These experiments were a main topic of discussion Monday at the annual ASU+GSV Summit, in a panel led by Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD); Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); Calvin Watts, superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools; and Barbara Jenkins, chief in residence for the education nonprofit Chiefs for Change. The discussion, titled "Bright Spots: K12 Leaders’ Guide to Embracing a Generative AI World," centered on the ways in which school districts and educators have worked to embrace AI and stay ahead of the curve, as well as considerations to take into account as AI tools become more ubiquitous in education.
Expressing optimism that AI ed-tech tools will enable educators to personalize learning in the years to come, Carvalho pointed to LAUSD's recent launch of an AI program called Ed, which creates personalized action plans for students tailored to their academic needs. He said the tool, which is available in multiple languages, acts as a “buddy” that helps students study to improve their reading, math and computer science skills, among other aptitudes.
“The tools are here now, for us to actually personalize and individualize the journey for each kid,” he said.
In Georgia, Watts said his district recently launched a collaborative effort with EdSAFE AI Alliance to establish a new AI Policy Lab to guide educators through using AI safely and ethically. He said the goal is to promote the responsible use of AI rather than discouraging its use, as some schools have tried to do.
“We want our students to be resourceful. We want them to be problem solvers. We want them to be collaborative leaders. We want them to be capable of being the very best version of themselves when they graduate from Gwinnett County Public Schools,” he said. “We can accelerate that learning through our AI initiative.”
Barbara Jenkins, chief in residence for Chiefs for Change and former superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in Florida, agreed that tools like these could be game-changers for combating learning loss — a key concern for educators since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What's exciting about it is the notion of children having their own individual assistant that's going to help walk them through [their courses],” she said.
With more and more school districts starting to embrace the technology, ISTE CEO Richard Culatta said he believes that “AI is forcing us to rethink some parts of the education system that need to be redesigned.”
He noted that while concerns about cheating and academic dishonesty remain a problem in U.S. high schools, he does not believe that AI is to blame for causing or exacerbating the issue. He said he thinks the problem of cheating lies in how assessments are designed, adding that AI tools could challenge educators to think differently about how they assess student learning moving forward.
“If you think cheating is a problem in American high schools, you are right. Seventy percent of high school students report cheating on a regular basis. But here's the crazy part. Do you know what the percentage change was? After AI tools became available, [that change was] zero. … It did not change at all the amount of cheating that was happening,” he said. “Access to or removal of access to AI tools makes no difference on whether cheating is happening … If you're having cheating, you have to build better assessments.”
