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This edLeader Panel is presented by CoSN and AASA.
Sponsored by ClassLink

More than 130 education and technology experts served as an international advisory board for CoSN’s 2025 Driving K-12 Innovation report. Tasked with identifying what most impacts schools today, these leaders helped uncover what U.S. educators will face as Hurdles (challenges), Accelerators (mega-trends), and Tech Enablers (tools).

“Driving K-12 Innovation: Current Hurdles and Accelerators” is the first in a two-part edLeader Panel series where three Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory Board superintendents take a deep dive into the issues most affecting schools today and how they’re approaching solutions within their own school systems.

They provided powerful insights for problem solving the most complex issues today and inspiration for laying the groundwork to propel the future of education in your district.

This is a unique time for all educational leaders because “we truly are redesigning what education looks like,” said Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar, Superintendent of Desert Sands Unified School District (CA). It’s an opportunity, she suggests, to go deeper and rebuild what learning could become with more creative thinking, problem solving, and greater collaboration and communication.

3 Challenges Every Leader Must Overcome

Driving innovation, making waves in education, presents many challenges. However, the report highlights these three that demand the most attention.

1. Hiring and retaining top talent

Attracting and retaining educators and IT professionals continues to be one of the largest challenges as many educators experience burnout or have more opportunities, often with better pay, in other industries. However, studies continually prove solid leadership can help retain your best teams.

Desert Sands Unified School District has more than 27,000 students and has retained nearly 96 percent of teachers and staff. “We truly believe that climate and culture are the most vital things that we can do,” said Dr. May-Vollmar.

A positive, supportive environment builds long-term loyalty and boosts both morale and teaching excellence. Educators gravitate toward where they’re supported and treated like professionals. “My job as a leader is to make other leaders better,” said Glenn Robbins, Superintendent of Brigantine Public School District (NJ), where employee satisfaction remains at 95 percent.

2. Advancing technology and learning science through teaching excellence

It can be overwhelming trying to stay current with the latest technologies and practices. Yet Al is without a doubt the disrupter—and an enormous opportunity—because it’s reshaping how education has always been done.

“If we’re truly preparing students for college, career, and life, we can’t be systems that don’t address AI usage and how to do that ethically,” said Dr. May-Vollmar.

According to the report findings and the panelists, encouraging educators to try AI and find new ways it can benefit the classroom is imperative. Like students, educators need to know it’s “OK to make mistakes,” said Robbins. That it is good, even expected, to test boundaries, learn new AI strategies, and strive for uncommon solutions.

One concrete example is for teacher planning. “We can no longer expect our teachers to take all of their own time to do this kind of work, and we have to be more effective, efficient, productive, and supportive,” said Dr. Karen Cheser, the 2025 CoSN/AASA EmpowerED Superintendent of the Year and Superintendent of Durango School District (CO).

3. Expanding digital equity and access

Today, the digital equity umbrella must also cover all the things students need to succeed in career and life. That means examining “classroom-to-classroom access and how educators are choosing to expose students,” said Dr. May-Vollmar.

Students need equitable opportunities to develop and strengthen digital expertise, including creating and evaluating digital content. In Durango, CO, leaders developed a PreK–12 scope and sequence identifying all maker tech equipment and every AI tool aligned with ISTE standards, ensuring all students have those as tools in their back pockets. “So indi bots at kindergarten and Canva AI in third grade, and so on,” explained Dr. Cheser.

Within the Desert Sands Unified School District, students have access, 24/7, in and out of the classroom. Now, neighboring school districts are collaborating together and with local colleges so that students from Pre-K to college age have access everywhere. “It’s a huge focus for us because it is the world we’re living in, and people need to have access,” said Dr. May-Vollmar.

3 Catalysts Every Leader Can Harness

How education is delivered is changing, and the old “stand-and-deliver” model needs to be reassessed. The panelists identified three game-changing strategies leaders can implement now. View the Part 1 recording or listen to the podcast for more details on giving students agency, building expertise within your staff and district, and changing attitudes to become more innovation focused.

Check out Driving K-12 Innovation: Tech Enablers (Part 2), where the panelists unpack the most impactful tools for this school year. You can also read the article here.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Driving K-12 Innovation: Current Hurdles and Accelerators (Part 1), presented by CoSN and AASA, and sponsored by ClassLink.

Watch the RecordingListen to the Podcast

Join the Community

Super-Connected is a free professional learning community for school superintendents, district leadership, and aspiring district leaders.

AASA is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education.

ClassLink is a global education provider of identity and analytics products that create more time for learning and help schools better understand digital engagement. As leading advocates for open data standards, we offer instant access to apps and files with single sign-on, streamline class rostering, automate account provisioning, and provide actionable analytics. ClassLink empowers 19 million students and staff in over 2,500 school systems. Visit classlink.com to learn more.

Article by Suzanne Bell, based on this edLeader Panel