Leading with Insight: AI Readiness for Independent Schools, the Next Step-Pittsburgh

Registration - Leading with Insight: AI Readiness for Independent Schools, the Next Step

A Strategic Program for Heads of School, Board members & Central Administrative Team Members
May 4, 8:30am-2:30pm - The Ellis School, Pittsburgh
May 5, 8:30am-2:30pm - AIM Academy, Conshohocken 
COST: $160/member; $260/non-member
Presented by Maggie Renken, PhD, ISM Consultant

Artificial Intelligence is not merely a technological upgrade; it is a strategic shift that impacts every facet of independent school life—from mission alignment and financial sustainability to pedagogy and community trust. This 6-hour immersive program is designed specifically for school leaders to move beyond the "hype" of AI and engage in deep, strategic work.

By combining a futurist approach with the ISM AI Readiness Framework, this session will equip leaders with the foresight to navigate uncertainty and the insight to build a concrete, mission-aligned action plan.

Program Objectives
Set the Context: Understand the current AI landscape and its specific implications for the independent school value proposition.
Apply Strategic Foresight: Use futurist thinking to imagine "plausible futures" and stress-test the school’s mission against them.
Assess Readiness: Deep dive into the 10 Dimensions of the ISM AI Readiness Framework to evaluate the school's current standing.
Develop an Action Plan: Create a roadmap for moving AI Readiness from "Awareness" to "Integration" and "Leadership."

Schedule:
PART 1: Setting the Context — The Strategic Landscape
The "Why" for Independent Schools: Beyond cheating and chatbots. How AI impacts the independent school business model, the premium on human relationships, and the changing expectations of families and the workforce.

The "Human Premium" & Future-Ready Skills: As AI automates routine cognitive tasks, we will identify the skills that increase in value—critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving. Crucially, we will address the risk of cognitive atrophy, ensuring that AI convenience does not hollow out the productive struggle students need to build deep comprehension.

Guiding Principles: Grounding our work in the four core principles, with a specific lens on social impact:
1. Student-Centered Learning and Well-being
2. Mission Alignment and Community Values
3. Practicality and Resourcefulness
4. Ethical and Responsible Use: Committing to "AI for Good"—addressing algorithmic bias, environmental sustainability, and equitable access.

PART 2: A Futurist Approach — Strategic Foresight
● Beyond Prediction to Preparation: We cannot predict the future, but we can prepare for it. Introduction to strategic foresight tools (e.g., The Futures Triangle or Scenario Planning).
● "What If" Scenarios: Collaborative exercises where Trustees and Heads explore divergent futures.
Example Scenario A: The "Hyper-Personalized" Future (AI as the primary instructional delivery; teachers as mentors).
Example Scenario B: The "Human-Centric" Future (AI as a background utility; premium on face-to-face seminar learning).
● Stress-Testing the Mission: Does the current school mission hold up in these futures? Where are the vulnerabilities?

PART 3: The Framework — Governance & Operations
Introduction to the first 5 Dimensions of the ISM AI Readiness Framework. We will examine "look-fors" for each dimension to determine if the school is at the Awareness, Piloting, Integration, or Leadership level.
1. Strategic Vision and School Mission Alignment: Ensuring AI initiatives support the educational philosophy rather than driving it.
2. School Leadership and Policy: Defining roles and creating adaptable policies that evolve with technology.
3. Community Engagement and Communication: Managing the narrative with parents, alumni, and the broader community to foster trust.
4. Operational Foundations and Support: Infrastructure, data privacy, and security protocols (MFA, cloud solutions) that are manageable within IT staff restraints. 5. AI Literacy, Ethics, and Digital Citizenship: Developing literacy programs that go beyond mechanics to include algorithmic bias, data justice, and the environmental cost of large models.

Lunch

PART 4: The Framework — Pedagogy & Future Readiness
Introduction to the remaining 5 Dimensions, focusing on the student and faculty experience.

6. Equitable Access and Inclusive Practices: Ensuring AI tools do not exacerbate digital divides and actively addressing how AI can reduce systemic inequities (e.g., support for neurodiverse learners).
7. Faculty and Staff Professional Growth: Moving from "one-off" PD to peer-to-peer and ongoing learning, its practical application, and the application of growth and evaluation frameworks.
8. Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Innovation: shifting from "policing" AI to using it for formative assessment and engagement. At the same time going beyond "using AI as a tool" to examine how the arrival of AI mandates a fundamental shift in pedagogical practices and assessment approaches—prioritizing process and authentic demonstration over automatable outputs.
9. Curriculum Integration and Future Readiness: Auditing the "Portrait of a Graduate" to ensure it prioritizes Future-Ready Skills (resilience, creative synthesis) and integrating "AI for Good" projects where students solve real-world challenges.
10. Exploration and Continuous Improvement: Establishing a culture of "small-scale experiments" and "fail-fests" to iterate quickly.

PART 5: Action Planning — From Assessment to Roadmap
● The Heatmap Exercise: Trustees and Heads will mark their current standing on the 10 Dimensions (e.g., "We are 'Established' in Operations but 'Emerging' in Curriculum").
● Prioritization Matrix: Identifying 2-3 high-leverage dimensions to focus on over the next 12-24 months.
● Next Steps: Defining clear ownership (Who?), timelines (When?), and KPIs (How will we measure success?) to ensure momentum continues after the session.
Closing & Q&A (30 Minutes)
● Review of key decisions.
● Final reflections on leading with confidence in an era of uncertainty.

Meet the Presenter:
Dr. Maggie Renkin, ISM Consultant
Maggie joined ISM in 2025 with a background that bridges research, classroom practice, and institutional leadership. She most recently served as Director of Modern Learning at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia, where she led academic innovation and STEAM programming across all divisions. Her leadership focused on integrating technology with purpose and supporting faculty in sustainable innovation.

Earlier, Maggie was a tenured associate professor at Georgia State University, where she directed the Educational Psychology program and led federally and foundation-funded research on technology-enhanced learning. She began her career as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, coordinating science education programs both across Wyoming and internationally.

At ISM, Maggie consults with school leaders on everything from AI adoption and curriculum strategy to faculty development and student experience. She leads workshops and webinars, contributes to Ideas & Perspectives, and speaks nationally on the future of learning and technology.

Maggie holds a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and an M.S. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Wyoming, and a B.S. in Psychology from Clemson University. In all her work, she brings a coaching-centered, human-focused mindset.