School Spotlight: St. Croix Lutheran Academy

How one school is helping teachers move from scattered AI experimentation to meaningful classroom application.

In our early conversations with Ryan Rathje, St. Croix Lutheran Academy's Academic Dean, one thing became clear pretty quickly: teachers across their campus were having very different experiences with AI.

“Some teachers are using it regularly and creatively. Others have barely touched it. Some are curious and experimenting, while others are avoiding it altogether.”

Those differences were creating a bigger challenge for the school. Expectations for student AI use were inconsistent, too, raising some important questions: When should students be allowed to use AI? When should they not? What counts as appropriate support, and what crossed the line?

Ryan and the St. Croix leadership team recognized that offering another tool-specific training was not going to solve the problem. Their faculty represented different disciplines, different responsibilities, and very different levels of comfort with technology.

Whatever they chose needed to work for the teacher who had already been experimenting with AI for months AND for the teacher opening an AI tool for the first time.

Before St. Croix could create clear expectations for student AI use, they realized they had to solve a more foundational problem first: We need to get our teachers on the same page.

Starting with a Shared Foundation

Getting teachers on the same page became the starting point for St. Croix.

They were not looking for training that would simply introduce teachers to ChatGPT or give everyone a handful of prompts to try. They needed a common foundation that would help their faculty understand what generative AI is, where it might support their work, where it might not, and how those decisions connect to teaching and learning.

Ryan wanted something that was:

“approachable regardless of tech savviness, and applies across every discipline and grade level because it’s fundamentally about effective teaching, not just technology.”

The goal was never for every teacher at St. Croix to use AI in the same way. It was to give everyone enough of a common foundation that they could begin making better decisions about where AI actually belonged in their work.

From Learning About AI to Actually Using It

As St. Croix's faculty moved through The AI Blueprint for Teachers, they weren't simply hearing about what generative AI could potentially do. They were experimenting with it and applying what they learned to their own responsibilities. Ryan described that experience this way:

“We collectively learned the basics of generative AI, but more importantly, every teacher left with concrete examples and experiences for how it could strengthen both teaching and administrative tasks.”

“There is a big difference between hearing someone explain what AI might be able to do and actually experimenting and applying it yourself.”

Teachers who had never used AI before had an opportunity to try it in a supported environment. Those who were already experimenting could begin thinking more intentionally about how and why they were using it.

But perhaps the most encouraging part of St. Croix's story is what happened after the course was finished.

When AI Supports the Work that Matters

At St. Croix, AI didn't become another initiative competing for teachers' time and attention. Instead, teachers began applying what they had learned to important professional development work already underway at the school.

“Our teachers are now using AI in a variety of ways. They are developing clearer learning targets, building proficiency scales, designing multiple versions of assessments, and analyzing the alignment of their assessments to their learning targets.”

These teachers are not experimenting with AI simply because it is new or because someone told them they should be using it. They are using it to support the curriculum, instruction, and assessment work happening at their school.

“Teachers are bringing existing curriculum documents, grading expectations, learning goals, or assessment ideas into the process and using AI to help organize their thinking, work through multiple drafts, and turn broad instructional goals into something more concrete and usable.”

And here’s what we especially appreciate about their approach: AI did not suddenly become the expert in the room.

The educators still have to make the decisions. The educators still need to know what quality instruction and assessment look like. The educators still have to revise, refine, and sometimes reject what AI produces. But the tool helped move their work forward.

Ryan summed it up beautifully:

“AI isn’t just helping our teachers do the same things faster. It’s helping them engage more deeply with the curriculum, instruction, and assessment work that we already value.”

That's what we find most encouraging about St. Croix's experience. The goal isn't simply to help teachers become more efficient. It's to help them become more effective in the work that matters most.

What Other Schools Can Learn from St. Croix

When we think about St. Croix's experience, we keep coming back to how simple their starting goal really was: we need to get our teachers on the same page.

They didn't need every teacher to begin at the same level. They didn't need everyone using the same tools. And they certainly weren't looking for AI to become part of every lesson or professional task.

They needed a shared foundation, opportunities to experiment, and a way to connect what they were learning to the real work of teaching and learning.

And now? Ryan shares this:

“Since taking the course not a week goes by without a teacher coming and showing me a new way that AI is supporting their teaching.”

What began as a leadership challenge has become an opportunity for teachers to learn from one another, strengthen their practice, and approach a rapidly changing technology with greater confidence and purpose.

Special thanks to Ryan Rathje & St. Croix Lutheran Academy for sharing their experience. We commend Ryan and the St. Croix leadership team for their thoughtful approach to one of the biggest challenges facing educators today.

Ready to Start Your School’s AI Journey?

If your faculty is having some of the same conversations St. Croix was having, The AI Blueprint for Teachers can help you take that first step.

Designed for educators across disciplines, grade levels, and technology experience, the course helps schools move beyond scattered AI experimentation toward a thoughtful, shared approach to using generative AI.

We've also updated our pricing to better serve schools of different sizes. Schools can add an AI Leadership component to help their leadership teams work through four key responsibilities for implementing AI with greater clarity and consistency.

Schools like St. Croix have also been able to use Title funds to purchase the course. We're happy to help you explore whether that funding option is available through your local district.

You don't need every AI question answered before you begin. You need a shared foundation that helps your faculty figure out the answers, together.

Explore The AI Blueprint for Teachers and updated school pricing.

Questions? Contact course creator Ryan Kirchoff at ryan.kirchoff@blueprint-schools.com.