In the field of public education, every minute counts. If you ask a principal if they were able to finish their to-do list for the day, most will say, exhausted, “We haven’t even reached the end!”
Why is this so? Between balancing instruction and safety, dealing with constant and unexpected crises, and communicating with staff, parents, and students who have urgent needs, it can be very difficult for principals to find “principal” time.
A new “partner” has emerged to help principals juggle their many priorities. It’s artificial intelligence. While AI cannot replace the human element needed to engage students and staff, it can free up more time for principals to focus on what matters most: building relationships.
About this series
In this biweekly columnPrincipals and other authorities on school leadership, including researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals, provide timely and timeless advice to their colleagues.
Here are some easy and practical ways AI can help free up more time for students and teachers.
Enliven the faculty meeting
Like many teachers, I sometimes fear faculty meetings, but for different reasons. I try my best not to have boring faculty meetings. If I’m feeling bored, I’m sure the staff are feeling the same way.
As a principal over the past 10 years, I’ve tried just about every strategy I’ve read or heard about, including ice-breaking, small group discussions, and incorporating videos.
Using AI to help brainstorm new strategies gave us fresh ideas to keep the faculty meeting experience engaging. For example, with the influence of new ‘partners’, we incorporated recognition for staff and students, encouraged students to do simple performances, and encouraged teachers to share strategies that their colleagues could learn and use the next day.
Since then, different months have featured two- to three-minute performances by students from the band, basketball team, and theater program. These performances remind us that we are helping real students succeed, not just following policy for policy’s sake.
Analyze draft surveys and permit forms
At the urging of one of my students, I recently created a new Principal Feedback Forum for students. This group meets monthly to share suggestions and help implement approved ideas that strengthen school culture. As part of the selection process, applicants were asked to complete a two-question survey. Nearly 25 students submitted thoughtful and detailed responses, so it would take me several hours to read, compare, and evaluate them on my own. The AI completed the task within 30 seconds.
The time saved allowed me to spend an additional 30 minutes observing classrooms, an additional 30 minutes interacting with students in the cafeteria during lunch, and additional time stopping by teacher planning sessions.
We also used AI to draft a clear and professional parental permission form that can be customized and refined for students participating in the forum.
Brainstorming interview questions
Hiring high-quality staff is perhaps one of the most important responsibilities a principal has. I often use AI to generate targeted, competency-based interview questions that align with the skills and values I’m looking for in a new team member. With a simple role description, AI can generate a wide range of questions that assess instructional design, classroom management, collaboration, and more.
We found that word choice is very important when designing tools such as interview questions. For example, there’s a big difference in the quality and depth of your answers if you ask for “teacher interview questions” and “questions to identify elite English teachers who prioritize student learning.”
In moments like these, AI serves as a valuable thought partner. This is an important resource in a job that can often feel like working in isolation.
Check out the simple knowledge you need to start your day
Finally, I use AI to find inspirational quotes that I can read aloud to my students during morning presentations. This would have been a very time-consuming task without AI. I review answers for accuracy, appropriateness, and tone to ensure they are consistent with the school’s cultural goals. We change the theme of these quotes every week.
One week you might focus on good citizenship and the next week on overcoming difficult experiences. I learned the art of tailoring writing prompts to different age groups of students in my school.
For example, when I first asked for inspirational jokes to help high school students have a good day, the list I received included a quote but no further details. I expanded the request to include a one-sentence reflection after each quote to encourage students to apply this idea to their own lives.
result? Many students and staff share how much they enjoy starting their day with a positive mindset.
Overall, the time I saved doing these tasks gave me more time to interact with students, have classroom conversations, and participate in meetings with teachers.
My advice is to only use AI for tasks that don’t harm your relationships with other people. For example, teachers can use this to generate ideas for incorporating physical movement into lessons. However, you should not use it to grade essays. (AI can only apply specific grading guidelines to submitted papers; it cannot spot growth from the last essay or apply personalized feedback to each student like a real teacher can.)
If you’re worried about AI taking our jobs, here’s what I heard at an AI training session I attended two years ago: “AI will not replace you as a principal, but you will be replaced as a principal who uses AI effectively.” AI is a powerful tool that can help improve school culture if used correctly.
What can’t you do? It doesn’t create the kind of human connection moments that principals, teachers, and students enjoy together.
