School leaders at PASA-PSBA conference highlight AI and collaboration as top takeaways

At the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference, attendees said collaboration and the emergence of artificial intelligence as a classroom issue were among their most important takeaways.

"Every single child [should have] access to the best education possible," said Amy, a conference attendee, when asked why public education matters. Other participants echoed that view and emphasized practical benefits of the conference: networking across districts, new communication strategies for boards and sessions that link ideas directly to local implementation.

The conference drew school leaders ranging from superintendents to volunteer school board members. A director who identified themselves as a superintendent praised the morning keynote as "fantastic," saying the speaker focused on unifying people and building a school culture that helps every student succeed. Several attendees said the conference’s informal side conversations were especially valuable for processing session content collaboratively.

Attendees flagged artificial intelligence as a new and prominent focus at this year’s event. "I love that AI is a focus because that is definitely a change with the times," Amy said, framing AI as a topic that schools must consider alongside traditional governance and instructional priorities.

Participants also pointed to tangible takeaways: one attendee said a communications session gave them "so many tools to go back to my board," while presenters and exhibitors provided content participants said they could directly link to district projects. Multiple speakers noted the breadth of offerings; a presenter confirmed there were "40" opportunities to hear about a wide range of topics and disciplines.

The host closed the segment by directing listeners to paschoolleaders.org for a full recap of the conference. The recorded interview was presented as a special edition of The Countdown.