With 82% of K12 schools now reporting a cyberattack and just 14% of districts on track to meet new federal digital-accessibility mandates, superintendents are facing compounding operational risks that touch every layer of a school system.
The Future of Education Technology Conference has rolled out its full 2027 featured-speaker roster across six tracks, highlighting the specific pressures superintendents are managing right now—from AI governance to workforce shortages. FETC 2027 runs January 26–29 in Orlando.
School Leaders: Principals as the Retention Lever
Research cited by FETC ties principal quality directly to staffing stability: schools led by well-prepared principals retain teachers at an 89% annual rate, compared with 78% under weaker leadership.
Featured speakers include Baltimore principal Ashley Moore and Dr. Kim Abel of Optima Academy Online, who will address AI adoption, culture-building, and chronic absenteeism.
IT Leaders: Cybersecurity Without the Federal Cushion
As federal cybersecurity support recedes, CIOs are absorbing more risk with fewer resources. Dr. Stacy Hawthorne of CoSN, Springtown ISD CTO Amanda Lanicek, and Denver Public Schools CIO Dr. Richard Charles will cover breach response, AI governance, and data privacy.
Inclusion Leaders: A Compliance Deadline Districts Aren’t Ready For
Updated ADA Title II rules now require every public-facing digital tool—websites, LMS platforms, forms—to be accessible, but most districts remain far from compliant. CAST’s Kelli Suding, who points to research showing Universal Design for Learning can lift overall learner performance by 37.4%, joins Kapor Foundation’s Shana Vidal White to address the gap.
Classroom Leaders: Confidence Hasn’t Caught Up to Adoption
While 85% of teachers were expected to use AI this past school year, only 30% felt confident doing so. Albuquerque Public Schools’ Christina Nuñez and instructional coach Marcia Kish are among four speakers focused on classroom-ready, immediately usable strategies rather than theory.
CTE: Closing a Widening Skills Gap
Georgetown University projects 5.25 million additional skilled workers will be needed by 2032. St. Vrain Valley Schools’ Joe McBreen and Dallas ISD’s Janel Humphries will share how their districts built career pathways connecting classrooms directly to local labor markets.
Library Leaders: The Overlooked Integration Layer
More than half of U.S. school libraries report unmet budget needs, even as media specialists are increasingly asked to lead on AI policy and digital literacy. Randolph Elementary’s Connie Ann Roussel and Georgia Library Media Association’s Nicholas Moore will share replicable models for blending low- and high-tech instruction.
Together, the six tracks reflect how thinly current K12 leadership is stretched: the same budget cycle now has to fund cybersecurity defense, accessibility compliance, AI training, and career-pathway building at once. FETC’s Featured Speakers are joined by a broader roster presenting concurrent sessions and workshops throughout the conference. Registration is open at fetc.org.
