FETC 2027 names school leaders track speakers focused on AI and student success

The Future of Education Technology Conference has announced four featured speakers for its 2027 School Leaders track, putting principals at the center of conversations about AI adoption, teacher retention and chronic absenteeism. The track will be part of FETC 2027, which runs Jan. 26-29 in Orlando and is designed for K-12 leaders facing fast-moving changes in schools.

Why it matters: - School principals are a key lever for teacher retention, student attendance and school culture, especially as K-12 systems adapt to AI and other technology shifts. - Research cited by FETC links well-prepared principals to an 89% annual teacher retention rate, compared with 78% under less-prepared leadership. - Strong principal leadership can also affect long-term student outcomes, with student achievement able to keep declining for up to five years after a strong principal leaves.

What happened: - The Future of Education Technology Conference announced four Featured Speakers for its 2027 School Leaders track. - The featured lineup includes nationally recognized principals and school leaders who work on AI adoption, teacher retention and school culture. - FETC 2027 takes place Jan. 26-29 in Orlando, Florida. - Registration is open at the conference website, and group discounts are available for teams of three or more.

The details: - Ashley Moore, principal of The Empowerment Academy, will bring a practitioner’s view on AI in school leadership. - Moore received the 2024 Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals Connected School Leader Award. - Moore has 18 years of experience in teaching, special education and administration at a PreK-8 school in Baltimore. - Dr. Kim Abel, head of school at Optima Academy Online, is examining how agentic and adaptive AI are changing learning. - Abel leads one of the nation’s first K-12 schools to fully integrate virtual reality into daily instruction. - Dr. Danny Steele, speaker and author at Leadership Learning and Culture, LLC, brings 31 years of school leadership experience. - Steele has written six books on school culture and leadership. - Dr. Sonal Patel, CEO of Educate2Elevate, holds a doctorate in Leadership for Educational Justice. - Patel will focus on access to edtech, AI and computer science through human-centered learning experiences. - The School Leaders track is meant to cover the full range of principal responsibilities, from AI adoption and teacher retention to culture and student outcomes. - The featured speakers will join other school leadership experts in concurrent sessions, roundtables and hands-on workshops throughout the conference.

Between the lines: - FETC is positioning school leaders as the front line for managing both instructional change and operational strain in K-12. - The speaker mix blends practitioner experience, research-informed leadership and equity-focused messaging. - The emphasis on AI, virtual reality and access suggests the conference is treating technology adoption as a leadership issue, not just a classroom tool question.

What's next: - FETC 2027 will add more school leadership sessions, roundtables and workshops across the four-day event. - School teams can still register for the Orlando conference and use group pricing for larger delegations. - More leadership programming is likely to follow as the conference builds out its 2027 agenda.

The bottom line: - FETC is using its 2027 School Leaders track to make a clear case: the principal role is now central to school recovery, technology adoption and student success.