ASU+GSV Summit 2026 (San Diego)
I attended the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego (April 12–15), evaluating new insights and technologies through the lens of a Director of Technology. ASU+GSV brings private schools, public districts, higher education and workforce leaders together, so it is a rare chance to see what the whole education field is exploring, piloting and solving at once. It complements conferences like ATLIS and NAIS with two strong threads: AI across all ages (the summit's AI Show) and early-stage innovation (the GSV Cup 50, a showcase of the year's most promising EdTech startups).
I went with three focus areas: 1) the future of school data and security, 2) AI in K-8 classrooms, and 3) choosing better technology tools (wisely).
1) School data and security. AI can connect information across our systems and give staff time back, but every AI tool also touches student data, and AI is making phishing and cyberattacks far more convincing (we’ve experienced the latter already). Two particular sessions offered practical frameworks: Microsoft's Unlocking AI Without Unlocking the Front Door and Google's Zero Trust in Practice. A workshop by Intellicampus showed how institutions can bring scattered data into one secure layer before adding AI on top. That lesson feeds directly into School Blueprint, our data governance work to make Burke's data more secure and our operations more efficient.
2) AI in K-8 classrooms. Several resources might be used now:
The Future of CS & AI in K-8 Classrooms (LEGO Education, Code.org, CSTA) on age-appropriate AI literacy and balancing safety with student agency
The Raspberry Pi Foundation's free Experience AI and Experience CS curricula
Google's free AI Educator Series for teachers
The sessions on how children think and feel stayed with me most. Raising Thinkers in an AI World (Brookings) and Is AI Eliminating Productive Struggle? asked what students lose when thinking is handed off too early. The New Safety Net and Every Student Should Have an AI Learning Companion (with Anthropic, Stanford and Common Sense Media) looked at wellbeing and AI companions. New Gallup research found that Gen Z uses AI more each year but trusts it less.
3) Choosing better tools. The GSV Cup K-12 showcase featured startups such as Diffit, Curipod, Snorkl and Playlab. The Design Gap distinguished tools that make answers easier from tools that make thinking deeper. Edtech with Intention noted that students use about 45 different products a year, often with little evidence behind them, and made the case for starting from learning goals before adopting anything new. In a Playlab lab, participants built a working AI tool for a real school need in under 30 minutes.
Resources. I rated every session on the program (336 in total) by theme and relevance to our school, including ones I could not attend. The spreadsheet can be filtered by topic, so you can find sessions in your own area: ASU_GSV_2026_Sessions_Rated. The folder also includes the GSV Cup Look Book with profiles of all 50 startups. Reach out if you would like to think through how an idea could work in your classroom or department.
