Educators at all levels were caught off guard about how to handle artificial intelligence in K-12 when a new version of ChatGPT was released nearly two years ago.
But now state education agencies—which school and district leaders had been looking to for guidance on the rapidly evolving technology—are stepping up to try to meet the moment, according to an annual survey released Sept. 11 by the State Educational Technology Directors Association.
Last year, 55 percent of state education officials who responded to the SETDA survey said school and district leaders had expressed interest in receiving guidance on AI policy development, but only 2 percent reported that their state had an AI initiative in place.
AI interest among educators has continued to rise, according to this year’s survey results, with 90 percent of respondents reporting increased interest in AI guidance. But there’s been a lot more activity at the state level to meet that demand. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said their states had crafted guidance on the topic.
And nearly 1 in 6 states—14 percent—say they are working on a broader AI policy initiative, such as a program exploring teacher training or AI literacy. The survey, which was conducted beginning in May, included responses from more than 80 ed-tech directors, state chiefs, and chief information officers from 46 states.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education released its own AI guidance for ed-tech vendors in July.
What a difference a year makes on AI policy
Nearly a year ago, no state had AI guidance on the books, said Pat Yongpradit, the chief academic officer for Code.org and a leader of TeachAI, an initiative to support schools in using and teaching about AI.
Now, nearly half of states—23 total—have released some form of AI guidance, he said. What’s more, states such as Utah have created positions in their education departments dedicated primarily to AI implementation in K-12. Other states, including Indiana and New Jersey, have passed budgets with dedicated funding for AI.
That activity isn’t necessarily being driven by legislation. Just 4 percent of the respondents whose states have crafted AI guidance say they did so because state law required it.
“It’s a solid start,” Yongpradit said of all the action over the past year.
But even the states that are farthest ahead realize there’s still a lot of work to do, he added. “None of them feel like they have met the challenge.”
State education leaders agree that the technology is developing rapidly, and state education agencies will need to be on top of how those changes impact K-12 schools.
“Artificial intelligence is an evolving field, so our work collaborating with local leaders and educators will continue and evolve as well,” said Bre Urness-Straight, director of educational technology for the Washington state education agency, in a statement included in SETDA’s report. “That is the only way we can ensure that the resources we develop remain relevant and useful, and that humans—teachers and students, in particular—remain at the forefront of discussions around AI.”
