Throughout the conference, sessions will cover topics such as cybersecurity, data privacy, leadership and vision, innovative technologies, understanding the educational environment and more.
Leadership and Emerging Technologies Take Center Stage
CoSN’s 2026 Driving K–12 Innovation report identifies the top challenges, trends and technology tools shaping K–12 education this year — with staffing shortages, cybersecurity threats and critical media literacy as the field's biggest hurdles, and generative AI, data visualization and privacy tools as the most important technologies for schools to leverage.
On Tuesday, April 14, the “Driving K–12 Innovation in 2026 and Beyond” session will dive into the hurdles, accelerators and tech enablers identified in the report. The session, presented by Laura Geringer of PumpkinBerry Consulting, gives attendees the opportunity to engage with the report’s findings and explore what they mean for their own districts.
Throughout the conference, panel discussions and educational sessions will touch on emerging technology and leadership topics. Sessions about innovation in K–12 and the leadership skills that enable it include:
- “AI by Design: Implementing Responsible AI in K–12 Education”
- “Strategic Influence: Leading Innovation in Uncertain Times”
- “Enhancing Student Engagement with AR, VR, MR, & XR”
- “Using EdTech to Build the Futures We Want”
- “State Trends 2025: Adapting and Innovating in a Digital World”
- “Sustaining AI Integration in Education: Year 2 of a Pilot”
- “The JournAI: How Five Districts are Embracing AI with Purpose”
In addition to the sessions, the AI Playground, located in the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk’s Fountainview Foyer, will offer hands-on learning experiences led by CoSN members and K–12 technology providers that will explore the future of AI in education.
Keep this page bookmarked to catch all of our CoSN2026 coverage.
