EPISODE · May 23, 2026 · 1H
Ep. 88: Designing Schools of the Future... Today
from State of Ed Podcast · host Dr. Marc Isseks & Dr. Nick Simone
Marc and Nick sit down with Dr. Sabba Quidwai, CEO and founder of Designing Schools, former education executive at Apple, lecturer at UC Irvine, and author of Designing Schools: How Design Thinking Makes You Irreplaceable in the Age of AI. This conversation covers what it actually means to lead schools through the current moment in AI, and why the fear of being replaced may be pointed in entirely the wrong direction. Dr. Quidwai reframes the AI replacement conversation from the ground up, makes the case that we are not facing a critical thinking crisis but an agency crisis, and explains what the schools getting AI right all have in common. The conversation also covers why AI should be understood as a teammate and not a tool, what happens to people who never learn the language of AI, why educators are the most natural design thinkers in any room, and why the pockets of excellence we celebrate need to be scaled, not just celebrated. If you are a school leader trying to figure out where to put your energy right now, start here. Guest Links: designingschools.org @AskMsQ on Instagram @AskMsQ on X (Twitter) Dr. Sabba Quidwai on LinkedIn Designing Schools on Amazon Follow Marc: marcisseks.com @marcisseks on X (Twitter) @marcisseks on LinkedIn @edupyro on TikTok @edupyro on YouTube CAPTIVATE on Amazon Find State of Ed: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music stateofedpodcast.com
What this episode covers
Marc and Nick sit down with Dr. Sabba Quidwai, CEO and founder of Designing Schools, former education executive at Apple, lecturer at UC Irvine, and author of Designing Schools: How Design Thinking Makes You Irreplaceable in the Age of AI. This conversation covers what it actually means to lead schools through the current moment in AI, and why the fear of being replaced may be pointed in entirely the wrong direction. Dr. Quidwai reframes the AI replacement conversation from the ground up, makes the case that we are not facing a critical thinking crisis but an agency crisis, and explains what the schools getting AI right all have in common. The conversation also covers why AI should be understood as a teammate and not a tool, what happens to people who never learn the language of AI, why educators are the most natural design thinkers in any room, and why the pockets of excellence we celebrate need to be scaled, not just celebrated. If you are a school leader trying to figure out where to put your energy right now, start here. Guest Links: designingschools.org @AskMsQ on Instagram @AskMsQ on X (Twitter) Dr. Sabba Quidwai on LinkedIn Designing Schools on Amazon Follow Marc: marcisseks.com @marcisseks on X (Twitter) @marcisseks on LinkedIn @edupyro on TikTok @edupyro on YouTube CAPTIVATE on Amazon Find State of Ed: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music stateofedpodcast.com
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Ep. 88: Designing Schools of the Future... Today
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