AI Leadership Professional
Learning Community
NEASC Schools | February – May 2026
A 4-month collaborative journey to develop informed perspectives on AI in education—built on our successful founding cohort of 40+ educators and school leaders across six independent schools.
Led by Peter Siner, who presented on AI's impact on schools at the 2025 NEASC Leadership Conference.
What Educators Value Most:
Peer learning across schools—in live sessions and on CoLab's collaboration platform
School team alignment around shared AI goals
Practical roadmaps for teacher training, student use, and tool rollout
Cross-school insights that accelerate learning and reduce the burden of figuring it out alone
Program Structure
Monthly Learning Cycle with gentle launch in January to account for busy winter term:
80% asynchronous learning and collaboration on CoLab - a purpose-built networking and collaboration platform
20% live sessions (2x/month) scheduled as a cohort to fit your schedule and recorded
Small group, 1-on-1, and large group collaboration to explore key concepts
Structured time for cross-school and within-school collaboration—our participants' most valued feature
Five Focus Areas
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AI Foundations & Personal Practice
Build shared understanding of what AI can (and can't) do in education, examine ethical considerations -
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Teaching & Learning Exploration
Explore case studies from different schools, see how others are experimenting with AI -
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Student Perspectives on AI
Examine AI from the student lens: how it shapes learning, student feedback, and potential impacts -
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Leadership & Change Management
Share approaches to decision-making and collaborate on what makes sense in your context
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Sustainability & Vision
Reflect on the long-term role AI might play and shape a vision that fits your community
Hear from our founding members!
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“Seeing what other schools/teachers/coordinators are doing in this area is invaluable. We are all facing these new opportunities and challenges in real-time. It's not a one-size-fits-all, but it's important to keep engaging and adjusting.”
Lucas Tompkins
Teacher & Coordinator of Learning Technology, Greenwood College -
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“Collaboration allows us to bring our unique strengths and capacities to the the table, providing a richer, more diverse pool of knowledge for everyone to glean from. Collectively, we have a greater chance of staying up to date with the break neck pace of how things are changing!”
Stephanie Stephens
Director of Learning Innovation and Technology, HTS -
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"As a part of this cohort, I have benefitted by hearing how others are grappling with the whole AI thing has opened my eyes to other aspects of this issue. Some things I didn't really consider as I tend to get lost in the big picture and lose sight of how you can pick off smaller aspects of that issue as well, thus making it more manageable for everyone."
Ian Johnston
Senior School Tech Teacher, Pickering College -
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“Collaborating while on my AI journey is important to me because I am evolving in my career along side the evolution of AI resources and tools. Learning from my peers with similar interests is key for mutual growth as it provides greater perspective and insight into what it means to be an educator in the digital era.”
Anna Spotta
French Teacher, Greenwood -
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“Nobody learns deeply on their own!”
Andrew Moore
English Teacher, Bayview Glen -
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“Collaboration is important to me because AI can do a lot, but it can’t replace the ideas, creativity, and encouragement that come from working with other people.”
Barry Panas
Science Teacher
St. John’s Ravenscourt -
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“Working together with other educators puts an emphasis on critical thinking skills so that we can all start to understand the issues and opportunities in the quickly changing world of AI.”
Grace Sheppard
Teacher-Librarian
St. John’s Ravenscourt
Expert Facilitation Team
Peter Siner – AI Professional Learning Support
Active school administrator, Google Certified Innovator, and host of the Teach Smarter Podcast. Peter is a recognized AI for Education Specialist with a decade of experience in instructional leadership and technology integration. He regularly presents at global conferences including MATSOL, ISTE, and FETC, focusing on sustainable AI integration and systems-level planning.
Ariella Racco – Program Design & Community Leadership
CEO of CoLab, the collaboration platform for K12 education. She is a Google Certified Innovator, and former CIS Ontario teacher at Appleby College and The York School. Ariella brings deep understanding of independent school culture and designs professional learning experiences that foster authentic collaboration and practical implementation.
All staff members are encouraged to join—teachers across all divisions/departments, non-teaching staff, and school leaders.
Leadership doesn't mean you have to fully embrace AI—it means fully understanding it to make informed decisions for your students and school community.
We recommend joining with several staff members per school to build internal capacity and establish shared language.
Who Can Participate?
The Opportunity
✺ 4-Month AI Leadership Progression: Personal practice → classroom integration → peer collaboration → leading school change
✺ Year-Round CoLab Platform Access: Ongoing resource sharing and professional networking with CIS Ontario educators
✺ Expert Support: Curated AI content, research, facilitation guides, and coaching with AI specialists
✺ Ready-to-Use Resources: Practical, educator-ready materials for immediate school application
Investment: $800 per participant
Group rates and early bird discounts available for those who register before January 15, 2026. Custom school-based PLCs also available for schools with 10+ participants.
AI PLC Interest Form
Please confirm your school's interest and approximate staff count by January 30, 2026. Reach out if you need an extension for any reason.
Program Launch: Week of February 16th or 23rd, 2026 based on participant poll
Contact our team: CEO, Ariella Racco, ariella@colab.education