From Pushback to Partnership: Building Community Trust Around EdTech, AI, and Innovation

As debates about screen time, devices and AI intensify, many districts find themselves fighting battles rooted not in poor practice, but in miscommunication, misinformation and a lack of shared understanding of what impactful technology integration looks like. In this panel session, leaders from education, communications, research and edtech explore how districts can better communicate the what, why and how behind instructional technology decisions. Panelists discuss strategies for addressing community concerns, navigating the device debate, translating research into accessible messaging and helping families distinguish meaningful learning experiences from low-impact technology use. You will learn how to leverage free, open, research-based implementation resources and student outcome data from organizations such as FullScale to build transparent communication that earns trust over time. Leave with concrete communication and storytelling strategies, shared language for AI implementation and competency-based learning and actionable ideas for shifting device-focused debates toward student-centered conversations grounded in instructional goals, evidence and impact.