2026 Leadership & Innovation Fellowship
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is partnering with Day of AI and MIT RAISE to launch the 2026 Leadership & Innovation Fellowship. This national initiative provides professional learning to help school leaders and K-12 students navigate the unique opportunities and challenges of AI in public education.
The Fellowship brings together 50 superintendents and 100 high-school-aged student leaders from across the country for an immersive experience taking place in Boston, Massachusetts in July 2026 focused on ethical AI use, systems-level leadership, policy, and the future of AI teaching and learning.
Every state will have a designated superintendent who will attend the event, and they will each select and send two high-school “student senators” who will debate different aspects of AI. All 50 states will be represented, ensuring broad geographic participation and diverse district perspectives from across the country. School districts were chosen by AASA’s Governing Board in February 2026, during the National Conference on Education (NCE).
The residency is structured as a workgroup convening—not a traditional conference—bringing together superintendents, researchers, policymakers, and students to explore how AI can be integrated responsibly and equitably into K–12 systems.
Selected participants will engage directly with researchers from MIT RAISE to examine how AI is being applied in innovative school systems, participate in policy-focused sessions at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Massachusetts to explore the connection between classroom innovation and national decision-making, and elevate the student voice with two high school “Student Senators” from every state who will take part in a legislative simulation at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, to create a comprehensive National AI Policy for K-12 students that will outline principles for the responsible, productive and ethical use of AI in public schools.
Dates: July 17-19, 2026
