300 engineers still can’t match the instincts of a great teacher… yet.So what happens when AI does start catching up?
What I Learned from a Room Full of Education Innovators
San Antonio | October 2025
Last month, I had the privilege of leading a fireside chat with Joe Liemandt, principal of Alpha Schools—an ambitious and fast-growing school network rethinking education from the ground up.
That conversation kicked off a powerful day at the Charter School Growth Fund CEO Conference, where I also had the chance to moderate a panel with two inspiring education leaders:
Cady Ching – Summit Public Schools
Dacia Toll – Co-founder of CourseMojo, former co-CEO of Achievement First
When you get that much wisdom in one room, the insights come fast.
Here are three that keep echoing for me:
1. It’s Taken 300 Engineers to Try to Replicate What a Great Teacher Does in One Day
Joe shared something that stuck with me:
It’s taken 300+ engineers and years of development to try to replicate what a great teacher does in a single school day—and they’re still not there.
That speaks volumes about the complexity and brilliance of what educators do daily, often without recognition. Maybe teaching really is rocket science.
At the same time, AI is evolving quickly. We’d be wise to adapt.
But let’s be clear: relationships, intuition, and human judgment? Still undefeated.
AI won’t replace teachers. But if we get the balance right, it can create more human moments in classrooms—not fewer.
2. The 7-Hour School Day Isn’t Going Anywhere—But It Can Be Reimagined
All four of us on the panel have built schools from the ground up. And we’ve all run into the same real-world constraint:
Families need a full 7–8 hour school day because work schedules don’t flex.
So the question isn’t “how short can we make the day?”
It’s: How do we use that time more meaningfully as technology makes academic learning more efficient?
Each of us is designing different answers:
Joe is developing specialized Alpha campuses—focused on entrepreneurship, sports, and gifted learning.
Cady and the Summit team are using their platform to create space for expeditions, habits of success, and deeper projects.
At Ednovate, we’re investing that time in helping students explore their passions and purpose through Positive Multigenerational Change (PMC) journeys and capstones.
The school day might not change in length—but what happens within it? That’s where the innovation lives.
3. Modular Schooling Is Here—Now We Need to Build Around It
Thanks to platforms like TimeBack (Alpha), CourseMojo, and the Summit Learning Platform, we’re no longer locked into one-size-fits-all learning.
Modular learning is making it possible to meet students where they are—academically, emotionally, creatively.
We can now combine:
A platform for core academics
Flexible schedules and staffing
Human resources focused on things like:
Entrepreneurship
Sports
Internships & apprenticeships
Purpose-driven learning
At Ednovate, we call these our Positive Multigenerational Change journeys and capstones—experiences that help students discover their strengths and use them to solve real-world problems.
But here’s the challenge:
Federal and state policies and funding formulas are still built for a more rigid system.
Meanwhile, technology is giving us more flexibility than ever—and our students deserve schools that can adapt as fast as they do.
The future is bright—if policy can keep up with innovation.
If we build more specialized, student-centered school models, we’ll uncover each learner’s genius faster—and every student deserves that.
Where We Go From Here
We’re standing at the edge of what’s possible in education.
Technology is evolving. School models are diversifying. And more of us are asking the right questions—about time, purpose, and what students truly need.
But progress isn’t automatic. It’s something we have to build—together.
That means:
Staying grounded in what works (great teaching)
Embracing what’s new (modular, AI-powered tools)
And pushing policy to keep up with the pace of change
If we do that, we won’t just improve school.
We’ll help more students discover their strengths earlier—and live lives full of purpose, connection, and impact.
Let’s keep designing boldly.
Let’s keep building the schools our students deserve.
Let’s learn from each other:
How is your team rethinking time, tech, or talent in your school model?
Are you experimenting with modular approaches, deeper learning time, or new designs?
Drop your thoughts or share what you're building below
#EducationInnovation #EdTech #AIinEducation #SchoolLeadership #ModularLearning #PositiveMultigenerationalChange #BetterTogether #Ednovate
