The American educational landscape is currently undergoing a systemic transformation driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and accelerated by the long-term institutional adjustments following the COVID-19 pandemic. Okunlola and Naicker (2025) identify this period as a transition toward digital leadership, where technology ceases to be an ancillary tool and instead becomes a foundational pillar of institutional governance and pedagogical delivery. The rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has forced a re-evaluation of traditional instructional models that have remained largely static for decades. While the United States remains a global leader in AI development, Hristova (2025) observes that the pedagogical application of these tools remains fragmented, characterized by a lack of cohesive national strategy when compared to the centralized approaches seen in other global regions. This fragmentation creates a landscape where the benefits of AI are distributed