, curriculum leaders, principals, and even legal advisors to vet every tool for compliance.

“I think having that team to integrate how we use AI has been one of the best things we’ve done,” she says. “And once those tools are vetted, it’s really important to develop a training and support system behind each one.”

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Protecting our children and teachers from harm is non-negotiable. But doing so responsibly means more than deploying surveillance cameras; it means safeguarding the personal data those systems capture before sharing or releasing the footage externally.

That���s why federal legislation like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, along with new state-level laws like Tyler���s Law, have made privacy compliance a key component of any school safety initiative.

Top EdTech Products 2026:

To meet these demands, many school districts have turned to former law enforcement professionals to lead their security programs���bringing deep expertise in public safety, transparency, and data accountability.

Just as importantly, these individuals are well-versed in the legal obligations under frameworks like the Freedom of Information Act, making them uniquely qualified to help schools navigate the intersection of safety, compliance and community trust.

By leveraging best practices from policing with modern privacy solutions available on the market, administrators can strengthen school safety without sacrificing community trust.

Managing privacy in school environments

While surveillance plays a critical role in maintaining school safety, it must be paired with strong privacy practices that ensure compliance with legislation and maintain the trust of students, parents and educators.

Just as law enforcement agencies operate under frameworks like FOIA, FERPA provides similar guardrails for education. This ensures that when surveillance footage is reviewed after an incident���by parents, legal representatives, school insurers or law enforcement��� clear checks and balances are in place to protect student identities and regulate access before it���s shared.

As such, when surveillance footage is released externally, every frame must be carefully reviewed to redact personally identifiable information. Former law enforcement officials know all too well that manual video redaction is extremely time-consuming.

Pairing that with the fact that responding to subpoenas, parent requests and regulatory inquiries often comes with strict deadlines typically ranging from 10 to 20 days, an autonomous video redaction solution becomes a must instead of a nice-to-have.

Protecting students with video redaction

Fortunately, are giving schools the power to anonymize personal data in their video streams. Whether it���s live or recorded video, a privacy ���layer��� can use AI to digitally detect and redact the video data that needs protecting, such as students’ faces and health data.

These easy-to-use solutions are accessible to all types of educational institutions, allowing them to self-serve directly online, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual redaction while maintaining accuracy and operational readiness.

These surveillance systems can help schools be more transparent in their data collection with other educational institutions, the general public and, most importantly, students and parents���which is critical to maintaining community trust.

For example, parents can be notified of what personally identifiable information is redacted from the video stream and where the data is being stored, potentially easing insecurity about surveillance and ensuring even stronger relationships between schools, parents and the community.

Embedding privacy into the foundation of school safety

Schools can no longer choose between security and privacy���they need both. Schools that fail to account for privacy risks are not just exposing themselves to regulatory penalties, they are risking the trust and confidence of the very communities they are tasked with protecting.

Few are better positioned to uphold both priorities than experienced ex-law enforcement and other public safety officers, now applying their expertise to keep students and educators safe.

These public safety professionals bring exactly the skills school environments require: the ability to balance transparency with discretion, safeguard sensitive information and think critically about the broader implications of capturing and sharing video in high-stakes situations.

This balancing act���protecting lives while protecting data���is precisely where the experience of both seasoned public safety professionals and privacy-first tools converge. Together, they ensure that the footage schools rely on for protection can be used effectively, ethically, and lawfully.

By embedding privacy protections into every surveillance decision, schools can build safer, more resilient environments grounded in both operational integrity and community trust.

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For librarians, using an takes the weight off time-consuming tasks. For school districts, it offers data-driven insights to improve resource allocation. For students, it opens doors to more personalized, accessible learning experiences.

Far from replacing the human touch, AI is giving librarians and their team the time and tools to do what they do best���connect, guide and inspire. Here are five ways AI is revolutionizing these future-ready learning spaces:

1. Streamlined administrative tasks

In school libraries, administrative tasks can often overwhelm even the most dedicated staff, with endless hours spent managing inventory, tracking overdues and generating reports. AI-powered library management systems can automate much of the day-to-day maintenance, from updating records and flagging missing items to organizing circulation data.

