An interview with Mica Mulloy, Assistant Principal of Instruction and Innovation at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona
Aviv Weiss: Mica, you’ve been ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating AI in schools. But I’d love to start with your personal journey. How did you begin to make sense of AI in education?
Mica Mulloy: I’ve never been satisfied with doing things the way they’ve always been done. My own educational experience was great, but once I became a teacher, it was clear that we could do better. Early on, I moved my podium to the back of the classroom. It seems small, but it was symbolic—I didn’t want to be the sole source of knowledge. I wanted students to own their learning.
When AI came along, it felt like the next logical step—not as a shiny tool, but as something that could fundamentally change how we teach and how students learn.
Aviv: So for you, AI wasn’t about novelty—it was about shifting ownership to students?
Mica: Exactly. We’ve got big problems in the world that we haven’t been able to solve. I believe the next generation will need different tools and mindsets to tackle them.
Aviv: It sounds like that kind of disruption is in your DNA.
Mica: (Laughs) Maybe. I’m not anti-establishment by nature, but I do believe we have a responsibility to evolve. The classroom shouldn’t look the same as it did when we were kids.
Aviv: Tell me about that. How have you involved students in this shift?
Mica: From the beginning, I knew we couldn’t design AI policy without student input. So I held focus groups with teachers, parents—and students. Eventually, I sent one email inviting students to help create our AI guidelines. Eighty kids signed up.
One student raised a bold idea: what if we flipped our policy? Instead of, “You can only use AI if your teacher says so,” what if it was, “You can use AI unless your teacher says not to”?
That proposal became our policy.
Aviv: That’s a massive cultural shift. How did your faculty respond?
Mica: Transparency was key. We communicated every step. I held open office hours, visited every department, and offered PD at every level—intro, intermediate, advanced.
Aviv Weiss: What strikes me most is how much face-to-face conversation you’ve built into this process. It’s a powerful counterpoint to fears that AI will erode relationships.
Mica: Thank you. That’s something we’re really proud of.
Aviv: Are you seeing your vision of “teacher as guide” take shape across your faculty?
Mica: Yes, especially around academic ownership. Even before AI, we moved to a block schedule—80-minute periods—so teachers and students had more space to go deep.
That’s the culture we’ve been building for a decade, and AI has helped accelerate it.
Aviv: It’s clear your school has a strong foundation. But it sounds like the real secret is the trust and transparency you’ve built along the way.
Mica: That’s it.
“Trusting students. Trusting teachers. Being transparent about what we’re figuring out together.”
Aviv: Thank you, Mica. This is the kind of leadership story others need to hear right now.
Mica: I’m honored to share it. Thanks for the conversation.
Final Thoughts
Brophy College Prep and the State of Arizona are partnered with Khan Academy Districts to drive greater impact at scale.
Get in touch to talk about strategic implementation of AI for learning in your district.
