EDU Café

In our latest episode of EDU Café, Kathryn sits down with Justin Bruno, Director of AI Strategy & Innovation at Oakland Schools, to explore what it really looks like to lead AI strategy across 28 school districts without pretending to have all the answers.

Justin shares insights from his journey, starting with his work at Michigan Virtual to stepping into a brand-new leadership role focused on helping schools thoughtfully navigate AI’s rapid evolution.

💡 In this episode, we discuss:

• What it means to build a regional AI strategy while honoring local context
• Why the best AI implementation starts with people, not tools
• The importance of metacognition when using AI in classrooms and leadership
• Balancing innovation with equity, ethics, and human-centered values
• Why curiosity, not fear, should guide experimentation

Justin offers a refreshing and grounded perspective: AI should augment, not replace human expertise and relationships. Schools aren’t tech companies; they’re communities built to serve people. The question isn’t how fast we can move, but how thoughtfully we can integrate tools in ways that preserve trust, voice, and purpose.

If you’re an educator, district leader, or education innovator trying to balance urgency with responsibility in the AI conversation, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in to hear how one regional leader is building community, modeling curiosity, and helping 250,000+ learners and educators navigate what’s next.

Our latest EDU Café conversation featuring Dr. Denise Reading, founder and CEO of Future Plans, a nonprofit dedicated to ending poverty one person at a time by helping individuals discover their greatness and connect to meaningful career pathways.

In this powerful episode, we explore how grassroots collaboration, personalized career discovery, and community-driven solutions are transforming lives across rural communities and creating real, sustainable opportunity.

☕ In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How career exposure and coaching can unlock hope and purpose
• The GRIT (Growing Rural Independence Together) Project and its impact
• Why listening to communities leads to better workforce and education solutions
• Multi-generational transformation through local partnerships
• The role of technology + human connection in scaling opportunity
• What it truly means to move from managing poverty to eradicating it

This is an inspiring, practical conversation for educators, workforce leaders, community partners, and anyone passionate about access, equity, and human potential.

In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Naphtali Hoff to explore why delegation is one of the most misunderstood, and most essential, skills for school principals. Drawing from his new book, he shares how leaders can move beyond doing it all themselves to building strong leadership teams that create sustainable, high-functioning schools.

Teacher Leadership as Influence, Not Title

What does it really mean to be a teacher leader?

In our latest episode, Dr. Bryan Zugelder and Justine Juart Lunsford explore teacher leadership not as a role defined by hierarchy or titles, but as influence, partnership, and action.

Together, we reflect on:

 ✨ How teacher leadership strengthens the educator continuum

 ✨ The difference and connection between teacher leadership and administration

 ✨ Why instructional coaching embodies leadership without evaluation

 ✨ How teacher leadership supports both student success and educator retention

Whether leadership shows up in your classroom, through collaboration with colleagues, or in building networks beyond your school, this conversation reminds us that you don’t need a title to make an impact.

🎧 Tune in to hear how teacher leadership fuels growth, passion, and sustainability in education.

#TeacherLeadership #EducatorContinuum #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherRetention #LeadershipWithoutATitle #EducatorVoice

The latest episode of the podcast just dropped with Jon Fila and Jason Neiffer digging into one of the biggest questions in education right now: What happens after the AI hype settles?

In this conversation, they explore:
 ✨ What they’ve learned from the rapid rise of generative AI
 ✨ How educators and system leaders are navigating real implementation (beyond buzzwords)
 ✨ Where AI is already making a meaningful difference
 ✨ What challenges and opportunities lie ahead as the field matures
 ✨ What a more grounded, responsible, and equity-centered future with AI could look like

This episode is for anyone working to make sense of the shifting landscape, including educators, researchers, edtech partners, and leaders who are thinking strategically about the years ahead.

If you’re ready to move past trends and talk honestly about impact, practice, and possibility, this conversation is a must-listen.

Curious about the future of the schools, especially micro schools and other innovative models?.

In this episode, Thomas Arnett and Meris Stansbury of the Clayton Christensen Institute dive into what really drives families to seek out new learning environments, drawing from the “Jobs to Be Done” research and real stories from parents navigating school decisions. They explore why understanding these motivations matters so deeply, not just for designing a program but for ensuring it truly meets the needs of the families it serves.

They also talk about:
 ✨ How micro schools can clarify the specific “job” they’re best equipped to fulfill
 ✨ Why trying to serve everyone can dilute impact
 ✨ What makes alternative models appealing, and what still holds families back
 ✨ The innovations that could make micro-schooling more accessible and sustainable in the long run

If you care about family experience, educational design, or the rapidly evolving landscape of learner-centered models, this conversation is worth tuning into.

🎙️ New Episode Alert!
In the latest episode of EDU Café Podcast, Guest host Ji-Soo Song of SETDA sat down with Michael Ham of Full Scale and Elizabeth Foster of Learning Forward to unpack new national research and four major findings that shape how educators experience professional learning in EdTech and AI. They dive into the digital design divide highlighted in the 2024 National EdTech Plan and what states and districts can do to close it.

You’ll hear:
 ✔ Why Title IIA remains a critical funding stream
 ✔ Why tool training still dominates professional learning
 ✔ Where current professional learning systems fall short
 ✔ What leaders should prioritize heading into 2026

Read the guide → https://www.setda.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Improving-Professional-Learning-Systems-to-Better-Support-Todays-Educators-2.pdf

🍎 What happens when AI enters the classroom for teachers?

In this EDU Café episode, the last of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning explores how educators are adopting AI at different levels:

• Informing – drafting emails, translating parent communications.
• Augmenting – co-creating rubrics, quizzes, and lesson content.
• Replacing – grading assignments with AI tools.

But Ryan offers a caution: replacing too much risks losing the heart of teaching; the relationship between teacher and student. 

💡 He emphasizes that feedback, care, and connection are irreplaceable.

So the challenge becomes:

 👉 How do we empower teachers to use AI for efficiency while protecting the human connections that drive motivation and learning?

This conversation is a timely reminder: AI can support, but it should never replace, the power of a caring educator.

📚 Today’s kindergartners will never know a world without AI.

In our EDU Café conversation, the second of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning Alliance shares how students are becoming “AI natives” and what that means for learning. He notes that students often skip straight to replacement (using AI to do the work for them) rather than using it to inform or augment their learning.

This poses a critical challenge for educators:

• How do we design assignments that prevent replacement and instead encourage deeper learning?
• Can AI become a tutor that asks questions, offers hints, and supports students as they learn rather than just giving them the answer?
• What opportunities exist for AI to open doors to experiences (like interviewing professionals) that students might not otherwise have access to?

Ryan challenges us to rethink assessments and instruction so AI strengthens rather than shortcutting student learning.

🚀 The workforce is changing—fast.

In this EDU Café episode, the first of three in his series on AI’s impact, Ryan Gravette of Idaho Digital Learning Alliance breaks down how AI is transforming jobs across industries. He describes three stages we’re seeing:

1️⃣ Informing – AI helps us make decisions and work faster.
2️⃣ Augmenting – AI co-creates with us, boosting efficiency and reshaping job roles.
3️⃣ Replacing – Some tasks (and even entire roles) are being fully automated.

These shifts raise big questions for leaders and organizations:

• How do we leverage AI to enhance productivity without eroding jobs?
• What new skills, such as collaboration and managerial expertise, will become most valuable in this new environment?
• How do we prepare today’s students for a future where AI is their teammate, not just a tool?

🎧 Listen in to hear Ryan’s insights on navigating these shifts