Founder of Gruvy Education
AI Training Partner to 150+ MN Schools
Superintendents have a lot on their plates—operations, staff morale, strategic plans, board reports, and constant decisions. That’s why the question isn’t “What is AI?” anymore. It’s “How can AI save me time?”
This article covers 3 of the most effective ways superintendents are using AI right now. Each one includes simple steps, plug-and-play prompts, and free resources.
1. Turn Any Task Into a SOP—Without Writing a Word
You delegate better when you know it will get done right. But writing clear, step-by-step SOPs takes time you don’t have. Good thing AI creates perfect SOPs in seconds.
No AI use case has saved me more time than this. And it is not close. This will save you hours (if not days).
Here’s how it works—
Step 1: Record Yourself Doing the Task
– Open Zoom (or Google Meet). Start a meeting. Hit record.
– Talk through each step thoroughly while performing the task.
– End the recording when done.
Step 2: Transcribe the Video
– Use a free online video transcription generator to transcribe your Zoom recording.
– Here is the one I use.
Step 3: Generate the SOP in ChatGPT
– Open ChatGPT. Use the prompt below.
– Paste the transcript from your video at the bottom of the prompt.
– Prompt: “Act as an expert SOP creator for school leaders. You have 40+ years of experience turning staff training, task explanations, and meeting recordings into simple, complete SOPs. Break down the transcription into clear, step-by-step directions that any staff member can follow without confusion. Include any links needed inside the steps. Finish with a short checklist that staff can use to ensure every step is completed correctly. Make it extremely clear. Keep sentences short. Use simple, positive language. Remove extra words. Format everything clearly with headers, bullet points, and easy-to-read wording. Here is the transcription to turn into an SOP: [paste transcription here].”
Step 4: Finalize and Share Your SOP
– Open Google Drive. Create a new Google Doc. Paste the SOP text into the document.
– Upload your Zoom video to Google Drive.
– Set the video sharing to “Anyone with the link can view.”
– Paste the video link at the top of the SOP as an accompanying video tutorial.
– Review the SOP and make any final edits or formatting tweaks.
Without exaggeration, this use case has changed my life. In five minutes, you can turn any tedious, time-consuming task into an SOP. I hope it is helpful for you as well.
Want a simple, reusable document that outlines this full process? Click here to access it.
2. AI Data Analysis for Better Decision-Making
You sit on mounds of student data, survey results, and internal reports. AI can cut through the noise and give you the insights you need.
Whether you want to:
1) Summarize parent feedback across 300 open-ended responses
2) Spot patterns in attendance or behavior data
3) Compare performance across buildings
…you don’t need to hunt through spreadsheets anymore.
The only catch: use caution when analyzing data with student or parent identifiers.
Start with these video walkthroughs :
1 – Analysing non-student data: Turn Teacher Survey Data Into Clear PD Insight
2 – Analyzing student data: Identify Students Falling Through the Cracks
Want more ideas on when to use AI for data analysis?
Here’s a doc with plug-and-play prompts: AI Prompts for Analyzing School Data
3. Using AI to Handle Complex Email Responses
After a long day, your brain feels drained. But the complex email you put off still needs a response. You don’t want to miss a key detail. Use AI to help.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Open the email and copy the entire thread.
Step 2: Paste the full email thread right into ChatGPT. (Do not send it through until step 4.)
Step 3: Replace any student or parent names with “Student 1,” “Parent 1,” etc. Take out any student and parent email addresses. Never send any student or parent PII into ChatGPT. See Gruvy Education’s full data privacy guide here.
Step 4: Put this prompt under the email thread in your ChatGPT prompt bar and send it through: “What information do you need from me to craft a clear and effective response to this email? Ask me a list of questions that would give you the context you need. I will answer them. After I answer them, draft a response based on my answers.”
Step 5: Answer ChatGPT’s questions. This can be done quickly. Don’t worry about perfect wording. Your answers help ChatGPT understand the situation’s nuance so it can respond clearly.
Step 6: Read the draft. Make edits where needed. Send the email.
This has saved me countless hours.
Want more email communication strategies? Here is a document with three email strategies you can use today.
Want to see this in action? Here is a video tutorial.
Bonus: 19 AI Workflows Built for School Leaders
From writing board updates to planning a staff meeting slide deck in 10 minutes, these AI workflows show you how to automate the work you already do day-to-day.
➡️ View the 19 Workflow Library
One of my favorite AI workflows is going from a ChatGPT prompt to a ready-made slide deck. Here is how I do it.
Final Thoughts: AI Is Moving Fast—We Should Too
The goal: Use AI to free up time from routine management tasks. This allows you to work more on your school, instead of inside it. In turn, you can make an even bigger impact and bring about change faster.
The facts: AI’s pace of change is real.
When generative AI first launched to the public in November 2022:
– It scored in the 7th percentile on the AP Calculus exam.
– 46th percentile on AP Chemistry.
Fast forward to May 2025:
– It now ranks among the top 500 students in the U.S. Math Olympiad qualifier.
– It outperforms PhDs on physics, biology, and chemistry benchmarks (GPQA).
These tools have been out for around ~2.5 years… Where will we be in another 2 years? What about 10 years?
Do not wait to address AI properly.
1) Every student will use AI in their future career.
2) Every teacher can now create standards-aligned content with AI in seconds.
3) Every teacher can adapt materials for diverse learners instantly.
If you’d like help showing your staff how to use AI in real ways that support their work, that’s what I do. Feel free to reach out to me on our website or at william.grube@gruvyeducation.com.
As AI evolves, my commitment stays the same: help Minnesota schools adapt to a world with AI.
William Grube
Founder of Gruvy Education | AI Training Partner to 150+ MN Schools
william.grube@gruvyeducation.com
Gruvy Education is a Premier Level Business Partner with MASA.
