The Open Adaptive District: An Operating Model for Running a District at AI Speed

Districts plan in two- to five-year cycles, while AI capabilities advance in months. That gap is why many district AI strategies feel obsolete the moment they are approved, and why leaders often default to whatever the biggest vendors are selling. This session shares how Peninsula School District is testing an answer: the Open Adaptive District, an operating model built around six-week SHIP cycles (Sense, Hypothesize, Implement, Publish), quarterly superintendent intent, cross-silo teams, and an AI coordination layer called The Logbook that synthesizes weekly check-ins and drafts the district's published learnings. Every cycle ends with a public brief recommending adoption, decommission, or continuation, so the district's bets, including those that fail, are visible to staff, families, and peer districts. You will leave with a fresh model for leading difficult change initiatives at a time when so much is evolving, and ideas for bringing faster, more transparent decision-making to your own district.