Watch the RecordingListen to the Podcast

AI and students. That’s a combination that strikes fear across the education community. Teachers worry they could be replaced by technology, parents worry about screen time, and students worry they won’t learn how to think. But as with all new digital tools, the question is not whether to use it or not but how it can be used to enhance student learning.

During the edLeader Panel “AI in Action: What’s Working in the Field,” district leaders explained their strategies for exploring and developing the meaningful use of AI in the classroom. The session was part of Trailblazing Leadership Week, featuring thought-provoking conversations with education leaders from across the nation.

Accept the reality of AI in schools and the workplace. One job of a school is to prepare students for jobs of tomorrow, which will include AI. While there are many valid concerns, they shouldn’t stop schools from exploring the beneficial uses of this new resource. Acknowledge these concerns and work with your community to develop best practices.

Frame all conversations as “human first.” As with all technology, the focus should be on how it helps the community—students, staff, and teachers—perform better without supplanting the human experience. From the beginning, all discussions should examine what AI, and, more specifically, what AI resources, will contribute to a more effective education environment.

Integrate AI into your existing technology policies. As one panelist pointed out, schools don’t have separate policies for each digital resource, e.g., a Google policy. Lean into the acceptable use policies and other technology procedures you already have in place. For example, no teacher or staff member should be accessing AI without going through the district’s process. Otherwise, there could be potential issues ranging from an incompatibility with the operating systems to unauthorized data sharing.

Include all stakeholders when developing the policies. While you will be able to update current policies to include AI, you will still need to consider its role in the classroom. Bring together community members, especially local businesses, parents, teachers, and students. Find out what they know about AI, how they use it, their concerns, etc. Make sure, for instance, that how you’re teaching students to use AI fits with how the businesses are using it.

Choose AI products based on each school’s specific needs. Of course, elementary students, for instance, will have different needs than high school students. There’s a tendency to pressure schools to adopt the latest and greatest tool, or to adopt the same tools districtwide. However, these decisions should follow the same process as every other instructional material. Before you even consider AI, school leaders need to understand what the product does and how it will support learning. Any use of digital resources should be intentional with clear expectations for student outcomes.

Start with your early adopters. Similar to other new technologies, starting with a pilot program allows administrators to gather data, determine any changes needed, and decide if they want to move forward. And to make sure the pilot has the best chance at success, use teachers who are enthusiastic about the possibilities. When you survey your staff, you’ll find teachers and administrators who are already using AI in their personal lives and ready to bring it to the school. Provide them with the opportunity to help develop the pilot programs, test teaching strategies, and help you develop the whole-school strategy. Give them extra training, and allow them to experiment (within reasonable boundaries). Then, when you’re ready to scale the program, they become your subject-matter experts, ready to train their colleagues and support them on their AI journeys.

Put guardrails around it. One of the biggest concerns surrounding AI is allegations of cheating. But not just teachers trying to prove whether students used it or not—it’s also students worried they will be incorrectly accused or that they will use AI when a teacher doesn’t want them to. There is no foolproof way of detecting AI or not, though. Instead, administrators should work with teachers to come up with explicit guidelines on when and how it can be used. Then, teachers can provide those instructions to their students for each assignment.

Communicate with—and educate—your families. Similar to your teachers and staff, your families will have a range of familiarity with and opinions on using AI. In addition to making them a part of your development process, talk with them as you move through each stage. Be as transparent as possible. Some schools have developed AI education courses aimed at parents to give them a better understanding of how they use the technology.

Most importantly, remember that, as technology changes, it’s okay to pause a program to make sure that the new version still fits your educational needs.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, AI in Action: What’s Working in the Field, presented by ERDI

Watch the RecordingListen to the Podcast

Join the Community

Leadership Practices for Innovative Leaders is a free professional learning community where school and district leaders share and collaborate on personal leadership skills, professional learning and support for teachers and staff, student learning and well-being, communication with all stakeholders, and more.

At the Education Research and Development Institute (ERDI) we work to create a rich and meaningful forum for education leaders and solution providers to collaboratively discuss, design, and shape the products and services, which support PK-12 education. We are committed to ensuring that all students have access to the highest quality learning experiences, so that they will be productive, ready stewards of the future.

Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel