By Nina Davis, MASSP Associate Director of Member Services & Middle Level
Last month, a group of Michigan’s middle-level leaders traveled to the ASU+GSV Summit — a national gathering where education, innovation, and technology intersect in bold and inspiring ways. While the palm trees and sunshine were a welcome break from Michigan’s unpredictable spring weather, the real value came from the transformational learning, powerful networking and bold ideas for reimagining secondary schools.
As an association, MASSP is committed to leading this work across all secondary buildings — middle and high schools alike. We know that preparing students for an ever-evolving world means embracing new models of teaching and learning, rethinking traditional systems, and leading with courage and curiosity.
Middle-level education in particular is a critical launchpad for exploration, identity development and agency. The conversations and takeaways from ASU+GSV helped deepen our understanding of how we can support students in becoming empowered learners, not just passive participants.
Below are reflections from three middle-level principals who attended the summit and shared their takeaways through a middle school lens:
Nicole Rabac – Principal, Woodworth Middle School
“Affirming our work and expanding our vision”
Attending the ASU+GSV Summit was a transformative experience that reinforced and expanded my vision as a middle school principal and instructional leader. The exposure to cutting-edge advancements in education technology, particularly in AI and personalized learning, provided new perspectives on how we can continue to strengthen student agency in our school. Through dialogue with national thought leaders, researchers and practitioners, I gained valuable insight into systems where students are active architects of their own learning — designing goals, making choices, and navigating personalized pathways with the support of responsive instruction and technology. These examples affirmed the work already taking place in our school and equipped me with strategies to further embed voice, choice and leadership into the fabric of our learning environment.
The Summit also energized my leadership practice, offering practical tools and forward-thinking models for designing classrooms that are not only student-centered but student-driven. Sessions spotlighted how innovative schools are leveraging technology to build future-ready skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability, while maintaining a strong foundation of equity and engagement. Being part of this dynamic learning community affirmed that sustainable change begins with empowering educators through shared leadership, meaningful collaboration and a culture of continuous learning. I returned with increased enthusiasm and a wealth of actionable strategies to strengthen the conditions for agency — ensuring every student leads their own learning journey and every teacher is empowered to innovate, inspire and lead alongside them.
Craig Blower – Principal, Swan Valley Middle School
“You can’t ignore AI — it’s time to explore it”
Attendance at the ASU+GSV Summit and The Show were amazing learning opportunities for us as individuals, and the ripple effect that our learning will have on our buildings and the state of Michigan is immeasurable. There are too many sparks that ignited the AI fire to list them all, but a few things stand out:
- The importance of teachers being in the loop to continue to facilitate student learning.
- The skill of crafting a good prompt and revising it until you get the best product. (Check out the Google “Prompt Like a Pro” course for assistance.)
- Collaborating with AI as a learning partner, whether it is individually or with a team.
- The myriad of practical tools from HeyGen to PlaylabAI and SesameAI to Coursemojo, along with familiar names like MagicSchoolAI and SchoolAI.
- Sharing with our FIRST Robotics teams how they can partner with AI to write code.
- The ability to create audio using NotebookLM.
- The power to translate everything for our English Language Learners — both in writing and verbally.
This is just a smattering of the takeaways from this experience, but one thing’s for sure: We can’t ignore AI and pretend it doesn’t exist. It is a fact of life now and in our students’ future. Like the Internet, then search engines and now AI — we are in a constant state of progress. To ignore it doesn’t help anyone. Start your own voyage of exploration and learning. AI will enhance your job as an educator and allow you to personalize learning for your students.
Washington Post, April 3, 1986
Kristin Meldrum – Principal, Royal Oak Middle School
“Redefining middle school career readiness”
One of my biggest takeaways from ASU+GSV was the wealth of information and breakout sessions specifically geared toward middle-level career readiness. It’s clear this topic is gaining momentum, and for good reason — data continues to show that students need early and frequent exposure to career pathways, not just checkbox activities like XELLO or EDP paperwork.
I left feeling energized and full of ideas, especially around how AI can play a pivotal role in helping students explore and understand future careers. As a district with a dedicated career readiness budget, I appreciated the actionable insights, and I’m excited to collaborate with my counseling team to reimagine what career exploration can look like in middle school.
What’s Next? Join the Innovation Momentum.
MASSP will continue to champion this work — supporting middle and high school leaders as they foster schools rooted in innovation, inclusion and empowerment. Whether you’re experimenting with AI tools, transforming advisory programs, or rethinking traditional structures, we want to celebrate and learn from what’s happening across our state.
Even if you didn’t attend ASU+GSV, we know innovation is happening in your building or next door.
Know a colleague doing something innovative? Nominate them for us to cover their story. Have a program you’re proud of? Send us the details. We’re building a statewide network of inspiration, one story at a time.
Let’s keep the ideas flowing and the movement growing—together.