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Schools Unite to Explore AI in Education
Schools across the U.S. are collaborating to integrate AI into education, empowering students to develop real-world AI applications while ensuring responsible and effective use in classrooms.
Date of writing
February 15, 2025
Time of reading
2 minutes
Artificial intelligence is reshaping classrooms, and a group of pioneering schools is coming together to harness its potential, as outlined in EdSurge. In Denver’s DSST: College View High School, students in Zach Kennelly’s senior civics class are designing AI-powered chatbots tailored to real-world applications. These range from improving mental health support and financial literacy to enhancing communication skills and providing resources for immigrants. Eventually, the class will select and develop one of these ideas into a functional app.
This hands-on engagement with AI follows the success of last semester’s project, VoteWise Colorado, an app that helps citizens register to vote and better understand ballot measures. Though initially met with skepticism, the initiative turned into a major success. “Pretty early on we thought it was going to be a massive failure,” said Kennelly. “But it became a huge hit. Students loved it. They were like, ‘I ran to second period to build this thing.’”
Kennelly and his co-teacher, Gianna Geraffo, are participating in the School Teams AI Collaborative, a year-long initiative that connects over 80 educators from 19 public and charter schools across the U.S. This collaborative, co-led by the nonprofits Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator, provides a platform for educators to experiment with AI-enabled instruction while sharing insights and best practices.
“We wanted to identify, ‘Who are the teachers already doing incredible work with AI?’ Can we elevate promising practices?” said Jin-Soo Huh, a partner at The Learning Accelerator. The collaborative, which kicked off last October with an in-person meeting in Denver, fosters ongoing discussions on AI integration in education, ensuring that its implementation is both effective and responsible.
Educators involved in the initiative emphasize that AI is not replacing human instruction but enhancing it. “It’s not AI-driven at all. It’s AI-leveraged,” Kennelly explained. “It’s driven by our students, by their expertise, by their passion.”
In Boston, Traci Griffith, executive director of the Eliot K-8 Innovation School, has found the collaboration with other schools invaluable. Recently, her team engaged with a California school, leaving the discussion inspired by their peers’ AI-driven approaches. Griffith’s team is using Claude, an AI assistant by Anthropic, to provide pre- and post-assessment feedback to middle school students on their writing assignments. While promising, this requires teachers to fine-tune the AI’s parameters for optimal effectiveness.
The initiative remains platform-agnostic, allowing schools to explore various AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. In Denver, students are using Playlab, a tool that facilitates AI experimentation by enabling them to toggle between different models.
Despite their engagement with AI, students in Kennelly’s class remain divided on its impact. “They’re all over the board,” he observed. “They’re scared. They’re excited. They’re confused.” However, previous experience suggests their perspectives may evolve. Geraffo noted that last semester’s students shifted from viewing AI as something that merely happens to them to something they can actively shape. “I am someone who drives AI,” she recalled them realizing.
Understanding AI is essential, Kennelly argues, as the technology is becoming ingrained in daily life and careers. “People who don’t understand this technology are the ones most likely to be exploited by it,” he warned.
Rather than treating AI as a cure-all, the collaborative acknowledges both its potential and its limitations. “We’re not here saying AI is the solution and the end-all, be-all,” Huh stated. “I think there is a healthy skepticism in our group.” The focus remains on using AI responsibly while learning from past instances where technology overpromised and underdelivered.
As the initiative continues through the school year, its leaders foresee lasting impact beyond its planned conclusion this summer. “This definitely isn’t the end,” said Alex Magiera, senior director of innovation at Leading Educators. “These schools are saying, ‘Is there a 2.0?’ They want to keep the momentum going.”
By fostering a community of educators willing to embrace AI thoughtfully, the School Teams AI Collaborative is laying the groundwork for responsible and impactful integration of artificial intelligence in education.
This hands-on engagement with AI follows the success of last semester’s project, VoteWise Colorado, an app that helps citizens register to vote and better understand ballot measures. Though initially met with skepticism, the initiative turned into a major success. “Pretty early on we thought it was going to be a massive failure,” said Kennelly. “But it became a huge hit. Students loved it. They were like, ‘I ran to second period to build this thing.’”
Kennelly and his co-teacher, Gianna Geraffo, are participating in the School Teams AI Collaborative, a year-long initiative that connects over 80 educators from 19 public and charter schools across the U.S. This collaborative, co-led by the nonprofits Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator, provides a platform for educators to experiment with AI-enabled instruction while sharing insights and best practices.
“We wanted to identify, ‘Who are the teachers already doing incredible work with AI?’ Can we elevate promising practices?” said Jin-Soo Huh, a partner at The Learning Accelerator. The collaborative, which kicked off last October with an in-person meeting in Denver, fosters ongoing discussions on AI integration in education, ensuring that its implementation is both effective and responsible.
Educators involved in the initiative emphasize that AI is not replacing human instruction but enhancing it. “It’s not AI-driven at all. It’s AI-leveraged,” Kennelly explained. “It’s driven by our students, by their expertise, by their passion.”
In Boston, Traci Griffith, executive director of the Eliot K-8 Innovation School, has found the collaboration with other schools invaluable. Recently, her team engaged with a California school, leaving the discussion inspired by their peers’ AI-driven approaches. Griffith’s team is using Claude, an AI assistant by Anthropic, to provide pre- and post-assessment feedback to middle school students on their writing assignments. While promising, this requires teachers to fine-tune the AI’s parameters for optimal effectiveness.
The initiative remains platform-agnostic, allowing schools to explore various AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. In Denver, students are using Playlab, a tool that facilitates AI experimentation by enabling them to toggle between different models.
Despite their engagement with AI, students in Kennelly’s class remain divided on its impact. “They’re all over the board,” he observed. “They’re scared. They’re excited. They’re confused.” However, previous experience suggests their perspectives may evolve. Geraffo noted that last semester’s students shifted from viewing AI as something that merely happens to them to something they can actively shape. “I am someone who drives AI,” she recalled them realizing.
Understanding AI is essential, Kennelly argues, as the technology is becoming ingrained in daily life and careers. “People who don’t understand this technology are the ones most likely to be exploited by it,” he warned.
Rather than treating AI as a cure-all, the collaborative acknowledges both its potential and its limitations. “We’re not here saying AI is the solution and the end-all, be-all,” Huh stated. “I think there is a healthy skepticism in our group.” The focus remains on using AI responsibly while learning from past instances where technology overpromised and underdelivered.
As the initiative continues through the school year, its leaders foresee lasting impact beyond its planned conclusion this summer. “This definitely isn’t the end,” said Alex Magiera, senior director of innovation at Leading Educators. “These schools are saying, ‘Is there a 2.0?’ They want to keep the momentum going.”
By fostering a community of educators willing to embrace AI thoughtfully, the School Teams AI Collaborative is laying the groundwork for responsible and impactful integration of artificial intelligence in education.