Leading principals will confront some of K‑12’s biggest hurdles—AI integration, staff retention, and chronic absenteeism—at FETC 2027.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES, July 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) has introduced four Featured Speakers for its 2027 School Leaders track. This lineup includes nationally recognized principals and school administrators who deal daily with AI adoption, teacher retention, and building school culture.
Evidence from the Learning Policy Institute, the Wallace Foundation, and Frontiers in Education consistently points to the school principal as the most critical factor in tackling K‑12’s toughest issues—from teacher shortages and chronic absenteeism to declining student mental health and classroom AI disruption. The numbers are compelling: when a well-prepared principal leads a school, teacher retention hits 89% annually, versus 78% under less-prepared leadership. When a strong principal departs, student achievement can keep falling for as long as five years.
The FETC 2027 School Leaders Featured Speakers include:
Ashley Moore (Principal Mo), who leads The Empowerment Academy and earned the 2024 Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals Connected School Leader Award. She offers a boots‑on‑the‑ground view of AI in school leadership, drawing on 18 years of teaching, special education, and administration at her Baltimore PreK‑8 school.
Dr. Kim Abel, Head of School at Optima Academy Online, is among the first U.S. educators to study how agentic and adaptive AI are transforming learning. Abel oversees one of the nation’s first K‑12 schools to weave virtual reality into everyday instruction, merging research with real‑world practice in Orlando.
Dr. Danny Steele, Speaker & Author, Leadership Learning and Culture, LLC, brings 31 years of experience across every tier of school leadership plus six books on school culture and leadership. His work focuses on what keeps schools and staff steady when everything around them is shifting—especially during rapid change.
Dr. Sonal Patel, CEO of Educate2Elevate, holds a doctorate in Leadership for Educational Justice. She will tackle one of K‑12’s most urgent equity challenges: making sure every student has meaningful access to edtech, AI, and computer science through human‑centered learning experiences.
The FETC 2027 School Leaders track covers the full range of what principals and school leaders face today—from AI adoption and teacher retention to culture and student outcomes. These Featured Speakers join a wider roster of school leadership experts who will deliver concurrent sessions, roundtables, and hands‑on workshops throughout the conference.
FETC 2027 takes place January 26–29 in Orlando, FL. Registration is open at fetc.org, with group discounts for teams of three or more.
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About FETC
The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) (https://www.fetc.org/) is the premier event and year‑round professional learning network for education technology leaders, innovators, and educators committed to achieving measurable results. Through deep‑dive seminars, collaborative roundtables, hands‑on workshops, and rigorously vetted sessions, FETC equips K‑12 leaders and educators with proven strategies and tools they can put into practice immediately. The event’s expansive exhibit hall features more than 450 leading solution providers, while FETC’s partnerships with industry allies and state education technology associations amplify diverse perspectives and nurture grassroots innovation.
Arc
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Jodie E Buenning
Buenning Strategies
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