Ever since generative artificial intelligence exploded on the ground several years ago, schools and educators have been working on ways to approach powerful, experimental technologies. Prohibited? Do you accept that?
The new executive order will firmly plant the White House in the latter camp.
President Donald Trump signed the signing on April 23rd. Advances in AI education for young people in America. The order promotes “appropriate integration of AI into education” and “ensures that the United States will continue to be a global leader in this technological revolution.”
The main purpose of the directive is to teach students and training teachers to use AI to improve educational outcomes.
The use of AI in schools “will divide this powerful technology, spark curiosity and creativity, prepare students to become active and responsible participants in the future workforce, and to nurture the next generation of American AI innovators to new heights of scientific and economic achievement.”
To realize this vision, the announcement calls for the creation of a White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education, consisting of cabinet members and chaired by the Director of Science and Technology Policy.
The Task Force’s March Order includes establishment of public-private partnerships and “quickly” announcements with AI industry groups, nonprofits and academic institutions, quickly developing online resources to teach AI literacy to K-12 students.
Meanwhile, the executive order employs the Secretary of Education by identifying federal spending mechanisms that use AI to improve educational outcomes through federal, state and local efforts. Examples listed include creating AI-based educational resources, supporting higher ED advice, and enhancing intensive and impactful personalized tutoring.
The order also directs the Secretary to prioritize federal spending for professional development that will help teachers teach students about AI in independent computer science classes and help them integrate technology into classes in all subject areas. Other training noted that it helps teachers use technology to help “reduce time-intensive management tasks.” This is an application that many teachers are already enthusiastic about. According to PeteJust, he is the Generation AI Project Director for School Networking, a professional association of K-12 Edtech Leaders.
“This has given them back extra time for their week,” he says.
Additionally, the order will create registered apprentices related to AI, establish presidential artificial intelligence agendas for students, and require high school students to take artificial intelligence courses, including double admission to college.
Some components of the order do not have a deadline for completion, while others are expected to be achieved within a few months.
Some education leaders expressed support for the broad goal of order and expressed questions about how to achieve it.
The birth of generator AI “is a bit like the advent of electricity,” says Beth Rabbit, a nonprofit learning accelerator, CEO of Education Innovation. It explains that this technology has the potential to change the world for the better.
“As educators, it’s very important to help children understand how it works and use it well in their lives,” says Rabbit, “but avoid harm.”
Public servants in the school networking consortium hope that the executive order will place artificial intelligence at the top of the agenda for supervisors and other education leaders.
“They’re burying their heads in the sand more and more,” they just say. “I think this certainly will move the conversation forward again.”
Offensive and defense
Much of the AI discourse in education so far has focused on defending. They are leaders who use cheats using tools and replace the educational workforce and rollout that reinforce racial and economic inequality in access to high quality education. Then there is concern about businesses running their products into classrooms without adequate protection from bias, misinformation, data breaches and inaccurate “hagatsu”;
The new executive order was issued during the period of a rollback of regulations governing the AI market, noted learning accelerator Rabbitt. She is focusing on the Trump administration Revoked Biden Management Rules It is designed to place GuardRails in artificial intelligence tools. Hazard Mitigation Requirements It is included in another Trump executive order that directs agencies to increase their use of AI.
“There’s a lot of things we have to do to make sure the tools we give our kids are safe and ready, and it seems there’s actually more work to help them support their learning in a healthy, holistic and protected way,” says Rabbit.
However, many educators have already begun attacking by trying to find positive ways to use artificial intelligence. One group’s efforts backed by learning accelerators are AI collaboration among school teams. It has many educators from schools across the country who experiment and evaluate AI-enabled instruction. For example, they use AI To provide writing feedback and to teach students about citizenship By developing a voter registration chatbot.
Using AI to improve teacher training fits the vision that Cheryl Holcomm McCoy brings to her new role as president and CEO of the American College Association for teacher education, speaking to Edlge, pointing out that some teacher training programs already use mixed reality simulations to prepare teacher candidates.
“How can I coordinate my AI tools to help teachers, especially new teachers, take professional development on the spot when they need them? Instead of waiting for professional development opportunities offered by the school system, is it completely unrelated to what new teachers need?” asks Holcomb-McCoy.
She was pleased to see the executive orders show that the administration invests resources in teacher training. Given the lack of a sustained teacher workforce and the struggles of mathematics students, Holcomb-McCoy says he wants to see additional federal support for training top-notch science, mathematics and technology teachers that can prepare today’s students to become tomorrow’s AI innovators.
And regarding the AI education resources promised in the order, he asks, “How does the federal government ensure that every child and every teacher have equal access to what they have to offer, regardless of their location?”
To raise positive AI outcomes in education, policymakers and educators need to plan a realistic pace of change when it comes to AI, and Rabbitt needs to have enough time to test strategic applications thoughtfully.
“The worst thing we can do is make people feel forced, then throw a lot of tools into classrooms that aren’t ready,” she says. “In the pandemic, we saw what it would look like to ask many educators to quickly shift their practice in a very skill-dependent way, without being properly prepared and supported.”