This was our first interview with a Kentucky leader for the #100DistrictConversations project, and it was fantastic! Buddy Berry, Superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools is an innovative education leader with a strong north star for personalized learning. His investment in early adopters feels incredibly relevant for today's AI implementation conversations. Thank you George Philhower for the connection!

"As a superintendent for 16 years in a small district, I have seen firsthand the critical importance of professional learning. Early on, resources were scarce – we used Title II funds for class reductions instead of professional development. There simply wasn't adequate PD available in Kentucky when we aimed for a truly personalized, 1:1, competency-based learning environment in 2010. And external experts, while brilliant, were financially out of reach.

This led us to a different path: growing expertise in-house. We identify passionate individuals to become internal experts on key topics, then empower them to lead their colleagues. While Kentucky mandates districts have at least four PD days on the calendar, we offer 11. Critically, four of these are flexible professional learning days, allowing teachers to pursue personalized pathways – whether it’s a 3-hour book study or attending a Saturday conference. This approach embodies the personalization we strive for with our students, and has led to tremendous gains. New PD initiatives typically originate from the admin team, and we aim to model our PD to reflect ideal classroom experiences. We believe in ‘surprise and delight’ – making lessons ‘pop’ so kids are still talking about them days later. I have personally taken this to heart, from renting casinos to hot air balloons, even circuses and caves for unforgettable learning moments!

Our process for building expertise involves identifying early adopters who embrace new ideas. Our administrative team divides and conquers, leveraging their content expertise to lead the charge. Lacking a full-time instructional coach, we have leveraged a fantastic retired coach who mentors young teachers and supports three master teachers. They now dedicate two hours a day to coaching, with an extra planning period. This cost-effective model provides vital support at a fraction of the FTE cost and also develops future principals from within our district.

When our initial early adopters emerged, we formed an ad-hoc ‘VOICE Team’ (Vision Of Innovative Classroom Excellence), a group that met monthly, gradually taking ownership of initiatives. They became our guinea pigs, testing innovations. I sometimes regret that I can't relive the 2010-2014 era – the tidal wave of the technology revolution provided an incredible rush that is hard to replicate.

AI feels like it may bring a similar surge of potential. It significantly accelerates tasks; ChatGPT can draft a lesson plan in minutes that we can then train teachers on. I see AI like a highly sophisticated calculator; my dream is for AI to precisely identify student understanding of concepts, allowing teachers to provide truly personalized, side-by-side assessment of competencies. If we don't figure out AI, our school system risks falling behind. My goal is to promote systemic change in my own district while helping other districts navigate these transformations as well."