Artificial Intelligence Video

What AI Use Guidelines Should Look Like for Schools

By Lauraine Langreo & Marvin Joseph — June 26, 2026 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A big challenge teachers are facing as the use of artificial intelligence expands is a lack of clear direction and guidance from school leaders and policymakers on how to responsibly and effectively integrate AI into teaching and learning.

A growing number of states are trying to address that gap by establishing guidelines or even policies around how AI should be used in schools.

But experts emphasize that guidance from state education agencies isn’t always enough, because those guidelines tend to be too broad, or they might be aimed at policy-level issues rather than practice-level ones.

At a minimum, even without state guidelines, school districts should have a roadmap for educators that focuses on using AI in safe, secure, and private ways; encourages hands-on educator exploration of the tools; and includes usage policies created with input from educators and students.

This EdWeek video outlines what it takes to establish meaningful guidelines around AI use in school.

Coverage of education technology is supported in part by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, at www.chanzuckerberg.com. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
Screen Time and AI: An Evidence Playbook for School Leaders
Get a clearer picture of the current policy landscape, a framework for evaluating new tools, plus language to use in the next board meeting.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Education Funding Webinar
What Schools Need to Know About the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit
What schools need to know about the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit: A practical guide from a licensed teacher and policy expert.
Content provided by LearningSpring

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Artificial Intelligence Headlines Warn of an AI Apocalypse. How Should Schools Respond?
Panic-inducing AI headlines might prompt schools to hit pause and review the tech more carefully.
6 min read
Scary Headline AI Illustration
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Artificial Intelligence Can Schools Trust AI to Translate for Non-English-Speaking Parents?
AI tools can translate school materials for non-English-speaking parents, but there are challenges around privacy and accuracy.
10 min read
Illustration by Nicole Xu showing a teacher in a teacher-parent conference with a laptop that translates a distorted depiction of the student. The female parent of the EL student has a swirly white line of confusion circling her head.
Nicole Xu for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence Banning AI Alone Won't Snuff Out the 'TechLash,' Parent Advocates Say
Parents worry about AI but also data privacy, video use, and screen time in general, advocates say.
6 min read
An anti-AI flag is shown during a protest against artificial intelligence in San Francisco on July 11, 2026. Parents who are advocating against the overuse of technology in education say AI bans in schools are a good step to address their concerns, but they also want to see classroom restrictions on screen time and use of platforms such as YouTube.
An anti-AI flag is shown during a protest against artificial intelligence in San Francisco on July 11, 2026. Parents who are advocating against the overuse of technology in education say AI bans in schools are a good step to address their concerns, but they also want to see classroom restrictions on screen time and use of platforms such as YouTube.
Jason Henry/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Artificial Intelligence Microsoft Commits to AI Guardrails for Schools. Will Other Tech Giants Follow?
The tech company struck a deal with the AFT to adopt new AI guardrails and privacy standards.
6 min read
Microsoft signage at an office building in Lehi, Utah, United States, on Aug. 26, 2026.
Microsoft signage at an office building in Lehi, Utah, on Aug. 26, 2026. The tech company has agreed to adopt guardrails and privacy standards for use of its AI tools in schools.
Charles-McClintock Wilson/Sipa via AP