The Northstar of Superintendent Bill Runey's leadership is a strategic plan rooted in staff empowerment and igniting student curiosity.

"The most effective guidelines encourage critical thinking, center the human decision-making and allow for nuance," says Ken Shelton, an edtech thought leader and featured speaker at the 2026 Future of Education Technology Conference.

"Creating a culture where people feel like what they do matters is important," Superintendent Ana C. Riley says.

AI specialist Matthew Winters compares artificial intelligence to laptops and lightbulbs. They become something much bigger when humans "plug in."

Female superintendents, principals and other educators are coming together to advance "leadhership" in K12 educations.

Today's educators must prioritize student voice and reward proficiency over seat time, says Nicki Slaugh, a principal of Weber School District's Innovation High in Utah.

The transformative efforts of several superintendents give the phrase "bold leadership" new meaning.

'Creative advocacy' means students choose projects that cover space travel, the arts, the environment and other "things they believe in," an FETC speaker says.