To Scale Systemwide, You Must Begin with Why
August 01, 2026
AI APPLIED
The pressure on us as superintendents to “do something” about artificial intelligence is immense. Vendors are pitching the latest platforms virtually non-stop. Our school boards are asking about competitiveness, and parents are raising concerns about academic integrity as well as health and wellness.
In Chesapeake Public Schools, a 39,000-student district in central Virginia, we understood that simply acquiring an AI platform was not enough. We resisted the temptation to rush to purchase, recognizing that a clear purpose and vision are the true keys to successful implementation. Our first step, even before piloting any software, was to pause and clearly define our “why.”
We decided, importantly, not to treat AI as a separate, isolated project. In education, new initiatives typically are perceived as add-ons to the workload. Introducing AI as its own silo would have been seen by our already overextended educators as yet another burden.
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Author
Jared A. CottonAdvertisement
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