167 - School Leadership in the Age of AI: Lessons and Reflections

Reflections from international school leaders on ethics, practice, and what the future may hold. About Warren Apel Warren is the Director of Technology at The American School in Japan, co-founder of the edtech startups Scholastico and Ecoballot, and Global Project Coordinator for the World Digital Schools Project. With over 20 years of experience in international education, he has served at schools in Japan, India, Egypt, and the Netherlands. Warren is a Google for Education Certified Innovator, Apple Distinguished Educator, and National Board Certified Teacher. A frequent presenter at NESA, EARCOS, ECIS, ISTE, Google, and Apple education events, he brings expertise in AI in education, K–12 cybersecurity, technology integration, data analysis, and teacher training. His mission is to improve learning through the purposeful and well-managed use of technology. Warren Apel on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenapel/  School Website: https://www.asij.ac.jp/ About Greg Clinton Greg Clinton is the Head of School at the American International School Chennai. Before this role, he served as Director of Technologies and Research & Development at AISC and has taught literature and philosophy in schools and universities across Peru, India, Sudan, Japan, and the United States, including Stony Brook University and Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Lima. Greg is the co-founder of IB Score Reports, an educational data service used by over 200 schools worldwide. He holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and a PhD in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies. Greg is also a founding member of the global AI in Education Collaborative and leads the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) digital school project. Greg Clinton on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-clinton/  School Website: https://www.aischennai.org/ Resources If you’re interested in tracking trends of which AI models are gaining popularity, this report from Andreessen Horowitz is excellent. https://a16z.com/100-gen-ai-apps-5/ Podcast episode with author David Yeager (People I Mostly Admire ep 160 How to Help Kids Succeed) (web link) It gets into how non-cognitive skills—like self-regulation, agency, and focus—are foundational to student success. It explores why simply limiting screen time or enforcing rules isn’t enough, and instead emphasizes building environments that foster long-term habits and motivation. His book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier unpacks this even more.  It’s not hard to make the connection between top-down rules about screen time and top-down rules about using AI. If parents or teachers want kids to obey the rules, we need to give kids agency and involve them in setting their own boundaries. Ryan Tannenbaum The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't, by Julia Galef John Mikton on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton Web: beyonddigital.org Dan Taylor on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents  Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt  Web: www.appsevents.com Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial