Building Their Own AI: How School Districts Are Going Beyond Vendors with Daniel Friedman and Dr. Patrick Fogarty

How to Adopt AI Without Losing What Makes Education Human with Amy Dujon

What are today's superintendents actually facing, and why AI alone won't fix it. Brett Roer sits down with Amy Dujon, VP of Education Brands at ARC Network, who sees patterns across hundreds of districts. With 27 years in education, from classroom teacher to principal to district leadership, Amy brings a rare vantage point on the unprecedented challenges school leaders are navigating right now. Key Topics: * The simultaneous, interconnected crises superintendents are holding (mental health, teacher retention, chronic absenteeism, AI adoption) * Why leaders aren't lacking ideas about AI, they're lacking time, policy cover, and bandwidth * The critical shift: using AI to reduce operational friction so humans have more space for connection * What must stay human: relationship building, mental wellness, and the connections only educators can provide * How district leaders can adopt AI thoughtfully without replacing the heart of education If you lead a school, district, or education organization, this conversation reframes the AI debate and offers a clearer path forward. Subscribe for weekly episodes exploring how education leaders solve real problems.

29 Schools, 29 Positions on AI: Bill Bass on Managing the Impossible Divide

What does it mean to prepare students for a world where the tools keep changing? Bill Bass has been wrestling with that question for over two decades. As Innovation Coordinator for Parkway School District, serving 18,000 students across 29 communities, and former president of ISTE, he's seen every wave of edtech come and go. And he's still here, still asking the hard questions. In this episode of AmpED to 11, Bill joins Brett and Rebecca to talk about the very real tension schools are navigating right now: parents who want AI kept out of classrooms, and students who will step into a world where it's everywhere. He pushes back on the idea that removing technology protects kids, challenges the myth that any of this is neutral, and makes the case for letting students make mistakes with AI while the stakes are still low. He also gets honest about what edtech gets wrong about schools, how he manages innovation across 29 communities with 29 different opinions, and why digital literacy isn't a destination, it's a moving target. This is one of the most grounded, clear-eyed conversations we've had on the show. If you work in education or care about where it's heading, this one's for you. Subscribe to AmpED to 11 for conversations that move education forward.

Inside the AI Rollercoaster With Briarcliff Manor Schools

A student called his school's AI policy "consistently inconsistent", different every period, different every classroom. That phrase is the reason this episode exists. Brett Roer travels to Briarcliff Manor, NY for a live in-person crossover with Dr. James Kaishian, Superintendent of Briarcliff Manor Schools and host of Superkast. Around the table: English teacher Karen McCarthy, Computer Science teacher Chris Lo, and seniors Ava Wu and Noah Rinke. One conversation. Two shows. One very honest hour. Brett runs the AI rollercoaster with the students, period by period, rule by rule, then the Spider-Man finger-pointing exercise with everyone in the room. Students point at teachers. Teachers point at the superintendent. The superintendent points in a circle. Nobody points at themselves. That diffusion is the gap. Karen questions whether she's the right person to lead on this. Chris gave up on AI-generated questions because verifying them took longer than writing his own. Ava asks the question the whole policy debate keeps missing. Brett's argument: stop downloading template policies. Get two pizzas, sit with your own community, and record the conversation. The wisdom is already in the room. This episode airs simultaneously on AmpED to 11 and Superkast. Find Dr. Kaishian's show on Spotify and everywhere you listen.

Walking and Talking: The Workflow Hack That Turned Neighborhood Walks Into Books with Rachelle Dene Poth

What does it look like when an educator refuses to stop growing? For Rachelle Dené Poth, it meant going to law school while teaching full-time, not to escape the classroom, but to understand it more deeply. Today she's a Spanish and STEAM teacher, practicing attorney, author of 10 books, and an AI grant coach guiding 12 schools across the country through one of education's most transformative moments. In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett and Rebecca sit down with Rachelle to unpack what sustainable, high-impact teaching actually looks like in practice. Rachelle's story challenges the idea that doing more means burning out. Instead, she's built systems, voice-to-text workflows, AI-assisted writing routines, and intentional boundaries, that let her scale her impact without sacrificing her wellbeing. Together they dig into: * How law school made Rachelle a sharper, more empathetic classroom teacher * The productivity systems she swears by that actually hold up under pressure * Why student voice has to be at the table when schools build AI policy * Her unconventional writing workflow that turns neighbourhood walks into book chapters * How she supports schools navigating digital citizenship, digital wellness, and ethical AI Whether you're a teacher trying to find your footing in an AI-accelerated world, a leader designing policy for your school, or someone who just needs a reminder that unconventional paths often lead somewhere extraordinary, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to AmpED to 11 for honest, energising conversations about education, technology, and the humans making it all work.

Building Their Own AI: How School Districts Are Going Beyond Vendors with Daniel Friedman and Dr. Patrick Fogarty

What if school districts stopped buying AI tools and started building them? In this episode, we talk with Daniel Friedman (Director of Technology, Hicksville Public Schools) and Dr. Patrick Fogarty (Assistant Superintendent, Hewlett Woodmere Public Schools & Founder of NYSAIC) about how educators are moving beyond vendor-dependent solutions to create their own local AI infrastructure. They discuss: * Building local LLMs for data privacy and student research * Creating custom Regents exam generators through practitioner collaboration * How real AI innovation happens in group chats at 2 AM, not in procurement meetings * The shift from "What tool should we buy?" to "What can we build ourselves?" * Why the New York State Artificial Intelligence Consortium matters for equity and access * Solving hyper-specific district problems through grassroots innovation Daniel and Patrick met 15 years ago during iPad rollouts and have remained colleagues through every technology transition since. Their work proves that the future of AI in education won't be shaped by EdTech companies, it will be shaped by practitioners solving real problems together. Subscribe for more conversations about technology, education, and what's actually possible when educators lead the way.