This story was written with the support of AI

Mark Erlenwein, Principal of Staten Island Technical High School, spoke at the AASD and San Diego Unified Schools conference, “The Undiscovered Country: Harnessing AI to Amplify Leadership Efficiency,” on March 25th, 2026. He shared how he integrates AI in schools to support human thinking and interaction, stressing that technology should enhance—not replace—students’ and teachers’ cognitive work and social skills.

Erlenwein opened the session by describing his work developing frameworks for implementing AI in ways that preserve cognitive engagement. He introduced the TRACE framework—Think first, Reach for AI support if necessary, Audit AI outputs, Communicate your reasoning, and Ensure ownership—and explained how it guides both teachers and students in using AI responsibly and thoughtfully.

“The biggest challenge is going to be when you insert AI in the learning process, it's going to circumvent some of the cognitive work. You're unloading some of the cognitive work. So the TRACE framework is just a kind of human-centric way to communicate to teachers how we can still use AI and not unload all the cognitive work.”

He illustrated this with a classroom example: students working on a Scarlet Letter project used AI to generate images for their custom letters, but the teacher required them to document their entire thought process, prompt development, and decision-making. This ensured that AI became a tool to amplify human creativity and reasoning, not replace it.

“It would've been one thing just to ask students to submit the pictures, but by enforcing and making them explain their thinking, explain their actions, you now took an automated process that was very digital, and you made it human-centric.”

Erlenwein emphasized the importance of balancing high-tech and low/no-tech approaches. For every AI tool or screen-based technology, he recommended reinforcing interpersonal skills, communication, and face-to-face interaction:

“Technology atrophies skills that we once had… your humanity is going to be your most vital and sought-after skill. Keeping schools human-centered when making technology choices is vital.”

He then highlighted the Talknology program at Staten Island Technical High School, which he co-developed with soft skills coach Bob Wolf and other educators. Every ninth-grade student takes this class weekly for a full year to practice oracy and interpersonal skills—from first impressions and handshakes to communication and presentation—ensuring that technology use does not erode foundational human capabilities. Students also participate in internships, blending applied skills with soft skill development.

Erlenwein closed by encouraging administrators to leverage AI not as a replacement for human interaction, but as a tool to enhance it:

“Think about all the different ways you could use [AI] with students, with teachers… I use this all the time as a think buddy. But we have to keep the thinking, reasoning, and human engagement at the center.”