Key Points
The Power of Large Language Models in Education
Breakthroughs in large language models like ChatGPT hold vast potential to improve K-12 teaching and learning. LLMs can personalize learning, reduce teachers’ administrative burdens, and make more adaptive and insightful assessments. Yet, according to a 2024 survey by Impact Research, 51 percent of K-12 teachers report that they do not use ChatGPT regularly for their jobs.
Why Aren’t Teachers Taking Advantage of AI?
It turns out that it’s not because teachers fear or wish to avoid ChatGPT altogether. Rather, teachers’ most-cited reason for not using AI more in their classroom is that they have not received enough training to use it effectively. Teachers want to do right by their students and know that to use LLMs appropriately and for the full benefit of their students, they need support and guidance.
The Role of Policy Leaders
The best education policies, practices, and tools will only make an impact on students if teachers can implement them. Teachers hold the power to either harness AI in their classrooms or not. It’s up to policy leaders at all levels to set educators up for success.
State and Federal Leadership Needed
Policymakers at the state and federal levels have not kept pace with the speed of AI. Locally, AI rules are a patchwork of policies that vary from district to district, if at all. At the state level, only about one-third of state departments of education have developed AI guidance for their educator workforce. Federally, Congress has not passed any significant legislation to seize the opportunities and mitigate the risks of AI–in education or any other sector, for that matter.
The 2024 Impact Research Survey
The 2024 Impact Research survey on AI Chatbots in Schools sheds light on K-12 teachers’ perceptions and usage of LLMs. Of the 1,000+ K-12 teachers surveyed, 49 percent reported using ChatGPT in their teaching roles at least once per week. Of all groups surveyed (teachers, K-12 students, undergraduate students, and parents), teachers represented the smallest group expressing confidence in using chatbots–and that’s just confidence in using chatbots in general, not how to use them appropriately in a classroom setting. Only a quarter of the teachers surveyed had received any training in this area.
The Need for State Guidance
It’s not only a lack of training, but also school policies around AI in the classroom that hold many educators back. Only 32 percent of the educators surveyed reported that their school has a policy outlining how AI chatbots can be used for schoolwork. Without clear expectations for what is appropriate and what’s not, it’s no wonder a large portion of teachers would rather steer clear of AI than put themselves at a potential professional risk.
Federal Leadership
Federal leaders have a role to play, too. While most education decisions are made at the state and local levels, the federal government has the power to direct critical resources to solve nationwide challenges in education. Educators’ lack of training and support to deploy a fast-moving, dynamic technology with the potential to transform education is a national problem worth solving.
Conclusion
Right now, AI in the classroom is a promising idea only realized in certain pockets around the country. Making federal and state investments in AI literacy and frameworks for educators will increase teachers’ AI knowledge, skills, and confidence–and bring the best of AI to more classrooms across the U.S.
FAQs
Q: What is the main reason why teachers are not using AI in their classrooms?
A: The main reason is that teachers have not received enough training to use AI effectively.
Q: What is the role of policy leaders in AI in education?
A: Policy leaders at all levels should set educators up for success by providing training, resources, and support to use AI effectively.
Q: What is the current state of AI guidance in education?
A: Locally, AI rules are a patchwork of policies that vary from district to district, if at all. At the state level, only about one-third of state departments of education have developed AI guidance for their educator workforce. Federally, Congress has not passed any significant legislation to seize the opportunities and mitigate the risks of AI–in education or any other sector, for that matter.
