AI Goes To School | Kiplinger

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In past years, schools have raced to adopt smartboards, laptops and learning apps. Now, artificial intelligence is the latest tech craze inspiring high hopes of improving education.

AI teacher training
Already, most teachers are being provided AI training, according to recent research by the RAND Corporation. Three-quarters of K-12 districts will have provided training on AI use by this fall, though the training varies widely and is most often optional. But dealing with AI isn’t an option as students increasingly use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, on their own for homework and research, and the issue of AI plagiarism gets worse.

Cue a new White House initiative that aims to give K-12 students basic AI competency and to train teachers on best practices. The executive order includes a nationwide competition to highlight top AI uses, a push for public-private partnerships, and new federal funding for AI projects. There will also be a focus on apprenticeships and career options for high schoolers. The goal is to “ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in this technological revolution.”

The new federal effort aims to address one of the big current roadblocks. There is “a scarcity of external experts who are capable of providing appropriate training” for teachers, RAND found. One school leader told RAND that AI best practices simply don’t exist yet: “There are people that are claiming to have the best practices and are making money hand over fist.” The executive order aims to establish comprehensive AI teacher training and professional development.