Every Hero Needs a Sidekick

Every great superhero needs a trusted sidekick—and in today’s classrooms, that sidekick might just be powered by AI. Colleen Henry and Jerry Xiong share the story of Yamhill-Carlton School District's EL Academy AI Cohort, where classroom teachers learned to harness generative AI tools like Magic School to differentiate instruction, empower multilingual learners, and reclaim precious time for teaching - and how this model led to a series of AI focused professional learning opportunities across the Willamette ESD region.