Thoughtful Innovation: How We’re Using AI to Give Time Back to Educators

A New “Wow” Moment in Technology

In my 20-plus years working in technology, first as a developer, then in product management, there have been only a handful of moments that made me stop and think, “This changes everything.” The first was when I realized that, with the internet, I could create something anyone in the world could see and use.

To me, AI feels like one of those moments.

The pace of innovation is staggering, and every week brings a new breakthrough. But for all the excitement, I believe the real power of AI in education lies in cutting through the noise and focusing on solutions that actually move the needle for educators and students.

Technology for Good—With Purpose

I’ve always been passionate about using technology for good. In education, that means giving teachers, counselors, and administrators back the most precious resource they have—time. Time to focus on students instead of paperwork. Time to build relationships instead of wrestling with systems. Time to use their expertise where it makes the greatest impact: directly with students.

The reality is, educators are often buried under redundant, cumbersome processes. AI—when used thoughtfully—can remove some of that weight. It can automate the repetitive, speed up the cumbersome, and adapt as compliance requirements, regulations, and district priorities change.

But it’s not about replacing people. It’s about empowering them. AI will never know a student’s home situation, their personal challenges, or their unique potential the way an educator does. That human insight will always matter most.

Our Approach: Internal First, Always Learning

At Education Advanced, we’ve started our AI journey by focusing inward. We’re rolling out AI tools to our own teams first: developers, product managers, support, and sales, allowing us to test governance, measure value, and refine workflows before introducing AI-driven features to customers.

Already, we’re seeing meaningful gains. Tasks that once took hours are now resolved in minutes, and teams are able to move faster with greater accuracy. These internal improvements may not be visible to customers on the surface, but they translate directly into more efficient product development, quicker support, and a more responsive experience for the districts we serve.

Designing for All Districts

Whether a district has a full technology team or just one person wearing many hats, every school community deserves tools that are easy to use and built to support their unique needs.

That’s why we keep a broad perspective. If a feature helps smaller districts, it rarely hinders the larger ones. Our goal is to lift everyone, so no customer feels overlooked because of their budget or size.

Responsible by Design

The AI landscape changes daily, with new tools competing for attention at every turn. To stay grounded, we run every idea through three filters.

1. Security. Student privacy is a non-negotiable, and we build with FERPA and data protection in mind at every step.
2. Governance. Access is controlled and limited to what’s necessary.
3. True value. If a tool doesn’t meaningfully improve workflows or solve a real problem, we don’t build it.

We also add a dimension that’s especially critical in Texas: water stewardship. Texas is one of the fastest-growing hubs for AI and cloud data centers—and that growth is thirsty. In 2025, data centers statewide are projected to consume 49 billion gallons of water, rising to nearly 400 billion gallons a year by 2030, or about 6–7 percent of Texas’s total water use.

In communities like San Antonio and the Hill Country, AI-focused campuses are already using hundreds of millions of gallons annually, heightening strain on aquifers and municipal supplies.

That’s why we ask: Is this innovation worth the cost? Is the workflow improvement real—or is this just another flashy tool? As a company with deep Texas roots, we believe AI decisions must be measured not just by performance, but by how thoughtfully they respect the resources of the communities we serve.

The Future We’re Building Toward

Five years from now, I don’t want customers to think of us as “the company that uses AI.” I want them to notice that they have more time, clearer insights, and less busywork—without having to think about how it happens.

The best AI is often invisible. It happens in the background—surfacing exactly what’s needed, when it’s needed—so educators can focus on students, not software.

That’s the point of everything we build. Our role is to take on the complexity, so they can put their time and energy where it matters most: helping students succeed. Every innovation has to clear that bar. It has to make the work easier, protect student privacy, and use resources responsibly.

We approach AI with what I call “cautious excitement”—optimistic about its potential, but mindful of its risks, from accuracy to security to environmental impact—and we make sure our teams see it for what it is: a tool to serve people, not replace them. When we get it right, the technology fades into the background, and what’s left is more space for educators to do what they do best.

Because in the end, it’s not about AI at all. It’s about giving time back to the humans who shape the future.

If your school is interested in new ways to improve the learning experience for children, you may also be interested in automating tasks and streamlining processes so that your teachers have more time to teach. Education Advanced offers a large suite of tools that may be able to help:

• Evaluation: A solution for documenting every step of the staff evaluation process, including walk-throughs, self-evaluations, supporting evidence, reporting, and performance analytics.
• Pathways: A graduation tracking tool that enables administrators and counselors to create, track, and analyze graduation pathways, ensuring secondary students stay on track to graduate.
• TestHound: Our test accommodation software helps schools coordinate thousands of students across all state and local K-12 assessments while considering various accommodations, such as for reading disabilities, physical disabilities, and translations.