The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was hit hard in recent months when the technology provider it had contracted with to create personalized report cards for students went bankrupt. This was a huge financial loss for the district and a huge loss for students. The uproar over the chatbot highlights a critical issue in our education system: the need for robust, forward-thinking policies and practices to advance the integration of technology into schools. Our school system must not only withstand disruption, but thrive through it.
As learning disparities widen in the wake of the pandemic, school districts everywhere are at a tipping point when it comes to using artificial intelligence (AI). AI offers unprecedented opportunities to address complex challenges like widening achievement gaps, teacher shortages, and student mental health crises, but AI systems must also promote equity and access, especially for historically marginalized communities. We need policy guardrails to protect student privacy. And we need quality training to support educators. Achieving this vision will require bold leadership and a clear understanding of each stakeholder's role.
AI can be a powerful tool to address long-standing inequities and improve education outcomes, but it requires a strategic and collaborative effort. The call to action is clear: educators, policymakers, education technology innovators, and community leaders must join forces to build education systems that are resilient and adaptable.
California, with a vibrant technology sector that includes a broad base of AI startups, is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in the use of AI in education. The state Department of Education has already provided early guidance to schools. The Los Angeles County Department of Education's cross-department task force has developed guidelines to help 80 school districts adopt AI responsibly. Da Vinci Academy in Los Angeles has piloted the use of AI in project-based learning. The Lynwood Unified School District has been a leader in thinking about how to use AI responsibly to transform the district's operations and learning systems. These are steps in the right direction, but more work is needed.
A new report recently released by my organization, the Center for Reforming Public Education (CRPE), titled āWicked Opportunities: Leveraging AI to Transform Education,ā lays out an action plan for leveraging AI to transform education.
California's next actions include:
- Letās think big about how AI can transform education. For technology to help realize that vision, leaders in the field must have a clear vision for the future of education. States should consider fostering partnerships between educators, policymakers, Silicon Valley edtech developers, and community leaders to rethink and redesign our schools and education systems for a world where generative artificial intelligence is ubiquitous.
- Help districts use AI strategically. School districts are faced with a vast array of AI-enabled tools and āsolutionsā and risk spreading their limited resources across disjointed products. Californiaās County Office of Education can play a role in helping districts identify priorities and streamline funding toward proven AI-enabled tools and strategies designed to solve specific problems.
- Allocate funds to support and test AI initiatives, especially in low-income and historically marginalized communities. A joint study by CRPE and the RAND Corporation found that advantaged school districts are making progress in training teachers in AI, and funding and evidence-building efforts are needed to close, rather than widen, existing learning gaps.
- We provide detailed, actionable implementation strategies to help school districts move forward effectively with AI adoption. Our report suggests that California and other states should āwork diligently on implementationā and ensure that schools have access to technical assistance and research partnerships as they try different approaches.
- Ensuring there are effective state policy guardrailsIt is essential that California provides ongoing policy guidance and regulations so that districts do not have to act alone. The bill under consideration in Sacramento calls for the policy to be implemented by January 2026. While it is good to see the policy getting attention, the protection of children cannot wait that long. A better approach would be to begin piloting the policy immediately and revise it as needed.
California, a leader in technological innovation, must ensure its education system is future-ready. By adopting these strategies, California can lead the nation in transforming education with AI. The LAUSD incident is a stark reminder of what can happen when systems are not prepared for technology integration. Let's use this moment as a catalyst for change and prepare our schools to harness the positive potential of AI for the benefit of all students.
Robin Lake is director of the Center for Reforming Public Education (CRPE) at the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teacher Education at Arizona State University.
Since its founding in 1977, EdSource has expanded its focus to a wide range of education reforms, including early education and preschool, charter schools, school accountability, STEM education, teacher preparation and college access.