Three Questions To Drive K-12 AI Adoption

The emergence of generative AI has ignited both excitement and concern in K-12 education. Some educators see AI as a powerful tool to tackle longstanding challenges, while others are wary, mindful of past edtech initiatives that delivered uneven outcomes. However, this dichotomy isn’t just playing out at the level of individual educators. The entire sector is wrestling with whether AI will be the magic wand transforming education or an obstacle introducing new complexities.

To make sense of this landscape, our team has been grappling with three essential questions about AI:

• Will it redefine what we consider powerful learning experiences?

• Will it change effective instructional practices?

• Can we avoid repeating the mistakes of past technological breakthroughs?

Will AI Redefine Powerful Learning Experiences?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Powerful learning experiences are personalized, mastery-based, and support the development of the whole child, regardless of technology's role.

Like personal computers and the internet before it, AI has the potential to reshape education profoundly. However, AI’s potential is only realized when it enhances — rather than replaces — the collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking at the core of powerful learning.

It’s essential to remember that AI is a tool, not a pedagogy. At The Learning Accelerator, we believe educational success is rooted in learning experiences personalized to each student’s needs, strengths, interests, and identities, focused on mastery of rigorous learning objectives, and designed to support whole-child development. Technology can facilitate these powerful learning experiences but cannot replace the core principles that make them effective. No matter how technology evolves, these foundational principles remain the bedrock of successful teaching and learning.

Will AI Change Effective Instructional Practices?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: The core components of effective instructional practice are technology-agnostic. AI won’t change these principles but opens new opportunities to enhance them.

Powerful learning experiences are built on instructional practices that are targeted and relevant, actively engaging, socially connected, and growth-oriented. Though AI is still in its early days, these tools offer new ways to enhance these elements of effective instructional practice, including:

• Streamlining Personalization: AI can quickly analyze student performance data, diagnose learning needs, and generate scaffolded lessons, enabling targeted interventions that keep all students on track.

• Boosting Engagement: AI-driven tools can create interactive simulations and adaptive learning environments that respond in real-time to student choices, making learning more engaging and tailored to individual progress.

• Facilitating Social Learning: AI can connect students with complementary strengths for collaborative projects, enhancing social connections and fostering teamwork in ways that might otherwise be impossible.

• Supporting Growth: AI can provide personalized feedback that helps students reflect on their progress, set new goals, and develop a growth mindset by offering insights into learning patterns and celebrating milestones.

However, AI is a tool that requires careful consideration. Educators must assess whether its use enhances educational objectives and identify situations when it might detract from them. When using AI to improve instruction, it is crucial to critically analyze and adjust AI-generated outputs to ensure they align with instructional goals and support effective practices. AI offers new opportunities, but its use must be driven by humans who ground it in the foundational principles of effective instruction.

Can We Avoid Historical Technology Pitfalls?

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: Yes, and it will require thoughtful, human-centered leadership.

Historically, inequitable access and opportunity have plagued the adoption of new technology. Past initiatives have often exacerbated disparities by unevenly distributing technology, implementing policies blocking or banning some students from access, or limiting opportunities for students to use technology creatively and collaboratively. Ensuring that all students have equal access to meaningful learning experiences with AI tools is critical to prevent deepening the digital divide and entrenching disparities in educational opportunities.

We must also consider new issues unique to AI, such as the potential for dehumanization of learning. As AI becomes increasingly capable of performing educational tasks, some students may receive most of their instruction and feedback from AI; meanwhile, others benefit from human interactions with their teachers and peers. If we are not intentional about using AI as a tool and not as a replacement for facilitated, collaborative learning, we will create an equity gap between students who learn from machines versus people. It is essential to balance AI use with human-centered teaching to ensure that AI complements rather than replaces the personalized and interactive aspects of learning that are crucial for student development.

Now What?

School and system leaders are at a critical juncture.

By centering the human elements of education, prioritizing equity, and using AI as a tool to support — not replace — educators, we can create learning environments that are both innovative and deeply connected to the needs of every student.

To ensure that AI truly enriches education, educators must look beyond merely adopting the latest technology and focus on implementation that serves our ultimate goal: providing every student with the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in an ever-changing world. By carefully aligning AI with educational principles and focusing on equitable access and quality, we can ensure that technology enhances rather than detracts from the learning experience.

Stay tuned for further reflections in the coming months as we deepen our understanding of AI-enabled instructional practices and the conditions that foster powerful adoption through the AI School Teams Collaborative. The Learning Accelerator is running the AI School Teams Collaborative in partnership with Leading Educators.