Minneota Public Schools, a small rural district in Minnesota, partnered with SWWC (Southwest West Central Service Cooperative) to build a comprehensive AI guidance plan from the ground up. In this episode, Superintendent Scott Monson shares how the district pulled together a task force of board members, administrators, and teachers to work through the process together, tackling policy gaps, ethical use, and staff rollout as a team. It's a look at how a regional cooperative model helps small districts do work they couldn't tackle alone, and why getting people from every level of the district in the room made the plan stronger. Scott also touches on what it means to lead a small district in 2026, where everyone wears multiple hats to get the job done.

Dr. Rachel Edoho-Eket joins Integrate This! for a conversation about joyful leadership, relational intelligence, and what it means to lead schools with heart.

Rachel shares her journey from kindergarten teacher to principal, including the mentorship that helped her see school leadership differently. She talks with Jeremy and David about the relationships new leaders should prioritize, why slowing down matters, and how leaders can respond to today’s challenges with creativity instead of exhaustion.

The conversation also explores Rachel’s TEDx message around “The Joyful Rebellion,” her book Relational Intelligence, and the role of AI in school leadership. Rather than replacing human connection, Rachel sees AI as a tool that can give educators time back for students, staff, families, and the relationships that make schools work.

Rachel also discusses The Principal’s Journey, Principal Pals, and her podcast Strong Start Sundays.

Links:

Rachel’s Official Website: https://www.racheledohoeket.com/

Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rachel-edoho-eket-2b0ab7221/

What if the reason some students are struggling isn't a student problem — it's a design problem? In this episode of Integrate This EdTech, David Berner and Jeremy Mikla sit down with Dr. Katie Novak, author of 17 books and one of the leading voices on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), to unpack what it really means to design learning that works for ALL students.

📌 In this conversation you'll hear:

✅ What UDL actually is — and the misconceptions that are holding teachers back

✅ The lasagna dinner party analogy that reframes everything about lesson design

✅ How AI tools fit into a UDL framework (and where they fall dangerously short)

✅ The connection between UDL and MTSS — explained in a way that finally makes sense

✅ What learner agency really looks like in a K-12 classroom

✅ Katie's personal writing process — and how she uses AI without letting it write for her

📚 Books mentioned: UDL Shift, Elevating Educational Design with AI (with Dr. Catlin Tucker)

🌐 Learn more about Katie: novakeducation.com

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