Artificial intelligence and no-code development have fundamentally changed who can create software.
Today, classroom teachers, counselors, instructional coaches, principals, and district leaders can build solutions to real problems in a matter of hours. The technical barriers that once required teams of software engineers have largely disappeared, creating unprecedented opportunities to improve student outcomes, strengthen staff effectiveness, and streamline school operations.
But while the ability to build has accelerated dramatically, the ability to build safely, securely, sustainably, and responsibly has not.
Just because we can spin up a polished solution in an afternoon doesn't necessarily mean we should. Questions surrounding student privacy, governance, ownership, long-term maintenance, compliance, documentation, and sustainability remain just as important, if not more important, than ever before.
In this session, Missouri school administrator and founder of SimplifiEd Solutions, Evan Theobald, will introduce a practical framework for leading responsible innovation in K–12 education. Drawing from his experience developing
Eligibility Tracker while serving as a school administrator, Evan will share lessons learned about identifying authentic school problems, evaluating whether to build, buy, improve, or govern a solution, and creating systems that balance creativity with accountability.
Participants will explore the SimplifiEd Connect Framework for Responsible Innovation, a practical process that helps districts move beyond simply reacting to new technologies and toward intentionally leading innovation. Topics will include AI-assisted development, no-code platforms, governance, data privacy, ownership, sustainability, and strategies for empowering educators to solve problems while maintaining district oversight.
Rather than viewing AI and educator-built tools as something to fear, this session challenges school leaders to embrace a more productive question: How do we create a culture where innovation is encouraged, but guided?
Attendees will leave with practical strategies, implementation ideas, and a leadership mindset that helps districts embrace innovation confidently, building systems that are safe, secure, sustainable, and aligned with the long-term mission of public education.
Innovation isn't the risk. Unguided innovation is.
