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Panelists
- Stephanie Frenel, Founder & Chief, SchoolOpsAI
- Stephanie Howell, Coach, Gold EDU / SchoolAI

Episode Summary
In this episode of Data in Education, Jenelle and Jessica are joined by educators and AI leaders who work closely with both school systems and classroom realities to explore how educators and leaders can use AI thoughtfully without losing what matters most.

The conversation focuses on:
- Where AI truly reduces workload versus where it simply adds noise
- How to keep AI human-centered by grounding decisions in professional judgment and student needs
- Practical ways educators can use AI to support planning, reflection, and instructional decision-making without replacing teacher expertise

This episode is especially relevant for educators and leaders who are thinking about how to integrate AI in ways that feel ethical, realistic, and supportive and want data to feel more actionable, human, and connected to real classroom practice.

Actionable Guidance from Our Panelists

Our panelists generously shared resources connected to this conversation, including:

Stephanie Frenel: Sign up for free resources from SchoolOpsAi
https://form.typeform.com/to/lRXwEYMa?typeform-source=www.schoolops.ai
- I can understand that AI should be playing in the background.
- I can use AI to bring data into one space to better plan for students.
- I can ask AI for multiple ways to learn a subject to deepen understanding.
- I can protect student privacy and avoid sharing personally identifying information.
- I can identify the AI policies at my school or district.

Stephanie Howell: Sign up for Free Resources from SchoolAi https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdguNGCBP60WC5CTKID7nV_wN1tUxAIkKrvQEls5bjzLEtJvQ/viewform
- I can use AI to help determine success criteria.
- I can recreate questions at the same rigor level for practice.
- I can review and refine AI-generated work using professional judgment.
- I can ask whether AI is helping student learning or simply easing workload.
- I can use self-awareness to guide what I ask AI to do.

Links to these resources are available wherever you are listening or watching this episode.

Free Resource from Symplifyed
- Free First Session of Symplifyed Neuro Educator Training (Guided Interface Preview) https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/K0Lh026YRlGlPZmo3ECq0w

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If this episode resonated with you:
- Share it with a colleague or team
- Save the resources and try one small shift this week
- Follow Data in Education for upcoming panels and live conversations

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Panelists
- Dr. Lisa Riegel, Author & Speaker
- Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, Non-Attorney Advocate & Mental Health Therapist, Destiny Huff Consulting, LLC
- Lisa Baskin Wright, IEP Coach, Lisa Wright IEP Consulting

Episode Summary
In this episode of Data in Education, Jenelle and Jessica are joined by three leading voices in neurodiversity-affirming practice to explore how misconceptions about autism and neurodivergence shape school systems.

The conversation focuses on:
- How schools often misunderstand autism by prioritizing conformity, compliance, and control over regulation, safety, and belonging?
- Where systems unintentionally value compliance over meaningful support?
- What true inclusion actually looks like when differentiation, context, and learner voice are centered?
- How small, intentional system shifts can create the biggest impact for both students and educators?

This episode is especially relevant for educators, school leaders, and support staff who want inclusion to move beyond paperwork and compliance and toward practices that feel supportive, actionable, and human.

Actionable Guidance from Our Panelists
Our panelists generously shared resources connected to this conversation, including:
- Dr. Lisa Riegel - Link to Books Authored by Dr. Lisa Riegel
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lisa-A-Riegel-Ph.D/author/B0GHGY5V3X?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1770588738&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=5ebd2cce-721b-44dd-add2-250b1865ff05
- I can understand that forcing neurodivergent learners to conform is not supportive.
- I can practice short learning sprints.
- I can recognize that inclusion is differentiation.
- I can co-design assessments with learners (“Show me how you know”).
- I can build culture shift by understanding that behavior is the intersection of biology and context.

Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC
- I can challenge my assumption that dysregulation is willful behavior.
- I can use adult examples of dysregulation to better understand learners.
- I can brainstorm ways to incorporate coping skills across home and school settings.
- I can understand that inclusion means all are welcome in this setting.
- I can support learners and myself by asking better questions.

Lisa Baskin Wright - Free Neuroaffirming Resources -
- https://www.lisabaskinwright.com/freeresources
- I can become more curious about the cues a student is giving.
- I can recognize when choice may feel like a demand in a dysregulated moment.
- I can prioritize emotional safety over control in classroom management.
- I can pause before reacting to dysregulation.
- I can reframe behavior as a possible unmet need rather than defiance.

Links to these resources are available wherever you are listening or watching this episode.

Free Resource from Symplifyed:
Positive Replacement Phrases

How to access it:
- Grab a free trial at symplifyapp.com
- Log in to your account
- Click the book icon in the top right corner of the screen to open the Resource Library
- Find the resource connected to this episode and start using it right away

Listen, Watch, and Connect
If this episode resonated with you:
- Share it with a colleague or team
- Save the resources and try one small shift this week
- Follow Data in Education for upcoming panels and live conversations

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Equity Is in the Details: Data That Drives Access

Panelists

• Adam Inder, Head of Education, Pivot Professional Learning
• Françoise Raoult, Teacher, Coach and EAL Coordinator, Inclusive EAL
• Heather Millnick, MTSS coordinator, Fairfax County Public schools

Episode Summary

In this episode of Data in Education, Jenelle and Jessica are joined by school leaders, coaches, and practitioners to explore how data can be used to advance equity rather than unintentionally reinforce gaps.

Rather than centering the conversation on scores, labels, or compliance-driven systems, the discussion focuses on how everyday data practices, when designed thoughtfully, can expand access to rigorous, grade-level instruction and better reflect the full picture of student learning.

The conversation focuses on:

• How data can unintentionally reinforce inequities when it is reduced to a single number or disconnected from context
• What kinds of data actually support access to meaningful, grade-level learning for all students
• How culturally responsive practices show up in day-to-day data use, including qualitative and student-specific information
• What equitable acceleration looks like through exposure, representation, and opportunity
• How school and district leaders can support this work by creating space for deeper, more reflective data conversations
  
  
  

This episode is especially relevant for educators and leaders who want data to feel more supportive, actionable, and human, and who are looking for practical ways to ensure every student has access to high-quality learning experiences.

Actionable Guidance from Our Panelists

Our panelists shared concrete ways educators can rethink and use data to drive equity in classrooms and schools.

Adam Inder

• Pivot Professional Learning
  Free term of access to Pivot PL’s data platform, including one data coaching call
• I can avoid reducing data to a single number.
• I can look at multiple sources of evidence.
• I can recognize that all students deserve access to high-quality instruction, not just those who already demonstrate proficiency.

Françoise Raoult

• I can identify dominant cultural norms embedded in content, tasks, and expectations.
• I can be careful about how students are labeled based on data.
• I can use data to question assumptions rather than confirm them.

Heather Millnick

• I can understand when data expects specific background knowledge.
• I can look at individual skills rather than overall performance.
• I can create a clear roadmap from one skill to the next.
• I can identify whether each student’s growth rate is continuing.

Links to these resources are available wherever you are listening or watching this episode.

Free Resource from Symplifyed

Student Growth Conversation Planner

How to access it:

1. Grab a free trial at symplifyapp.com
2. Log in to your account
3. Click the book icon in the top right corner of the screen to open the Resource Library
4. Find the resource connected to this episode and start using it right away

Listen, Watch, and Connect

If this episode resonated with you:

• Share it with a colleague or team
• Save the res