AI offers an opportunity for a major leap forward in K-12, but only if used with care and purpose. As districts navigate a growing number of AI options, it’s important to stay grounded in the purpose of innovation: improving student outcomes.

Panorama Co-Founder and CEO Aaron Feuer has seen firsthand how powerful technology can be when educators are asking big, human-centered questions: What problems are we trying to solve for our teachers, students, and families? Where can we use AI to drive the greatest impact in service of our people and our student outcomes?

In his keynote address at Panoramic 2026, Panorama’s recent virtual summit, Feuer highlighted how bold school and district leaders across the country are stepping confidently into the future. Innovative educators are leveraging AI not simply to automate or streamline, but to confront long-standing challenges and redesign the conditions for student success.

Drawing on these district success stories and his 14 years with Panorama, Feuer’s actionable advice encourages educators to pioneer a new era of instructional innovation and systemwide improvement through AI.

Watch Panoramic 2026 On-Demand

Start With the Problem You Want to Solve

As schools begin adopting AI, it’s understandable that many start by experimenting with tools and figuring out use cases later. But Feuer argues that the most effective AI strategies take the opposite approach: they begin with a clearly defined problem.

“We're gonna flip the script,” Feuer said. “What happens when you start with a really important problem for students and educators and then work backwards to show how AI can solve that problem? Where in your vision can AI drive the biggest outcomes for students?”

District leaders should first ask themselves what outcomes they most want to improve for students and educators. For some districts, the focus may be strengthening literacy instruction or increasing math proficiency. Others may be working to improve attendance, support individualized learning plans, or scale high-quality instructional materials across classrooms.

When districts begin with a specific challenge, AI becomes a tool to accelerate progress toward that goal. “Technology by itself does not actually get you anywhere,” Feuer said. “Without direction, technology can even make things worse. Where the magic happens is the intersection of technology and hard problems that matter for our students and our educators.”

Put Privacy and Security First

As AI adoption grows, districts are navigating an important tension: protecting student privacy while enabling meaningful use of AI tools. Because many AI tools aren’t designed to protect student data, districts often prohibit educators from including student information in their prompts. These restrictions are designed to protect student privacy, and that responsibility remains critical as AI becomes more common in schools.

At the same time, Feuer noted that many of the most meaningful uses of AI depend on student data. Educators often need access to attendance information, assessment results, and other insights to identify learning gaps, design interventions, or better support individual students.

“The things that matter most for kids are going to require bringing student data into the picture,” Feuer said. “If you really want to get good outcomes from AI that matter for kids, we have to bring student data into the conversation.”

Feuer described a “third path” forward: the walled garden. Rather than banning AI entirely or allowing educators to use any open AI tool with student data, districts can create secure environments where AI is safely integrated with district systems. For example, Boston Public Schools created a district-specific AI environment that enables secure access to student data instead of relying on generic AI tools.

“Protecting privacy, security, and safety are nonnegotiable,” Feuer said. “But we can also make it safe for educators to use student data with AI tools so they can boost outcomes for kids.”

Anchor in Quality Context

AI is only as good as the information it is given. Feuer shared a 2025 study that showed that the most common way educators use AI is to generate lesson plans and worksheets. But when those resources are created with generic AI tools, the output will be generic too.

Feuer finds this disappointing given the potential for AI. “If the pinnacle of AI in schools is AI-generated lesson plans and worksheets and materials, we're not going to see a gain in outcomes for kids,” he said. “We may save a bunch of time, but we're not going to actually make things better for students.”

Instead, Feuer advocates for AI tools that are customized to each district’s guardrails and standards. In Boston, the district’s AI tool connects directly to its high-quality instructional materials. Instead of creating generic lesson plans, the customized AI draws on curriculum resources, pacing guidance, and instructional expectations, while also including guardrails around what AI should and shouldn’t do.

Feuer also talked about how AI can relieve the administrative burden of creating individualized plans aligned to state or district requirements. In Steamboat Springs School District in Colorado, educators used AI grounded in district and state guidance to help generate Colorado READ plans, individualized literacy plans for students struggling to read.

By pulling together student data and state requirements, Steamboat Springs’ AI, powered by Panorama Solara, helps teachers create higher-quality plans more efficiently. “We’re saving educators time, but we’re also driving quality,” Feuer said. “And ultimately, we’re improving literacy.” Clear structures reduce uncertainty and increase confidence across campuses.

Lead with Purpose

Feuer recognizes the concern that AI could distance students from authentic learning, but he sees a more pressing risk:

“We adopt a bunch of tech, and our schools look the same. Imagine ten years from now, we do an awesome job of adopting AI in schools, and outcomes are the same. Graduation rates haven't improved, literacy is stagnant, kids aren't ready for the workforce, and school isn't more engaging.”

So how can schools make the most of this potentially transformational opportunity? Feuer advises leaders to keep student outcomes at the center of any AI initiative. “We have to demonstrate the link between how technology in schools actually improves outcomes for kids,” he said.

Feuer closed his keynote with a challenge to education leaders: “If AI could help you improve one outcome in your district this year, what would it be, and what’s one step you’ll take to get there?” By taking this one step, the districts that lead this moment won’t be the ones that adopt the most AI. They’ll be the ones that ensure it aligns with their priorities for students.