ABC Unified Superintendent Selected for National AI Leadership Fellowship

LCCN Staff Report

CERRITOS — ABC Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gina Zietlow has been selected as one of just 50 school leaders nationwide to participate in a new artificial intelligence fellowship hosted by MIT RAISE, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

Zietlow will join educators from across the country at the inaugural Leadership and Innovation Fellowship during America’s Youth AI Festival, scheduled for July 17-19 in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The fellowship will bring together 50 school system leaders and 100 high school students representing all 50 states to examine how artificial intelligence can be responsibly, ethically and effectively integrated into K-12 education.

Participants will explore emerging AI technologies, discuss best practices for classroom implementation and examine the challenges and opportunities AI presents for schools and students.

A centerpiece of the event will be a Student Senate composed of two student representatives from each state. The students will convene at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and develop a proposed National AI Policy for public K-12 classrooms. Organizers say the recommendations will be distributed through AASA’s network of more than 10,000 school leaders nationwide.

The school leader fellowship will feature workshops led by experts from MIT’s Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education initiative, known as MIT RAISE. Participants will learn about responsible AI implementation, educational leadership and the future of teaching and learning in an increasingly technology-driven world.

“School system leaders are facing urgent questions about how to prepare students and educators for a future shaped by artificial intelligence,” said AASA Executive Director David R. Schuler in a statement announcing the fellowship. “This fellowship ensures that those conversations are grounded in student voice, as well as real classroom experience.”

The event comes as school districts nationwide continue to develop policies governing the use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and other rapidly evolving technologies. Educators are increasingly focused on balancing innovation with concerns about academic integrity, privacy, ethics and digital literacy.

ABC Unified has long emphasized technology, STEM education and college-and-career readiness programs, making Zietlow’s selection a notable recognition of the district’s leadership in educational innovation.

The fellowship is being organized by Day of AI, MIT RAISE, AASA and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute as part of events celebrating the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

Organizers say the goal is to ensure both educators and students play a meaningful role in shaping how artificial intelligence is used in schools and society in the years ahead.