Instead of manually combing through spreadsheets or re-shelving misplaced materials, librarians can rely on AI to handle the background work with speed and accuracy.

The result? Fewer errors, faster processing and a dramatic reduction in time spent on repetitive chores. This shift frees librarians to focus on what matters most���connecting with students to foster a vibrant culture of reading.

2. Enhanced data-driven decision-making

AI systems go beyond tracking checkouts. They analyze borrowing patterns, pinpoint underused resources and highlight emerging interests across grade levels.

As Shane Foster, chief product and technology officer at Follett Software, explains, “What we���re seeing with AI is a shift from static systems to dynamic tools that inform action. Librarians aren’t just reacting���they���re leading with data.”

Librarians and school leaders can instantly see which books are flying off the shelves and which subjects need more support, without spreadsheets or guesswork.

Top EdTech Products 2026:

Want to know what topics students are gravitating toward this semester? AI can tell you. Planning next year���s budget? Use real-time usage data to back every dollar.

The result is a library that evolves with its readers, not behind them.

3. Improved user experience

AI helps tailor services to meet the needs of the students, transforming their experiences by making libraries more intuitive, personalized and accessible. These systems analyze borrowing patterns and search behaviors to recommend books and resources tailored to individual interests, turning every visit into a customized discovery.

4. Proactive resource management

By analyzing borrowing trends, demographic shifts and emerging interests, AI-powered systems can predict what students will need before they even ask. This means libraries can acquire popular books just in time, while identifying materials that are no longer in demand and should be weeded out.

With data-driven insights, librarians can make smarter, faster decisions that keep their collections perfectly aligned with student needs. The result is a well-curated, up-to-date library that adapts to students��� evolving interests, while optimizing budgets and reducing waste.

5. Empowered advocacy and outreach

With smart systems handling the day-to-day logistics, librarians gain the time���and the data���to tell powerful stories about their impact. AI has the numbers to quickly demonstrate how a new program boosted student engagement or provide clear evidence of resource demand and usage trends to build a case for funding a literacy initiative.

With these insights, librarians can create more targeted outreach, launch programs that reflect real student needs and communicate their value to stakeholders with confidence.

By streamlining daily tasks, optimizing collection management and providing powerful data insights, AI frees librarians to spend more time guiding students and curating collections that reflect evolving interests.

The result is a dynamic, student-centered environment that fosters curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. In the digital age, AI isn’t just enhancing library operations���it’s redefining how students connect with knowledge.

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As the world we live in today and the world our students will live in tomorrow rapidly change, the priorities for what and how students learn must also change and adapt. CoSN���s 2025 Future of Work Report underscores the transformative impact that artificial intelligence has and will continue to have on the future of work.

The reality of AI���s impact requires educators to evaluate the technology skills students will need in their futures, regardless of their career choices. In addition, educators must understand the impacts of robotics, machine learning and more on future career options for all students.

CoSN���s 2025 Future of Work resource includes specific tips and recommendations for education leaders for prioritizing student engagement, teacher training and cultivating a culture where lifelong learning is the expectation���not the exception.

All are invited to learn more by accessing the CoSN 2025 Future of Work Report at:

Access to the complete 2025 Driving K-12 Innovation Report is provided at:

CoSN 2026 Annual Conference: Call for proposals and reviewers

The CoSN 2026 Annual Conference will take place on April 13-15 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk.

The opportunity to submit proposals for the CoSN 2026 Annual Conference is now open. CoSN requires that proposals may only be submitted by educators. The deadline for submitting a proposal is July 14 at 11:59 PM ET.

Additionally, CoSN is seeking volunteers to review the educator proposals that are submitted for the CoSN 2026 Annual Conference.

Learn more about the plans for CoSN���s 2026 Annual Conference as well as the proposal process and opportunity to volunteer as a proposal reviewer at .

CoSN membership

If you, your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved, contact membership@cosn.org.

