National Education Association Embraces New AI in Education Policy; Here's Educators' Perspectives on the Matter
The National Education Association (NEA) has released a policy statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, marking a significant step towards integrating AI thoughtfully into the classroom. The six-page document, approved in early July, outlines recommendations and expansion areas to ensure responsible use, teacher support, and policy frameworks that protect students and promote equitable access to AI-powered learning tools.
The policy statement emphasizes the importance of embedding AI literacy in core subjects, preparing students for evolving workforce demands and societal shifts. It also calls for national investments in teacher training, apprenticeships, and AI-aligned curriculum development.
Specific recommendations include integrating AI in core subjects, developing apprenticeships and AI-focused career pathways, implementing policies that balance innovation and regulation, promoting ethical and responsible use of AI tools, and encouraging school districts to run controlled pilots with human oversight and bias checks.
The policy statement also identifies several areas for expansion, such as developing non-personally identifiable information (non-PII) AI sandboxes for safe testing and learning environments, creating cross-functional teams and AI leadership roles within districts, focusing on equity by addressing access gaps, promoting digital literacy, redesigning assessments and curricula, and aligning local and state policies with federal guidance.
Alana Winnick, educator and author of The Generative Age: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education, finds the policy statement aligned with the U.S. Department of Education's AI and education insights and recommendations. However, she criticizes its lack of student representation in the creation process. Torrey Trust, professor of Learning Technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is generally pleased with the policy statement but finds it with limitations in addressing the needs of classroom educators.
Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer of Code.org and Lead of TeachAI, was honored to see TeachAI's resources referenced in the policy statement's recommendations. Winnick expresses a desire for more student voice representation in the policy statement.
The policy statement details six guiding principles for effective AI use in education. These principles are: students and educators must remain at the center, evidence-based AI technology must enhance the educational experience, ethical development/use of AI technology and strong data protection practices, equitable access to and use of AI tools is ensured, ongoing education with and about AI: AI literacy and agency. The policy statement compares equitable AI access to equitable internet access and warns against the technology's dangers.
Educators generally applaud the policy statement as a positive development for AI in education. However, it does not seem to provide direct guidance for teachers on when and how to use AI in education. The focus appears to be more on school leaders rather than classroom educators. Torrey Trust suggests that teachers should be empowered to do action research.
In conclusion, the NEA's policy statement on AI in education aims to harness AI’s educational benefits while ensuring responsible use, teacher support, and policy frameworks that protect students and promote equitable access to AI-powered learning tools. The policy statement reflects both a cautionary and proactive stance, emphasizing the need for ongoing education, equitable access, and ethical use of AI in education.
[1] National Education Association. (2021). Policy Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education. Retrieved from https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/2107_PS_AI_in_Education.pdf [2] U.S. Department of Education. (2020). Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/ai-future-teaching-learning.pdf [3] Future of Privacy Forum. (2019). AI in Education: A Framework for Student Privacy. Retrieved from https://futureofprivacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AI-in-Education-A-Framework-for-Student-Privacy.pdf [4] Partnership on AI. (2019). Ethical Guidelines for the Use of AI in Education. Retrieved from https://www.partnershiponai.org/publications/ethical-guidelines-for-the-use-of-ai-in-education/
- The National Education Association's policy statement on AI in education underscores the necessity of educators and students being at the center of AI integration in the classroom.
- The policy statement encourages national investments in teacher training, apprenticeships, and AI-aligned curriculum development to support educators in utilizing AI tools.
- Alana Winnick, an educator and author, supports the policy statement's emphasis on AI literacy in core subjects but critiques its lack of student representation in the creation process.
- The policy statement identifies the importance of ethical use and strong data protection practices, focusing on ensuring equitable access to AI learning tools and promoting digital literacy.
- Torrey Trust, a Learning Technology professor, appreciates the policy statement's general outlook on AI in education but suggests the need for more guidance on teacher-led action research in classroom settings.
