Former fighter pilot turned edtech innovator Ranan Lachman shares how his mission-driven approach and human-led AI tools are helping schools cut through red tape and refocus on what matters most—student success.
INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero
Ranan Lachman is a transformation leader whose career spans aviation, finance, and technology. A former fighter pilot and serial CEO, he now leads Better Speech and its flagship platform, Streamline—an AI-powered mission command center for special education. With a background in computer science and business, and a life lived across four continents, Lachman brings a rare blend of precision, data fluency, and human empathy to the complex world of education technology. His latest book, Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World (October 2025), explores how individuals and institutions can thrive amid rapid technological change.
‘AI doesn’t replace educators; rather, it restores their time, confidence, and ability to focus on improving student outcomes.’
You have vast experience in various industries, including aviation, finance, and now edtech. How do you apply what you’ve learned in these former roles to your work as CEO of Better Speech?
As a fighter pilot flying critical missions, I learned that fast, decisive action is often more important than waiting for the perfect maneuver, as a split-second of hesitation can cost you everything. And, in finance, I saw how well-organized data drives confident, high-stakes decision-making.
Today in edtech, these lessons are invaluable. Leading Streamline, a true mission command system for special education, I focus on building a tool that removes daily chaos and instills confidence through 100% compliance. Just as a pilot needs clarity in the cockpit, special education leaders need clarity in their dashboards.
In my role, I focus on combining discipline of execution, precision of data, and a heart for student outcomes so educators spend less time on bureaucracy and more time helping students thrive.
Many schools and districts are overwhelmed by growing caseloads, compliance requirements, and staff shortages in special education. Based on your work with school and district leaders, what role do you think AI can realistically play in helping them address these challenges?
AI can be a true force multiplier for educators. Special education directors often walk into a daily storm, having to manage reporting, compliance deadlines, staff shortages, coverage gaps, and communication with parents.
AI can support directors by providing clear visibility from a statewide overview down to a single student with speed and precision. It can also reduce the administrative burdens of paperwork significantly, freeing time for educators and service providers to focus on direct student support and individual interventions. The predictive analytics of AI can additionally alert leaders when caseloads are about to exceed capacity, enabling them to act before a crisis hits.
‘The predictive analytics of AI can additionally alert leaders when caseloads are about to exceed capacity, enabling them to act before a crisis hits.’
Of course, AI doesn’t replace educators; rather, it restores their time, confidence, and ability to focus on improving student outcomes.
Parent engagement is critical in special education. How can AI help schools and districts build trust and stronger partnerships with families?
Parents want transparency and reassurance that their children are progressing. However, this can lead to special education staff being overwhelmed with requests from families or tracking family members down for important inputs and collaboration.
AI can empower districts to share progress transparently and automatically, so families can see their child’s growth in a timely fashion, not just at the next IEP meeting. AI instructional tools can also empower students to practice at home, while parents receive automated updates and real-time dashboards.
Essentially, AI can help shift the conversation from “Did services happen?” to “Here’s how your child is improving.” This helps strengthen trust, build true partnerships, and reassure families that schools are as committed to their child’s success as they are.
Furthermore, it can help schools and districts reduce costly disputes or lawsuits by proactively showing evidence of student progress.
Beyond paperwork automation, where do you see the greatest untapped potential for AI to support special education?
Paperwork reduction is just the beginning. The real potential with AI lies in personalized support and predictive insights.
For example, a voice-to-text tool can help evaluators generate a full IEP report in 10 minutes instead of the seven hours it typically takes. This is an enormous time savings that boosts retention by reducing burnout. AI analytics can also synthesize an entire district’s special education landscape, recommending where to assign staff, when to hire new team members, and even forecasting coverage needs for planned leaves. And, AI instructional tools, like our AI Speech Therapy Helper, can extend therapy into the home with guided practice and real-time data for educators.
When used thoughtfully, AI has the potential to transform special education’s focus from reactive compliance to proactive, student-centered support.
‘When used thoughtfully, AI has the potential to transform special education’s focus from reactive compliance to proactive, student-centered support.’
For school and district leaders who still may feel hesitant about adopting AI in special education, what do you recommend? What are some sound policies and frameworks that encourage the responsible use of AI tools in schools?
Hesitation is natural, especially in special education, but the reality is AI is already here and students are using it daily. The question now isn’t whether to use it, it’s how to use it responsibly.
My recommendation is to start small with a human-led AI approach: AI assists, but humans decide. Establish policies around transparency, privacy, and educator oversight. Pilot tools that deliver measurable ROI, such as saved hours, reduced legal liability, and improved student outcomes.
Once leaders see AI freeing staff from documentation so they can focus on students, hesitation quickly turns into advocacy.
What do you see for the future of edtech or technology and education, especially when it comes to special education? And, looking ahead, what practical steps should special education directors and district leaders take today to prepare their teams for an AI-enabled future?
I recently published a book on this topic, called Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World, which equips staff and leaders to transition confidently into AI-collaboration environments.
The future of special education will be defined by systems that make programs sustainable and resilient. Staff shortages, compliance pressure, and rising costs won’t disappear, but AI can help schools design programs that withstand turnover, budget cuts, and policy shifts. I envision a future where leaders move from crisis management to proactive strategy, and families experience continuous, real-time visibility into their child’s progress.
Practical steps leaders can take today include:
– Auditing staff time to identify where automation delivers the most impact.
– Piloting AI tools that directly reduce paperwork and compliance stress.
– Training teams to view AI as a collaborator, not a competitor.
– Setting policies that keep humans firmly in the loop to ensure trust and accountability.
If leaders take these steps now, they won’t just survive disruption; they’ll create programs where students, families, and educators can truly thrive.
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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com
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Original Article Published at Edtech Digest
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