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A staggering 84% of parents believe cell phones are causing serious problems at school, according to a from Yondr, which makes the magnetic pouches that districts use to store phones during the school day.

Although parental pushback is often a significant hurdle for administrators in passing school-wide cell phone bans, parents now more than ever expect schools to take the lead on this issue. More specifically:

• 89% of parents want schools to develop a long-term plan for managing phone use
• 68% of parents expect schools to invest in cutting-edge solutions to address it
• 56% of parents support either a bell-to-bell phone-free policy or a complete ban on phones in schools

“Phone-free spaces can no longer be considered an optional add-on, but are now a baseline requirement expected by parents in their child’s school,” said Graham Dugoni, founder and CEO of Yondr.

The push to restrict cell phone use stems from a shared belief by parents that higher screen times lead to negative behavioral effects, including distraction (62%), anxiety (31.9%) and loneliness (25%).

Parents were also asked to rate how challenging the following phone-related issues are for schools:

In light of this data, parents outlined what they want to see from their schools to address this issue. Here’s what they said:

• Consult experts in learning and/or childhood development when setting phone use policy (81%)
• Enforce appropriate disciplinary actions for infractions (91%)
• Develop clear emergency protocols (93%)

View the full survey .

More from 91心頭: Can colleges overcome cuts to two big access programs?

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Looking ahead to the 2025-26 school year, the question isn’t whether artificial intelligence is having an impact in your classrooms and offices���it’s how you’re harnessing this increasingly powerful technology to benefit students, teachers and administrative staff.

These are the questions油District 91心頭istration油is asking K12 leaders and their teams in our latest edtech survey on artificial intelligence: Where is AI having the biggest impact and what are your top concerns about this slightly scary technology?

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Using AI in school is rapidly accelerating

In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order promoting AI literacy and proficiency among younger students and comprehensive training for teachers. The overarching goal is to create an AI-ready workforce and direct multiple federal agencies to seek sources to fund AI training for students and teachers.

The order also established the Artificial Intelligence Education Task Force, responsible for providing AI resources and establishing public-private partnerships with leading AI industry organizations, academic institutions and nonprofit entities.

The order to advance AI education is a step in the right direction, Sal Khan, CEO of Khan Academy, 岳看鉛糸油District 91心頭istration油earlier this year.

“AI can be a tool to help us improve education outcomes. I don���t think it���s a silver bullet by itself, but it can be part of a portfolio of things that can improve education outcomes,” Khan said. “There are still some details on how it manifests in terms of incentives and dollars but the principle is sound.”

Superintendents, meanwhile, are finding solutions to some of the concerns around students’ use of AI. For parents and educators concerned about cheating, Jordan School District Superintendent油Anthony Godfrey recommends油encouraging students and teachers to use the technology exclusively in the classroom.

���I think you���ll be amazed at what teachers and students can do together,��� the leader of the Utah district said. ���If you give them some runway and they���re working during class time, I think that���s a great equalizer for teachers and students to be working together where students have the maximum support, and AI can be a part of that formula.���

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The Supreme Court in March heard oral arguments challenging the federal E-Rate program, which schools have long used to pay for telecommunications and high-speed internet services in rural and low-income communities.

The challenges were first filed by Consumers’ Research against the Universal Service Fund contributions calculated for several different quarters in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th, 6th, 11th, and District of Columbia Circuits, SCOTUS Blog . The issues, according to Consumers’ Research, are:

• Whether Congress violated the nondelegation doctrine by authorizing the Federal Communications Commission to determine the amount that providers must contribute to the Universal Service Fund;
• Whether the FCC violated the nondelegation doctrine by using the financial projections of the private company appointed as the fund’s administrator in computing universal contribution rates;
• Whether the combination of Congress’s conferral of authority on the FCC’s delegation of administrative responsibilities to the administrator violates the nondelegation doctrine;
• Whether this case is moot in light of the challengers’ failure to seek preliminary relief before the 5th circuit.

that E-Rate’s “revenue-raising mechanism is a historic at odds with 600 years of Anglo-American practice.” If E-Rate is upheld, according to the group, and Congress passes similar laws, “there would be no need to pass budgets or make appropriations ever again. The entire federal government could be funded with a single, vague delegation to the IRS, which could then hand over that power to a private group.”

