What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Community: Critical AI Literacy & Leadership

Outline

Why AI Literacy Now? Framing the urgency: how lack of knowledge creates risk. 4 min
What Is Critical AI Literacy? Defining literacy as protection for ethical, visionary and responsible leadership. 4 min
Four Leadership Domains Unpacking the technical, legal, ethical, and pedagogical dimensions. 5 min
Real-World Scenarios: What Could Go Wrong? Analyzing school-based AI dilemmas and consequences. 11 min
Leadership Actions & Guardrails Using guiding questions and frameworks for safer AI integration. 6 min

Outcomes

Participants will:

Recognize how uninformed AI adoption can be harmful, compromising equity, trust, processes and outcomes in school communities.

Define and apply the four domains of Critical AI Literacy to leadership practice.

Evaluate AI tools for technical, ethical, legal, and pedagogical soundness.

Ask the right questions during procurement and implementation to protect students and staff.

Access frameworks and resources for responsible, community-aligned AI governance.

Supporting research

Adams, D., & Thompson, P. (n.d.). Transforming School Leadership with Artificial Intelligence: Applications, Implications, and Future.
Arar, K., Tlili, A., & Salha, S. (2024). Human-Machine symbiosis in educational leadership in the era of artificial intelligence (AI): Where are we heading? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 17411432241292295. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432241292295
Arar, K., Tlili, A., Schunka, L., Salha, S., & Saiti, A. (2025). Reimagining Educational Leadership and Management Through Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Systematic Review. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2025.2451982
BATHON, J., & RICHARDSON, J. W. (2025). Doing the Soul Work: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in School Technology Leadership. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.15166505
Bixler, K., & Ceballos, M. (n.d.-b). Principals Leading AI in Schools for Instructional Leadership: A Conceptual Model for Principal AI U.

Dai, R., Thomas, M. K. E., & Rawolle, S. (2024). The roles of AI and educational leaders in AI-assisted administrative decision-making: A proposed framework for symbiotic collaboration. The Australian Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00771-8

Duran, A., & Ermiş, U. F. (2024). A Qualitative Focus on School Leaders’ Perceptions of Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations in Enhancing Equitable Access to Educational Technology In the Era of Gen-AI. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 10(1), 208–227. https://doi.org/10.31592/aeusbed.1440249
England, K. R. (2018). Leading in a Digital Age: Digital Leaders’ Impact on the Professional Development Culture in a Secondary School Setting (ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml) [ProQuest LLC]. ERIC. https://nl.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED601411&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Ghamrawi, N., Shal, T., & Ghamrawi, N. A. R. (2024). Exploring the impact of AI on teacher leadership: Regressing or expanding? Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 8415–8433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12174-w