22 States Release K12 AI Guidance
Over the past year 22 state departments of education have issued AI guidance for their K12 schools. To make it easy to find and access all state guidance, we've created a handy resource.
From our analysis, there is a general alignment on high-level principles, but each state has taken a unique approach, especially in how they structure and present their AI guidance. The differences reflect each state's specific context, priorities, and stage of AI integration in schools.
Key Commonalities:
- Recognition of both opportunities and risks associated with AI use in schools
- Emphasis on responsible and ethical use of AI in education
- Focus on developing AI literacy for both educators and students
- Encouragement to use AI to enhance rather than replace human teaching
- Recommendations for updating acceptable use policies and academic integrity guidelines
- Guidance on protecting student data privacy and security
- Suggestions for professional development and training on AI for educators
- Emphasis on using AI to promote equity and accessibility in education
- Guidance on implementing AI across different grade levels and subject areas
- Recommendations for stakeholder engagement in developing AI policies
Key Differences:
- Level of detail and specificity in recommendations vary significantly
- Different areas of focus from policy/governance to emphasizing classroom implementation
- Some focus on AI and others specifically on Generative AI
- Varying approaches to AI detection tools - some do not mention the tools, some ask for caution, and others recommend against using the tools
- Different frameworks are featured (e.g. SAMR model, digital learning components)
- Various strategies for implementation and the development and review of AI policies
- Degree of prescriptiveness in recommendations versus flexibility for local decision-making
While we've always been partial to North Carolina's guidance (and Vera Cubero Cubera's work), we'd love to hear about which state's guidance you've found most useful for your practice.
