Artificial intelligence in schools must be guided by educational goals for students and supported by high-quality professional learning, according to comments submitted by Learning Forward to the U.S. Department of Education.

Learning Forward, the nation’s leading organization for educator professional learning, urged the department to ensure that AI strategies enhance teaching and support student success, rather than letting AI technology overshadow meaningful goals or be used without a clear connection to learning outcomes.

“AI has the potential to expand opportunity and strengthen teaching, but only if implementation is firmly grounded in what students need to succeed,” said Frederick Brown, president and CEO of Learning Forward. “Professional learning is the key to ensuring educators use AI thoughtfully and effectively to benefit students.”

In its comments on the Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education, Learning Forward said educator capacity-building efforts must follow the principles and practices of high-quality professional learning that lead to better instruction and higher student achievement. Specifically, the organization said AI professional learning should be standards-based.

Learning Forward is guided by the Standards for Professional Learning, which are periodically updated as student and educator needs evolve. The standards are grounded in research and have been shown by a rigorous meta-analysis to be associated with better instruction and higher student achievement.

Building on these standards, Learning Forward has outlined specific recommendations to ensure AI implementation supports educators and students effectively:

  • Keep students at the center. AI strategies must be driven by educational goals and student needs, with professional learning that helps educators plan AI use to advance learning.
  • Add administrator preparation to AI criteria. The organization recommended that teacher and administrator preparation programs include training on when, why, and how to use AI in ways that support school goals.
  • Prioritize human interaction. AI should enhance, not replace, the essential role of educators. Professional learning communities can help teachers collaborate and share effective practices for responsible AI use.
  • Build leadership capacity. Principals, assistant principals, superintendents, and district staff must receive training so AI implementation is consistent, systematic, and equitable across schools.
  • Integrate with curriculum. Professional learning should prepare educators to use AI to supplement and deepen high-quality instructional materials, not to supplant them.
  • Evaluate and adapt. AI practices should be continuously assessed and refined, with input from educators, students and families.

 

“AI should be a tool with a purpose, not a standalone solution or trend. It should help teachers and school leaders do their jobs better and help students learn more, not exist as a separate initiative without a clear connection to educational goals,” Brown said. AI is most beneficial for students when it is part of a “sandwich” in which educators determine the goals and uses of AI.”