How district leaders are responding to E-Rate pressure

Each year, E-Rate provides nearly $3.9 billion in discounts on broadband services for schools and libraries, according to . As such, its elimination will likely have a “catastrophic impact” on the majority of school districts, according to a of district-level edtech leaders from the Consortium for School Networking.

The research reveals that 74% of districts agree that ending E-Rate would have a significant impact on their communities. Only 2% of respondents feel that the loss would not have any impact on their district.

Additionally, only 7% of districts report that all their students have access to adequate bandwidth at home, underscoring the need for E-Rate to support districts’ efforts to increase learning opportunities for students while not at school.

Leaders were also asked to rank the areas at risk as they await the Supreme Court ruling on E-Rate. Classroom technology refresh and modernization was ranked highest by 40% of leaders, followed by:

• Devices (39%)
• Cybersecurity (35%)
• Software licenses (24%)
• Teacher staffing (18%)
• IT staffing (16%)
• Broadband access outside of school (14%)
• Professional learning (12%)

“The negative repercussions of cutting off access to instructional digital tools and online resources cannot be overstated,” the research reads.

More from 91心頭: This research shows the full scope of superintendent turnover

Other key findings

Artificial intelligence

• 94% of edtech leaders see AI’s potential for positive impact in education, with productivity being the highest rated area.
• 80% of leaders work in districts that have implemented generative AI initiatives.

Cybersecurity

• Most school districts lack the dedicated funding necessary to keep their networks and data secure.
• 78% of districts are spending cybersecurity dollars on monitoring, detection and response tactics.
• 44% of districts’ cybersecurity monitoring is being outsourced.

Interoperability

• The No. 1 barrier to improving interoperability is a lack of understanding by leaders.
• While there are procedures around the purchase of digital tools, free tools that are downloaded in an ad hoc manner put district data at risk.
• Districts are adopting processes to verify free tools before they are integrated into their digital ecosystems.

Read the full survey .

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Meanwhile, districts continue to educate students for the remainder of this school year while simultaneously looking ahead to next fall with a feeling of anxiety because many variables are outside their control.

In this environment, each district must focus on the processes and tools they control. At the top of the list: a data system to gather assessment results, grades, attendance, behavior and progress monitoring.

Sal Khan Q&A: How to navigate AI with Trump���s order油

This gives educators, school leaders and families a real-time, holistic view of student performance. A comprehensive system eliminates confusion, saves time and strengthens transparency at every level.

As federal data systems and guidance are scaled back, relying on local platforms and fostering data literacy ensures districts remain in control of their information and future.

Evaluation and monitoring without federal oversight

In fiscal year 2024, the Department of Education provided $5.5 billion in grants for school improvement efforts such as educator effectiveness, after-school programs and classroom technology. The agency also provided $260 million for independent research, statistical analysis and evaluation of education practices and policies.

With much of this funding eliminated or in limbo, district leaders must be prepared to self-validate their programs and initiatives.

One of the smallest but most public-facing eliminations was the Office of Education Technology, a department that assisted states and districts in implementing edtech tools, and providing evidence-based strategies and policy guidance. Those of us in the ecosystem of support organizations who advise school leaders on new investments will need to step up to help drive efficiency and track outcomes.

Progress monitoring can be complex because of numerous variables, such as academic performance, behavior and life skills, attendance records and more. Moreover, districts use a variety of frameworks to determine whether students are achieving their goals.

Having one resource for consolidated data���without the need to toggle across systems���allows administrators and educators to run real-time reports comparing student growth over time by school, classroom and subgroup. The data system can also be connected to relevant third-party platforms so student testing data can be incorporated.

The reports generated by a clear, consistent software solution can be used to evaluate what tools are helping students grow, providing evidence to justify funding, improve instructional strategy and ensure equity, even without national reporting structures.

