Just a year ago, the conversation around AI felt theoretical. Now, it’s a reality driving strategic decisions in districts nationwide.
Superintendents are leveraging AI tools and chatbots to tackle some of education’s toughest challenges: operational efficiency, chronic absenteeism, budget management and declining enrollment. With real-time data, predictive analytics and automation at their fingertips, school leaders are reimagining what’s possible.
That AI-enabled transformation to how schools operate was the focus at a standing-room-only AASA national conference session Thursday titled “AI-Powered Superintendent Solutions.” The audience came ready to hear how AI is reshaping school leadership.
During the session, a panel of superintendents took the stage to share how AI is fueling innovation, strengthening equity and transforming decision making. Moderated by Jennifer Womble, chair and editor at District Administration/FETC, the session featured Barbara Mullen, superintendent of Rush-Henrietta Central School District in suburban Rochester, N.Y.; Zandra Jo Galván, superintendent of Salinas Union High School District in California; and Kevin Polston, superintendent of Kentwood Public Schools in Michigan.
They all touched on AI’s ethical implications, reinforcing that AI should enhance, not replace, human relationships and decision making. But they also promoted its ability to ease one of the biggest burdens on educators: time. Automation can free teachers from administrative tasks, so they have more time to connect with students.
Each speaker brought practical strategies that attendees could apply in their own districts.
Mullen urged districts to be intentional about their AI integration. “You don't pick up a calculator until you know the problem you're going to solve,” she said. Rather than rushing toward the latest tools, she emphasized the need to define clear objectives first.
Galván made a case for AI as a force for educational equity. “Level the playing field – reduce the disparities between the haves and have-nots,” she said, spotlighting AI as a tool that can empower and ensure all students, regardless of background, have equal opportunities to thrive.
And Polston challenged the room to think bigger. AI’s real power isn’t in any one product, it’s in its ability to turn data into meaningful, actionable insights, he said. “Avoid commitment to specific classroom tools, mine for predictive analytics.”
(Heather Daniel is the director of communications and policy for Edison Township Public Schools in Edison, N.J.)
