Written by Aurora Dreger, Project Director, Educating All Learners Alliance

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC). I was there to represent the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) not just as a curious attendee, but as a presenter for two distinct sessions that highlighted the current state of the field.

My week began with an intimate Leadership Roundtable, “Why Shared Language Matters in Education Technology,” which I co-hosted with Kyena Cornelius from the Council for Exceptional Children. We spent our time sinking our teeth into a sticky question: What happens to our most vulnerable learners when critical tech terms are used inconsistently across state lines?

The next morning, I joined Kyena again for a panel presentation, “IEPs, AI, and Accessibility: Ensuring Every Student Is Seen by the Algorithm.” Watching folks file in at 8:00 AM for a technical discussion on AI and accessibility was a powerful signal – the hunger for this knowledge is powerful.

Moving between these two sessions, I found myself navigating the full spectrum of the AI journey. I fielded high-level implementation questions from experts auditing their systems for algorithmic bias, as well as fundamental questions from beginners looking for a safe place to start.

As a leader, my biggest takeaway was that we cannot leave either group behind. We must provide the high-level policy frameworks that systems require while simultaneously offering the “day one” practical steps that the classroom needs.

The most profound moment of the week happened during our roundtable discussion on AI misalignment. A participant shared an analogy that has lived rent-free in my head ever since:

“You would never get in a car and not adjust the mirrors—so why are we opening an AI chat and not adjusting the prompts and settings?”

This is the crux of our work at EALA. If we don’t intentionally adjust the settings, the prompts, and the privacy controls, we aren’t using the tool safely or effectively. But you can’t adjust what you don’t understand. To push the analogy further, we must adjust the mirrors specifically to see the students who are often left in the blind spot – those with disabilities and learning differences.

We are already using these insights to push our work forward, collaborating with the EALA EdTech Council to identify exactly which resources the field needs next to bridge these gaps.

The true highlight of my week, however, was the validation from the FETC community. After our panel, one attendee told us, “This session should be mandatory at conferences!” It was a vital reminder that while the technology is complex, our goal remains simple: ensuring that innovation works for all learners.