The presence of AI in schools and classrooms is becoming more concrete, with policies being implemented and educators crystallizing their beliefs and approaches.

Educator attitudes toward AI tools continue to span the full spectrum from adoption to resistance. However, AI’s emergence is beginning to materialize in concrete policies and the creation of new staffing positions. 

Sample Educator Conversations:

  • AI is showing up in the infrastructures of schools and districts:
    • Educators share that they’re starting roles such as “AI specialist” and “AI project lead.”
    • Educators share that they’re creating AI policies for their classrooms or receiving policy guidelines from their schools and districts. 
  • An increasing number of educators express informed opposition to using AI at all:
    • Educators critique the way K-12 education is responding to AI: “It’s all ‘how to use!’ and ‘How to engage!’ and not ‘This is not something we should be doing at all, as it undermines and conflicts with our fundamental purpose;’” “Student use of AI in the classroom is not a foregone conclusion. I plan to propose a no-AI policy at my school.”
    • Some teachers see any teaching with AI as counterproductive to their purpose: “The more I encounter it, the less I believe there’s a responsible way for children to use AI in school. Students have not mastered the skills they need to the extent they need.”
  • At the same time, educators also exchange ideas for practical uses of AI, both to ease their high workloads and to strengthen learning materials:
    • Teachers are using AI to create “things that aren’t necessarily student-facing,” such as interview questions, emails, and presentations, improving questions on assessments, etc.
    • Teachers also lean on AI to design or adapt assessment and practice materials: creating rubrics, generating practice items, creating practice texts, reworking lesson plans, and developing vocabulary and study sheets for supplemental support. 

 

Volume of conversations on school-wide AI policies

This chart reflects the volume of conversations surrounding AI in schools collected from educator discussions on X from July 1, 2024 to Jul 31, 2024

Educator sentiment on school-wide AI policies

This chart reflects the sentiment of conversations surrounding AI in schools collected from educator discussions on X from July 1, 2024 to Jul 31, 2024