What We Learned from the Rural AI Schools of Excellence (RAISE) Collaborative

As school systems consider how artificial intelligence fits into their instructional vision, the ambiguity and pace of change can feel dizzying. For others—especially in rural districts—it feels familiar.

That’s because rural school systems were already leading the way in working differently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandra Jin, Senior Director of Innovation at Leading Educators, shares:

Rural districts were often on the edge of innovation and flexibility with virtual learning. We’ve seen time and time again that these districts rise to the challenge. They’re smaller, more nimble, and able to reallocate resources in targeted and responsive ways. That kind of agility is what’s needed to iterate, test, and refine approaches to AI integration in a truly student-centered way.”

That same spirit of creativity and adaptability was alive this fall.

Educators from seven rural districts across Texas and Arizona worked together in the Rural AI Schools of Excellence (RAISE) Collaborative to explore how they can utilize AI to design, test, and refine emergent, student-centered practices for achieving greater success: Cumby Collegiate ISD, Floydada Collegiate ISD, Holbrook Unified School District, Miami Unified School District No. 40, Roscoe Collegiate ISD, Uvalde CISD, and Wickenburg Unified School District.

This partnership between Leading Educators, aiEDU, the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, and Collegiate Edu-Nation aimed to ensure that educators, school leaders, and district leaders collaboratively shape emergent technology and its use within a coherent instructional strategy.

Together, superintendents, teachers, and instructional leaders explored fundamental questions, including:

1. How can artificial intelligence help educators augment—not replace—the most critical human elements of teaching and learning?
2. What fundamental aspects of traditional learning design can AI help educators disrupt to better meet the full range of student needs, strengths, and goals in the classroom?
3. How can schools best support educators in developing the competencies, mindsets, and routines necessary to use AI with focus and coherence?

The bottom line: rural educators are not waiting to be told what the future of AI in schools should look like. They are building it themselves. As Shelly Slaughter, superintendent of Cumby Collegiate ISD, put it:

It is rare to have district leaders, campus leaders, and teachers working together. It’s huge—and it’s the model we need everywhere.”

This piece delves into the process so far, unpacking how schools can move toward future-ready instruction in nonconventional circumstances.

Building a Collaborative for Coherence and Creativity

RAISE brought together district teams of five to six members—comprising teachers, instructional leaders, and superintendents—to spend a semester testing AI-enabled pedagogical, planning, and learning assessment strategies aligned with their instructional vision.

Sandra says, “We’re experiencing a shift from being tool-first to being student-first. Once districts clarify what success for students should look like, AI becomes one of many tools to help reach that goal.”

Each team defines a problem of practice, such as addressing student learning gaps or differentiating instruction. Then, they explore root causes to design an AI-enabled hypothesis using the AI Impact Cycle—a framework developed by Leading Educators to help school teams ground AI integration in their instructional vision. Here are the steps:

1. Define a problem of practice — identify a challenge that’s keeping students from fully achieving the district’s instructional vision.
2. Analyze root causes and readiness — surface what’s driving that challenge and assess your system’s readiness for AI integration using aiEDU’s AI Readiness Framework.
3. Develop and focus a hypothesis — pinpoint one high-leverage, AI-solvable area and consider how AI could help address it.
4. Design the AI-enabled strategy — map out what success looks like for students and how the strategy aligns with instructional goals.
5. Test, reflect, and iterate — implement, gather evidence, and refine through continuous coaching and peer learning.

Through ongoing coaching, PLCs, and structured reflection, teams test and refine strategies in real time, with support that keeps the work focused on specific instructional routines, student experiences, and learning objectives.

Having superintendents at the table has been huge,” Sandra explains. “They’re not just sponsors; they’re active learners in the process. They join coaching calls, PLCs, and in-person sessions, engaging directly in conversations about classroom practice and scaling strategies.”

This was a huge lever for the school teams involved, because participants didn’t have to go back and translate the learning, takeaways, and implications for their leaders. The presence and participation of district leaders led to stronger and more grounded plans for ongoing execution.

“Seeing district and campus leaders so actively engaged, so deeply invested, is rare. The level of commitment was incredible—and essential for this kind of innovation to stick,” Sandra shares.

Strength in Local Context

From the outset, the RAISE AI Collaborative was founded on a simple yet powerful design belief: innovation thrives in context.

“Local relationships matter,” Sandra explains.

Our partners—Collegiate Edu-Nation in Texas and the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy—brought deep ties to rural districts. That local grounding helped ensure this work wasn’t just another external add-on but something embedded in each district’s ongoing improvement efforts.”

That approach paid off. Within days of opening applications, the pilot filled all its slots—and even expanded to seven districts. Each district team entered the collaborative with its own vision and a shared commitment to putting students at the center of AI integration.

In the Wickenburg Unified School District, teachers are connecting content to hands-on projects that align with student interests and real-world applications, thereby deepening engagement and relevance.

In Floydada Collegiate ISD, the focus is on helping students internalize their learning through critical thinking and problem-solving.

Holbrook Unified School District and Uvalde CISD are both using AI to elevate student ownership by fostering curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and student-led dialogue.

Despite these varied aims, Sandra said, a common thread runs through every district’s approach: coherence.

Each team is anchoring their innovation in what they most want to be true for their students,” she explains. “That’s what keeps the work grounded in purpose.”

And in many cases, teachers are leading the charge.

As Richard Ramos, superintendent of Miami Unified District, shared,

Our teachers are asking to take on leadership roles in this work. That didn’t come from district leadership—it came from empowered teachers.”

Student-First, People-Powered Innovation

As the RAISE Collaborative evolves and other districts explore AI strategy, one pattern is becoming clear: the most meaningful innovation isn’t about technology. It’s about people.

This shift, Sandra notes, echoes a deeper truth about what makes AI integration meaningful in schools: it’s as much about human capability as it is about technology.

If you want to use AI effectively, you also need durable skills—things like evaluating accuracy, thinking critically, communicating clearly, and understanding systems,” she says. “Those are the skills that make AI literacy possible.”

For Dr. Rachael McClain, President of Collegiate Edu-Nation, that human-centered approach is where rural districts shine.

Rural systems have a unique advantage—they can innovate quickly and cohesively because their teams are closely connected,” McClain shared. “When given the right support and space, they align around a shared vision for learning and move with clarity and purpose. That’s what makes rural spaces such powerful places for innovation.”

She recalls a moment during one session when classroom teachers confidently shared their aspirations for AI with their administrators listening in. “That level of trust and mutual respect signals a culture that’s ready to build something meaningful and lasting,” she said.

Other teachers noted how their understanding deepened as they practiced using AI with intention. “When we realized AI works best when you start small and practice, everything shifted,” one teacher explained.”

And for many others, simply being included in the work represents a shift in power and possibility. Joseph Black, science teacher at Wickenburg Unified, shares:

Teachers are important in what comes next,” one educator reflected. “Being part of this is meaningful because so often things rain down on us.”

Together, those insights point toward a different kind of AI future—one that’s collaborative, reflective, and deeply grounded in student learning. “Driving AI adoption through marketing campaigns isn’t student-centered,” Sandra adds. “We have to stay grounded in what we want to be true for our students and use AI as a means to that end.”

For Leading Educators, this work is as much about learning as it is about leading. The AI Impact Cycle and coaching supports are helping refine what short, high-impact professional learning can look like when aligned to a shared system vision—an insight the organization hopes to carry forward into future collaborations.

For the rural educators leading this work, that grounding isn’t new—it’s the continuation of a long tradition of innovation rooted in community and care. The RAISE AI Collaborative simply offers the space, structure, and support to make that innovation visible and sustainable.

“Teachers aren’t just implementing someone else’s vision,” Sandra added. “They’re co-designing what the future of learning should be. That’s where real innovation begins.”