If leaders have learned anything in the past few years, it’s how to lead through uncertainty, says one expert. Knowing what challenges lie ahead in 2026 can help guide your decision-making.
Staffing, project-based learning and AI
Leaders such as Gladys Cruz, superintendent for Questar III Board of Cooperative Educational Services, are still concerned about staffing vacancies.
“School districts will continue to feel financial pressures and face staff recruitment and retention challenges as the labor pool narrows,” says Cruz, former board president of The School Superintendents Association. “There will also be more superintendent vacancies and fewer candidate applicants.”
Project-based learning and career and technical education will become essential to boosting student outcomes. Project-based learning opens the door for work-based learning experiences, says Cheryl Jordan, superintendent of the Milpitas Unified School District.
“The evidence is in the entrepreneurial efforts that students demonstrate both in and outside of the classroom: From giant 3-D printed Minecraft robots to leading summer camps in AI for kids to advocating for city council support of low-income housing, ” Jordan says.
The coming year will also mark the end of “factory-model” schooling and instead be driven by student-driven learning as students get more say in how they want to learn, Jordan adds. Career and technical education programs will expand to meet the needs of an AI-altered job market, says Deer Valley Unified School District Superintendent Curtis Finch. Schools will also rely heavily on AI.
“AI will allow staff to use technology to help create more interactive learning environments for students, push for a deeper demonstration of learning from students through application and allow the student to become more interactive in their learning throughout the whole process,” Finch says.
K12 education is entering a transformative era in which collaboration between teachers and families will drive meaningful change, says David K. Moore, superintendent of the School District of Indian River County.
“As technology, data and innovative practices shape the classroom of tomorrow, districts that prioritize choice and operational stability will empower students to thrive in college, careers and life,” Moore says.
Principals targeting student support
Principals are worried about enhancing learning opportunities while resources remain stagnant, says National Association of Secondary School Principals CEO Ronn Nozoe.
In September, the House Appropriations Committee approved its education spending plan for fiscal year 2026. Included in the plans are major cuts to Title I and Title II federal funding.
Schools could lose critical support for the highest-needs students and teacher retention.
We have to keep reminding policymakers that these funds are investments in both equity and opportunity,” he says. “Schools can’t build the future on shaky ground.”
Leaders can’t plan for 2026 without discussing mental health and safety, which shouldn’t be considered partisan issues.
“Beyond the consistent mental health crisis and epidemic of school shootings, new challenges are emerging,” he says. “To focus on one example, students and even educators are turning to AI chatbots for mental health advice, advice that can be misleading or even harmful when they’re desperate for support.”
Leaders can celebrate the Department of Education’s reinstatement of $270 million in mental health grants but money alone won’t solve the problem, Nozoe adds.
“Principals will need flexibility and staffing pipelines to make sure those funds translate into real, on-the-ground help for students and the adults who serve them,” he says.
Emerging tech
Regardless of what’s in store for 2026, innovation tends to lead to educational opportunities for students, argues Ed Kim, vice president of education and training at edtech company Code Ninjas. AI is already impacting students’ experience with coding and robotics.
The latter is seeing advancements that lead to better robotics technology, allowing students to do more with it. For instance, drone technology has come a long way in a short amount of time, Kim says.
Meanwhile, the AI divide won’t be between schools that use it and those that don’t, says Nhon Ma, CEO of edtech company Numerade. It will be between those who teach students how to think with AI versus those who let AI think for them.
“The leaders will be the districts that build AI literacy into the learning process itself: understanding bias, asking better questions and treating these tools as partners, not shortcuts,” Ma says.
Some schools are rushing to adopt AI without asking the deeper pedagogical question about AI best helps struggling students. If AI is implemented strategically, it could end the digital access divide.
“Wealthier schools and families have access to better schools, better bandwidth and better-trained teachers,” Ma says. “Without thoughtful intervention, AI could become the next chapter in the digital divide.”
