Conference Agenda

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has accelerated advances in information technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), profoundly shaping education systems worldwide. Recent breakthroughs, such as generative AI tools including ChatGPT, are influencing teaching, learning, and school administration by offering opportunities for increased efficiency, personalized instruction, and expanded access to learning (Chen et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2023; Peters et al., 2023). At the same time, these technologies introduce significant challenges related to data security and privacy, academic integrity, algorithmic bias, and the risk of misinformation (Guo et al., 2023). In response, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2024), drawing on foundational educational philosophies (e.g., Dewey, 1916; Kant, 2015) and contemporary analyses, advocates for human-centric AI in education grounded in democratic values, equity, transparency, safety, and well-being.

School principals and head teachers in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (PK–12) settings must navigate these AI-driven opportunities and risks alongside persistent and emerging influences, including socioeconomic inequities, cultural and political pressures, and environmental uncertainty. Successfully leading schools amid these intersecting complexities is essential for promoting academic excellence, student well-being, and equitable outcomes. Concurrently, educational leadership researchers and professors bear responsibility for preparing and supporting principals to lead effectively in digitally mediated and highly contextualized environments.

This 90-minute interactive workshop explores innovative approaches to principal preparation and development by integrating AI with empirical insights from the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). As the longest-running and most extensive cross-national study of successful school leadership, spanning more than 20 countries, ISSPP provides a robust evidence base for understanding how principals lead successfully across diverse contexts.

The workshop is guided by four core ISSPP research questions: (1) How do socioeconomic, cultural, political, and professional contexts shape school practices and valued outcomes, particularly in high-need communities? (2) How is “school success” conceptualized and measured across national and cultural contexts? (3) What enablers and constraints influence school success in different settings? (4) What similarities and differences characterize the values, beliefs, and practices of successful principals across contexts and policy environments?

Methodologically, ISSPP draws on ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1995) to examine leadership within interacting social and organizational layers. The project employs a comparative, mixed-methods design, incorporating semi-structured interviews with principals, district officials, teachers, parents, and students; teacher surveys; and cross-case analyses to enhance trustworthiness (Creswell & Creswell, 2017; Denzin, 2012; Patton, 2002). Building on ISSPP metasyntheses of qualitative case studies (e.g., Authors, 2021), this workshop demonstrates how empirically grounded leadership knowledge can be coded into leadership domains and translated into an AI-enabled “Principal Mentor” framework. This framework is designed to simulate principled, context-sensitive reasoning while embedding human-centric guardrails aligned with OECD (2024) AI principles.

The workshop structure emphasizes active engagement. It begins by framing the contemporary challenges facing principals in AI-infused educational systems, introduces ISSPP’s ecological framework and key findings, and outlines the development methodology of the AI Principal Mentor. Participants then examine demonstrations using authentic leadership dilemmas, followed by facilitated discussion of ethical, pedagogical, and practical implications. Researchers, educators, and policymakers will critically reflect on AI’s role in principal preparation and professional support, with attention to adaptation across diverse national and local contexts.

By bridging long-standing qualitative leadership research with emerging AI tools, this workshop advances values-based leadership development and supports adaptive expertise for sustainable school success in an increasingly complex and unpredictable global landscape.