Federal Toolkit Targets Safe, Ethical Use of AI in Classrooms

Key points:

Given the evolution and growing presence of ai in classrooms, the US Department of Education has published guidance intended to help educators and educational leaders integrate ai into education in an ethical and equitable manner.

tech.ed.gov/files/2024/10/ED-OET-EdLeaders-ai-Toolkit-10.24.24.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Empowering Educational Leaders: A Toolkit for Safe, Ethical, and Equitable Integration of ai is based on the department's previous report, ai-report/ai-report.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>artificial intelligence and the future of teaching and learning: ideas and recommendationsand is designed to help educational leaders make critical decisions about incorporating ai applications into student learning and core instruction.

This latest report document links broad insights about ai to establishing usage policies in schools and districts to guide their effective implementation and offers guidance for the effective use and integration of ai in teaching and learning. The toolkit also promotes transparency and awareness in the use of ai in schools, and emphasizes the importance of providing students, teachers, and parents with opportunities to opt out of using ai-enabled applications in school.

The guide presents 10 modules organized into three categories:

1. Mitigate risk: safeguard student privacy, security and non-discrimination (Modules 1-3). Knowledge of applicable federal laws, rules, and regulations is an essential first step when planning the use of ai in schools and classrooms. Educational leaders should know how existing federal policies apply to the use of ai in their specific situations. This section invites leaders to understand data privacy and security requirements; how civil rights, accessibility, and digital equity relate to ai; and careful consideration of the opportunities and risks associated with the use of ai. This section is relevant to an educational leader who wants to understand how proactively addressing student safety, privacy, and security can help shape their plans for using ai.

2. Creation of a strategy for the integration of ai into the instructional core (Modules 4-7). New forms of ai have already widely permeated educational environments, and ai needs to be explored firsthand to understand it. Educators in our listening sessions strongly recommended that districts use the knowledge they have gained from past advances in educational technology to build a clear and coherent strategy linked to the instructional core as a first step in planning the use of the ai, and then revisit that strategy as they learn more about ai. That strategy must be based on multiple sources of evidence about the use of ai. Leaders identified three additional steps to better inform their strategy for effective use of ai-enabled tools in a way that fits the needs of their students: (1) listen to and inform their communities, (2) set priorities and pace for their community and (3) guide and support the implementation of a community strategy through a working group. This section provides resources to help educational leaders consider the evidence supporting ai-enabled tools and guide leaders through each of these three essential steps. This path makes sense for an educational leader involved in or beginning the strategic planning process around the use of ai.

3. Maximize opportunities: guide the effective use and evaluation of ai (Modules 8 to 10). While exploring and building coherent strategies are important initial steps, the toolkit urges educational leaders to be active in guiding the effective use of ai to improve teaching and student learning, whether such tools are used for the productivity or instruction of educators. Educational leaders highlighted three initial steps to shape ai use: (1) develop ai literacy for educators, (2) review responsible use policies, and (3) build a system-wide plan. This section is appropriate for an educational leader who has a clear strategy for the use of ai and who is ready to focus on continually guiding, shaping, and evaluating the use of ai in their community.

“The Department for Education’s ai guidance provides timely guidance for schools to consider how best to integrate ai. By focusing on privacy, equity, and bias mitigation, this document offers a grounded framework that addresses the priorities of educators and administrators to use ai responsibly and effectively to serve all students,” said Sari Factor, Chief Strategy Officer at Imagine Learning.

“At the heart of this guide is the understanding that ai in education does not replace the human element, but rather enhances it. The role of ai should be to empower teachers, support differentiated instruction, and facilitate greater engagement with students and families,” Factor added. “For ai to have a meaningful impact, it is essential to integrate it with high-quality, standards-aligned curricula. By ensuring that ai tools are deeply tied to learning objectives, schools can design implementations that are thoughtful, ethical, and focused on genuine educational value, paving the way for ai to make meaningful contributions to learning environments.” .

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. He graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Latest messages from Laura Ascione (see all)