The Landscape of AI Adoption and Policy in K-12
A review of how districts and policymakers are responding to AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many sectors, including K-12 education. As district leaders and tech experts explore the potential of generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Bard, there is an urgent need for frameworks and protocols to inform the safe, equitable, and ethical deployment of this technology. This article delves into the current landscape of AI adoption in schools and highlights the importance of co-creating flexible policies to help guide implementation.
The State of AI Adoption in Districts
Let’s delve into how various school districts are navigating this new frontier. From basic exploration of ChatGPT to piloting cutting-edge tools to grappling with rollout strategy and policy implications, school districts in the United States (and around the world) are currently at a wide variety of different stages when it comes to AI integration. A few examples of districts experimenting with AI adoption include:
In August, the superintendent of Los Angeles Unified (the nation's second-largest school district) announced that an AI chatbot named “Ed” will be the district's newest student advisor, programmed to tell parents and guardians about their child’s grades, tests results and attendance.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is piloting an AI tool called “Amira” that serves as a literacy tutor. The product listens to students read, corrects mistakes in real-time, and aids teachers in creating ELA lesson plans.
Austin Independent School District in Texas is employing an AI-enabled “early warning” system that alerts educators if students are off-track (or predicted to be off-track) academically.
The School District of Philadelphia is using a chatbot to answer questions online from family members in hopes of improving operational efficiency and communication.
Prince George County Schools in Maryland is providing educators with professional development focused on equipping classroom teachers and student support staff with tools for incorporating AI into their pedagogy.
While many of these larger districts are forging ahead with the integration of AI into classrooms (and behind-the-scenes), the majority of smaller districts are experiencing numerous ethical and logistical challenges. These communities tend to be in a “wait and see” holding pattern and are looking to state education departments and other governing bodies for guidance on policies before diving into the proverbial deep end of AI implementation.
The Need for Flexible Policy
While most generative AI tools are still in their infancy, the field is quickly advancing, and this technology is evolving faster than districts can keep up. And, although there is no shortage of professional development resources for educators on AI, there is a glaring gap when it comes to policies for ethical, equitable, and safe AI adoption that can be flexible enough to shift as AI tools grow and adapt over time.
State and national policymakers are still grappling with questions of how to balance innovation with public interest. At the district-level, policies addressing student privacy are often inadequate in tackling the complex challenges posed by AI. While some states (such as Oregon and California) have started to consider policies and guidelines, the majority do not plan to give guidance in the foreseeable future. Most of these states will defer to districts… but the typical districts is not equipped to tackle the myriad of challenges associated with AI adoption. (And merely referencing FERPA and advising students to avoid entering private information into learning management systems is not enough.)
To bridge these gaps (and to avoid an ever-growing gap between policy, industry, and classrooms), a collaborative approach is essential. District leaders, researchers, ed-tech vendors, teachers, students, and various other stakeholders can work together to co-create frameworks that specifically address the many concerns associated with AI in education—and go beyond existing laws to provide more comprehensive protections. There are several key areas that might be addressed through flexible policies:
Bias Concerns: AI has the potential to inadvertently perpetuate existing societal prejudices, such as those based on ethnicity or gender.
Equity Challenges: The lack of uniform access to digital devices and the internet among students could exacerbate existing educational disparities across various socioeconomic groups.
Data Privacy: AI applications require data, often sourced from students. Interactions with AI-based tools could potentially compromise the privacy of both students and educators, as these systems may collect and analyze personal data. Ensuring the confidentiality and security of this student data is essential when using these technologies.
Transparency of Technology: Can district leaders evaluated products and tools have insight into the algorithms powering them? What content are models being trained on?
Professional Responsibility and Ethical Implications: Educate students about the ethical implications of AI and create structures to ensure students use it in a responsible and ethical way.
It is critically important that these policies are informed by the on-the-ground experience of teachers and students. Moreover, policies must be crafted in a way that both look good on paper and work in practice in order to be mindful of the potential policy-industry-practice gap. This means embracing measurable, enforceable, clear, and adaptable policies that can be implemented in schools and change as AI evolves.
The Path Forward: Navigating AI’s Role in Education
As AI’s role in education continues to evolve, so too must our policies and practices. By collaboratively crafting frameworks that address the AI’s multifaceted concerns, we lay the groundwork for adaptable, forward-thinking policies that are not just reactive but proactive—capable of adapting to future challenges and opportunities. Policymakers, educators, and districts must collaborate and act now to ensure that we harness AI's potential in a manner that is safe, equitable, and ethical for all.