BAKE: A Mindset-First Approach to Leading AI Literacy in Schools
A framework for school leaders who are tired of reacting to AI—and ready to lead with clarity.
School leaders keep asking us the same questions
How do we talk about AI without it turning into an argument?
What does “AI literacy” actually look like in classrooms?
How do we move forward when staff confidence is all over the place?
Beneath all three questions is the same assumption:
that AI literacy is something schools can roll out.
In practice, the schools struggling most aren’t missing tools or policies—they’re missing a shared way of thinking about uncertainty, learning, and change.
That’s why we created the BAKE mindset framework.
The BAKE Mindsets
Balance
Adaptability
Knowledge-Sharing
Empathy
BAKE gives schools a shared language for making decisions when the answers aren’t clear—and the tools won’t stop changing.
Why Mindsets Come First
When you lead with rules and restrictions, you get compliance at best—and resistance at worst.
When you lead with shared mindsets, you build the conditions for confident, thoughtful decision-making across your entire school community.
Schools using a mindset-first approach:
Move from compliance-driven rules to confidence-driven decisions
Staff don’t wait for permission—they know how to think through new situations.
Reduce fear without pretending responsibility doesn’t matter
Exploration and boundaries coexist instead of competing.
Replace mixed messages with shared language
Classroom teachers and leadership teams speak the same language about AI.
When tools evolve weekly, consistency doesn’t come from rules—
it comes from how we think, decide, and collaborate.
The Work Ahead
You don’t need every teacher to be an AI expert.
You do need every teacher to be a pedagogical expert in an AI world.
That requires leaders who can:
Balance competing priorities
Adapt as conditions change
Share learning openly
Lead with empathy
That’s how AI literacy becomes sustainable.
That’s how schools move forward together.
