Over the past few years, relentless change has occurred at a rapid pace.
COVID-19 relief funds are drying up even as schools grapple with serious challenges, but at the same time, an unstoppable stream of new technologies is spilling out, often with implications for education, from text-spewing chatbots that increase cheating on assignments to experiments bringing AI into the classroom as teaching assistants and students.
For teachers and school leaders, it can feel like an onslaught.
Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reforming Public Education, said some educators connect AI to broader changes they perceive as harmful to students. Through interviews, she found some educators also connect AI with social media and cell phones, so they’re understandably having emotional reactions, she added. “If you think about it too long, it’s kind of scary.”
But in this ever-changing tide of change, Lake is among those who believe that channeling new technology into schools may offer a more promising avenue for reducing education disparities. Education in the United States.
But if it is to happen, observers like Lake argue, it will be essential for education leaders to embrace AI and transform teaching and learning in ways that will benefit students, especially those from low-income and historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Advocates worry that if artificial intelligence doesn’t help solve disparities, they will only get worse.
Hazard lights
AI is being used in education At least since the 1970sBut the latest wave of technology coincides with growing attention to disparities in student achievement, fueled by the pandemic and social movements such as the protests over the killing of George Floyd. Hope The promise of more personalized learning and greater efficiency and sustainability for busy faculty could bring about greater equality.
In late 2022, the White House released a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” in hopes of strengthening privacy rights, and last year the US Department of Education, in collaboration with the nonprofit Digital Promise, released recommendations to ensure the technology is used “responsibly” in education to promote equity and support overworked teachers.
But if you ask some researchers, that’s not enough.
AI Falsely amplifying prejudice They rely on algorithms trained on biased data, or they use other methods, e.g. Automating assessments It categorizes students into different learning paths but ignores their experiences.
Now, some early data suggests that AI may actually widen disparities: For example, Lake’s organization, a national research and policy center affiliated with Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Teacher Education, released a report this spring that looked at K-12 teachers’ use of virtual learning platforms, adaptive learning systems, and chatbots. ReportA joint study with the RAND Corporation found that educators working in suburban schools already describe themselves as having more experience and training with AI than their urban and rural counterparts.
The report also found that teachers in schools where more than half of the students are black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander or Native American have more experience using the tools but receive less training than teachers working in majority-white schools.
If suburban students (who are on average more affluent than their urban and rural counterparts) are better prepared for the complexities of an AI-influenced world, that raises some really big ontological questions, Lake said.
Big promises, or problems?
So how can advocates encourage AI to deliver on its promise to serve all students?
Lake says the time is now for strategy, making smart investments and creating smart policies.
A separate report from the Center for Reforming Public Education called on states to do more to ensure effective testing and enforcement in schools, and for the federal government to put in place more detailed guidelines and guidance. The report said:Unlucky chance” also calls for more investment in research and development. From that perspective, the worst possible outcome would be for each district to be left to fend for itself when it comes to AI.
Observers speculate that one reason urban school districts are less prepared for AI is the complexity and the number of problems they face. Superintendents in urban districts are overwhelmed, Lake said. While they may be excited about the potential of AI, they are busy dealing with more pressing issues, Lake explained, including recovering from the pandemic, the end of federal relief funds, declining enrollment and possible school closures, and student mental health crises and absenteeism. What these leaders are looking for is evidence that shows which tools actually work, as well as help with how to operate edtech tools and training teachers, Lake added.
But other observers are concerned about whether AI is really the answer to solving the systemic problems across schools.
Introducing more AI into classrooms means teaching students through screens and virtual learning, at least in the short term, argues Lina Bliss, an associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University. But many students already spend too much time at home with screens and online, Bliss said. This can reduce students’ mental health and their ability to stay on task, so educators should be cautious about increasing screen and virtual learning time, Bliss said.
Bliss also said,Advantages of printing“You learn a lot more from printed material than you do from screen material,” he said. This has to do with factors like the interest of the text and how quickly students can latch onto and maintain their attention on the material. In his view, digital texts, especially those connected to the internet, are “distractions” and could put students at a disadvantage as more screen-based instruction becomes available.
Ultimately, she adds, an overly reliant on AI for teaching methods could exacerbate inequality. These tools could create a hierarchical system where wealthy students attend schools that value hands-on learning experiences while other schools rely more and more on screens and virtual learning. These tools should not replace real-world learning, she adds, especially in under-resourced schools. She worries that an overreliance on this technology could create an “underclass of students” who are given an artificial Band-Aid for larger problems like understaffing and underfunding schools. Bliss argues that relying on AI as a quick fix for all of the economic shortfalls in schooling is irresponsible.
So how should educators approach AI? Perhaps the right attitude is cautious hope and careful planning.
No one knows yet exactly how AI will impact education, CRPE’s Lake argues. It’s not a panacea, but in her view, there is a real opportunity to use AI to close learning gaps. That’s why it’s important to have a plan for realizing that potential. “A lot of people freeze up when it comes to AI. If you can instead think about what you want for your child and your school and whether AI can help, that seems like a productive path and a much more manageable path,” Lake says.
There’s nothing wrong with having hope, she added.