Personalized support at scale to drive student growth

Federal funding for special education, rehabilitative services and accommodations for students with disabilities totaled around $15 billion in 2024, and plans to shift administration of these funds from the Education Department to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are still unfolding.

As the structure for national special education or intervention mandates may change, districts should be prepared to improve their ability to personalize learning independently. For example, leaders can look for tools built to help support Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Response to Intervention and other progress monitoring frameworks.

Through built-in tools in data systems, educators can create personalized learning plans for each student���setting goals, tracking progress and adjusting supports. Teachers, interventionists and families can collaborate around each student���s specific needs using shared insights.

And because the educational jargon can be difficult for families to parse, some tools include AI assistants to help translate complex data into recommended next steps, ensuring targeted interventions are implemented while timely and relevant.

Role of AI

As a former educator, I co-founded an education technology company to make teaching more human���not more technical. I am excited about the rise of AI tools because they can synthesize and simplify complex data at the student level and assist with communicating next steps to families, thereby strengthening engagement.

AI tools have the potential to improve the identification of trends from assessments, standards, metadata and gradebooks. This gives schools a controlled, secure and educator-led way to make sense of their data and ensures local leaders can adapt to changes.

Another benefit is time savings for educators. AI can streamline daily tasks, help identify instructional gaps, highlight strengths and recommend ideas aligned with learning standards.

Whether or not federal education policy shifts dramatically, districts need autonomy, insight and control during this increased time of uncertainty and confusion. Utilizing a unified platform for data can help districts move from compliance-driven systems to outcomes-focused leadership to benefit educators and students alike.

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BlueSky, also known as BlueSky Social, has been gaining steam since Elon Musk’s takeover of X due, in part, to users’ perceptions of Musk’s political affiliations and his decision to pull back on the moderation of posts on X.

There are still droves of educators using X and the #edchat hashtag but consider this story an introduction to the K12 activity on BlueSky (which, admittedly, looks and works a lot like X). After all, you’ll want to be quick with an answer if a school board member asks you, “How are we using BlueSky to tell the district’s story?”

More from 91心頭: How to navigate Trump���s busy first week reshaping K12 education

To start, EduSky Team () is a hub for educators flocking to the new social media site. The feed maintains a list of educators on BlueSky and invites educators to follow each other as they join the network.

Help these #EduSky community members feel welcome. Give them a hello and a follow. @englisht.substack.com@jessicarollins.bsky.social@faulknerpower.bsky.social@emerywhere-at-once.bsky.social@pedroaparicio@nkazuna.bsky.social

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AASA, The School Superintendents Association has been for the past two months. In one of its most recent messages, it shared resources with school leaders facing the specter of increased immigration enforcement on their campuses.

AASA is here to support school leaders navigating recent reported policy changes from the Department of Homeland Security.Find more information here: www.aasa.org/resources/re…#PublicEducation #ImmigrationPolicy @aasadvocacy.bsky.social

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Some prominent education influencers have made the switch. Teacher has been out front with some guidance on how to use BlueSky.

“Remember the early days of Twitter? Back when it was less about viral trends and more about connecting with like-minded individuals? When you could actually build a thriving Professional Learning Network (PLN) and engage in meaningful conversations with fellow educators?” Keeler queries on . “Bluesky Social brings that feeling back.”

She points out, for instance, that if you have more to say than BlueSky’s 300-character limit allows, you can click the plus icon in a post to create a thread to share more insights.

Jennifer LaGarde, a teacher who goes by the handle , switched in November, announcing on X that she would no longer use the site for her frequent posts about books and media literacy.

is now posting its daily lessons on both sites along with current events and educational resources.

Join our @vicpasquantonio.bsky.social w/ the wonderfully brilliant, empathic @awakenlibrarian.bsky.social @FETC – Future of Education Technology Conference Fri. Jan. 17 @ 11-12pmEXPO Hall. Leadership Round Tables, Booth 3386#FETC #FETC2025 #edtech #AI #sschat #medialiteracy

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