What does it mean when policy disconnects from the classroom, and AI is forcing us to finally pay attention?

Julia Fallon is the Executive Director of SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association) and has spent three decades navigating the intersection of education, technology, and policy. She calls it "the unglamorous middle", the space where good ideas either fail quietly or become real. After 17.5 years with Washington State's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Julia now leads a national network of state EdTech leaders working to operationalize values, not just write rules.

This conversation with Brett and co-host Rebecca Bultsma explores the gap between what we say we want in education and what our systems actually support. Julia makes the case that AI isn't creating new problems, it's exposing the ones we've been ignoring. She walks through the three divides in EdTech (access, design, and use), the difference between compliance and capacity building, and why we need to get as clear about where not to use AI as we are about where to use it.

What You'll Learn:

1. Why policy is how values get operationalized — and what happens when implementation doesn't match intent
2. The three divides in EdTech — access (nearly solved), design (teacher capacity), and use (active vs. passive tools)
3. What ethical AI really means — building systems that notice harm and respond before it scales
4. The accountability paradox — how "everyone's responsible" leads to no one being accountable
5. Responsible unadoption — when and how to put tools down that don't align with your values
6. SETDA's quality indicators for EdTech procurement — five practical filters for vetting tools

Rebecca brings her ethics lens to the conversation. Julia turns the tables and asks Brett and Rebecca: How do we keep AI leadership from becoming AI compliance? The episode wraps with shoutouts to state leaders and Brett's "jumbo cannoli" sign-off.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you're ready to turn up the volume on what's possible in education.