Recently, in an exclusive interview with K12 Digest, Michael shared insights into his journey from a Yale history graduate unsure of his path after 9/11 to becoming a leading voice in education innovation. He cautioned that layering AI onto today’s K–12 model risks amplifying what’s already broken — whole-class instruction paced to an imaginary “average,” delivery over learning, assessments that sort rather than support, and an impossible job description for teachers — because technology that threatens the dominant process either gets ignored or forced to conform. For principals, he advises against leading with tech and instead starting backward from purpose: choose one part of the school, define what children should learn and why they’re there, design the experiences that deliver that purpose, decide how to know every child reached it, and only then select curriculum, teaching models, and technology. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.