Introduction EDUCAUSE — the nonprofit that shapes technology strategy for higher education institutions — spent months in early 2026 developing a framework for what AI-enhanced education should actually look like. The resulting framework is built around an acronym: ACTUAL. Agency. Connection. Trust. Uniqueness. Adaptability. Lifelong Learning. What strikes me about this framework is what it prioritizes. It doesn't start with capabilities. It starts with values. It asks not "w