AI in Education: Maestas Discusses AI and the Future of Education on SAEP Innovation Panel

As artificial intelligence changes the way people work, skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, adaptability, and sound judgment are taking on renewed importance. For educators, that raises an essential question: How can schools prepare students not only to understand emerging technologies, but also to put their knowledge to meaningful use?

CAST Schools Executive Director Jennifer Maestas explored that question on September 15 during the San Antonio Education Partnership’s Annual Breakfast Fundraiser at The Whitley Event Center. Maestas joined the panel “Innovating the Classroom, College & Careers: AI Technology and Beyond,” alongside UT San Antonio President Dr. Taylor Eighmy, Dr. Beto Gomez of the Better Future Institute, and Chloe Bruno, an IT Field Technician at SAISD.

The conversation examined how artificial intelligence is influencing education and the workplace, and what students will need to navigate a future shaped by rapidly changing technology.

For Maestas, the discussion begins with what CAST Schools has been hearing from its industry partners for years: employers need people who can solve problems that don't have straightforward answers, work effectively with others, and respond to changing circumstances.

As AI automates some routine and rules-based tasks, Maestas explained, those competencies are becoming an increasingly important part of the career-readiness conversation. Technical knowledge remains essential, but students also need to determine how best to apply what they know.

The shift raises questions about how schools define and measure learning.

Traditionally, education has placed considerable emphasis on what students know. Assignments and assessments help students demonstrate their knowledge, while schools use those results to communicate academic progress to families.

But as AI makes information increasingly accessible, Maestas pointed out that knowing something is only part of the equation. Students must also learn to evaluate information and make decisions about how to use it.

“What matters now is, do you know what to do with what you know?” Maestas asked.

That distinction reflects an important dimension of the CAST Schools approach to teaching and learning: giving students opportunities to apply their knowledge through authentic experiences and develop capabilities that extend beyond any particular technology.

The conversation also turned to a broader question: If San Antonio could make one bold investment to better connect high school, college, and the workforce, what should it be?

Maestas pointed to a fundamental shift in how schools approach advising.

“At CAST, our mission is to prepare students for college ***and*** career, not college ***or*** career,” she explained.

Yet education systems have traditionally treated college readiness and career readiness as separate goals, even though postsecondary education is often one step along a student's career pathway.

Maestas proposed investing in a more personalized, student-centered advising system that helps young people understand how their choices connect across high school, college, and employment. Her vision would blur the traditional boundaries between those experiences, giving students a clearer picture of how their educational and career decisions shape their long-term opportunities and quality of life.

Together, her remarks offered a perspective on preparing students for an AI-influenced future that extends well beyond learning to use new tools. It means helping students develop the ability to act on what they know while creating clearer connections between their education, career opportunities, and the futures they hope to build.

As technology continues to change the workplace, the question for CAST Schools remains centered on students: How can we equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and agency to make informed decisions and shape their own futures?