How Highline Public Schools Aligns Technology with Student Needs

The useful part

Home » Artificial Intelligence Listen Pause Just south of Seattle, Highline Public Schools serves a richly diverse community. Its more than 18,000 students bring nearly 90 different languages to classrooms and schools across the district. For Teshon Christie, that's an opportunity to tailor support to every student while fulfilling the district's commitment to human-centered innovation.

How it works

• Click the banner below to find out how artificial intelligence is changing K–12 education.
• How would you describe the connection between culture and technology at Highline Public Schools?
• Processes are just as important as technology, and my team works closely with people who are really good at understanding process.
• We use data to determine our direction, although what's most important is how we interpret the data and apply it to each student's strengths and needs.
• The communities most affected by technology are not always included in decisions about how it is developed or used.

What to take from it

Not necessarily, because we have refined our thematic focus around AI — the knowledge, skills and attitudes that we want students to develop — and those concepts are translatable. We've taken a thoughtful, community-informed approach rather than rushing to adopt new tools. We want students and staff to understand both the opportunities and the risks and what is needed in today's world to be future-ready.

Example or evidence

• Christie is a member of CoSN's Driving K–12 Innovation Advisory Board and is a 2026 Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award winner.
• For the past two years, he's led a cross-functional team developing the district's vision for artificial intelligence, which emphasizes equity, inclusion and human connection.
• Every student is known by name, strength and need, and graduates are prepared for the future they choose.
• We come back to our promise whenever we are considering AI or another digital tool.

Details worth keeping

I've made it clear to my team that our focus is keeping students at the center and supporting their success. How will this decision affect our students and community? We also have a close relationship with our community.

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