K-12

In a brief conversation about AI and where it goes from here, an education writer and a college professor discuss reliance on AI, changing student thinking and whether a redesign of educational practice is in order.

By crafting statewide standards, California officials hope to help districts adopt AI in ways that support learning, respect privacy and keep educators at the center of decisions that affect classrooms.

The new Omnilert system at Oak Lawn High School District 229 can use artificial intelligence to identify a gun, then send the data to a human expert to verify before contacting first responders.

Legislation enacted in 2023 requires new school buses in California to be zero-emission, where feasible, starting in 2035. Some of the county’s more rural districts have expressed trepidation around the transition.

Since state legislation started requiring Iowa schools to adopt policies on cellphones, administrators have reported a "great response," with teachers seeing a positive change and most students following directions.

A combination of capital budget reductions, a cut in federal funds, inventory control and loss-prevention issues caused a laptop shortage affecting middle and high schools in Richland County School District One.

The new Dear Future campaign from the Pennsylvania-based software company Frontline Education is the latest of many efforts to bring district leaders into the development and vetting of AI tools for K-12.

Labor contracts spell out the expectations and working conditions of unionized teachers. As AI tools upend instruction, data management, surveillance and other aspects of the workplace, those contracts need updates.

With a localized approach to cellphone restrictions comes a varied set of obstacles — many students don't use lockers anymore, they rely on phones for communicating with parents, and unlocking Yondr pouches takes time.

Alabama's FOCUS Act bars students from using most personal devices at school. Some teachers say it was the best educational change in years or decades, and some parents say the change was easier than they anticipated.

AI teaching assistants reveal both the creative possibilities and hidden dangers of utilizing generative AI tools in the classroom, causing educators to weigh efficiency against risks of bias, inequity and overreliance.

In Washington, where state leaders have left it up to local school districts to enact cellphone restrictions, 75 percent of districts have updated policies, half of which prohibit phones only during class time.

Bartlesville Public Schools recently disclosed that a network intruder in April removed files and accessed information that included Social Security numbers.

Law enforcement is still investigating the data breach of a South Carolina school district in June after an employee opened a phishing email. The culprits have since posted some student information online.

In 2016, Hawaii's governor announced the “Cool Classrooms Initiative" in response to public outcry. Nearly 10 years and more than $120 million later, Hawaii still has no reliable plan to cool its classrooms.

A recent poll found a 13 percent drop in support for using AI to prepare lesson plans, a 9 percent drop in support for AI as practice for standardized tests, and a 5 percent drop in support for students using it on homework.

By integrating its student information system with TuitionEP's payment features, the Nebraska-based software company aims to simplify the digital administration of student records, communications and payments.

While the initial rollout of the EZ A2B app led to some confusion for parents and district staff, administrators say it has put bus drivers and parents at ease by tracking where their student is at any given time.