More Than Half the States Have Issued AI Guidance for Schools
In the absence of federal rules, at least 28 states have issued frameworks for K-12 schools.
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Agencies in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in K-12 schools.
More than half of the states have created school policies to define artificial intelligence, develop best practices for using AI systems and more, according to a from AI for Education, an advocacy group that provides AI literacy training for educators.
Despite efforts by the Trump administration to in hopes of boosting innovation, teachers and students need a lot of state-level guidance for navigating the fast-moving technology, said Amanda Bickerstaff, the CEO and co-founder of AI for Education.
鈥淲hat most people think about when it comes to AI adoption in the schools is academic integrity,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ne of the biggest concerns that we鈥檝e seen 鈥� and one of the reasons why there鈥檚 been a push towards AI guidance, both at the district and state level 鈥� is to provide some safety guidelines around responsible use and to create opportunities for people to know what is appropriate.鈥�
North Carolina, which last year became one of the first states to issue AI for schools, set out to study and define generative artificial intelligence for potential uses in the classroom. The policy also includes resources for students and teachers interested in learning how to interact with AI models successfully.
In addition to classroom guidance, some states emphasize ethical considerations for certain AI models. Following Georgia鈥檚 initial in January, the state shared in June outlining ethical principles educators should consider before adopting the technology.
This year, , , and also released guidelines for AI in schools.
In the absence of regulations at the federal level, states are filling a critical gap, said Maddy Dwyer, a policy analyst for the Equity in Civic Technology team at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonprofit working to advance civil rights in the digital age.
While most state AI guidance for schools focuses on the potential benefits, risks and need for human oversight, Dwyer in a recent blog post that many of the frameworks are missing out on critical AI topics, such as community engagement and deepfakes, or manipulated photos and videos.
鈥淚 think that states being able to fill the gap that is currently there is a critical piece to making sure that the use of AI is serving kids and their needs, and enhancing their educational experiences rather than detracting from them,鈥� she said.
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