Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator Announce Collaborative to Develop AI Best Practices

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Leading Educators, in partnership with The Learning Accelerator, announces the launch of the School Teams AI Collaborative, an initiative aimed at harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to enhance instruction. At this time of rapid technological transformation, the Collaborative will unite school teams, educators, and thought leaders to uncover how educators can best leverage AI tools to gain capacity, increase effectiveness, and expand instructional possibilities.

The inaugural cohort of the School Teams AI Collaborative includes more than 80 participants from 19 schools across the United States who are committed to exploring the intersection of AI and educator efficacy. The initiative will kick off with a convening in Denver on October 16-18, 2024.

• Appleton, WI: Valley New School (Appleton Area School District)
• Avondale, AZ: Desert Edge High School (Agua Fria Union High School District)
• Boston, MA: Eliot Innovation School (Boston Public Schools)
• Denver, CO: Aurora Science & Tech High School (DSST Public Schools), Denver Online High School (Denver Public Schools), DSST College View High School (DSST Public Schools), DSST Cedar High School (DSST Public Schools), Northeast Early College (Denver Public Schools), South High School (Denver Public Schools)
• Lynwood, CA: Cesar Chavez Middle School (Lynwood Unified School District), Firebaugh High School (Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District), Hosler Middle School (Lynwood Unified School District), Lynwood High School (Lynwood Unified School District)
• New York City, NY: Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School (New York City Public Schools), United Charter High School (New York City Public Schools)
• Ulster, NY: Ulster BOCES
• Washington, DC: Hart Middle School (DC Public Schools), Washington Leadership Academy PCS
• Wolfeboro, NH: Kingswood Regional High School (Governor Wentworth Regional School District)

Many educators are already experimenting with generative AI (GenAI) to streamline lesson planning, expand access to information, and find creative ways to connect with students. However, for school systems to effectively harness AI’s potential, there needs to be a greater focus on translating ad hoc, individual approaches into coherent and scalable system strategies. At the same time, there are gaps between the goals and perspectives of AI tool developers and education practitioners. Schools must know that GenAI tools are safe, effective, aligned with strong pedagogy, and grounded in learning science.

Participants will work together to design, test, and refine ideas, instructional practices, and learning activities that integrate AI, focusing on strengthening teaching and learning.

By leveraging one another’s resources, the Collaborative will support the uptake, adoption, and adaptation of resources across teams and contexts. Together, innovation and adult learning experts from Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator will guide the collaborative’s efforts, ensuring that the initiative remains aligned with the latest research and trends in educational technology.

Chong-Hao Fu, CEO of Leading Educators, said, “Leading Educators has always believed that educators should have the opportunity and support to lead how education evolves in pursuit of more fair and just outcomes for students. The Schools Teams AI Collaborative is an extension of that charge, positioning educators to drive where teaching and learning goes next.”

Beth Rabbit, CEO of The Learning Accelerator, added, “Despite current K-12 investment in building AI literacy and launching new products, there’s a real gap in understanding on-the-ground practice and quality. By working hand-in-hand with educator teams exploring coherent implementation at the school level, we’re excited to shift the conversation and understanding to ‘how, where, and what happened’ for students.”

Ultimately, the School Teams AI Collaborative aims to produce a suite of guidance and replicable practices to inform the field. Educators say that kind of support is needed.

• A recent survey by Educators for Excellence found that while over one-third of teachers are using AI in the classroom, only 14% feel confident using it, and 58% seek additional training.
• Teachers of color are more optimistic, with more than half reporting they believe it has the potential to transform teaching and learning in a positive way.

The School Teams AI Collaborative aims to create a vibrant community of practice where educators from all backgrounds and contexts can collaborate, share successes, and learn from one another as they work to expand students’ opportunities to thrive.

To learn more about the School Teams AI Collaborative and stay updated on its progress, please visit the AI Collaborative page.

About Leading Educators

Leading Educators is a national nonprofit that helps school systems and states use research on how students learn, what teachers need to excel, and how systems improve to nurture excellent teaching in every classroom. Shoulder-to-shoulder with partners, Leading Educators works to surround educators with intentional collaboration and support systems to get better together so that all students have the teaching they need to thrive in a rapidly changing future. Learn more at www.leadingeducators.org.

About The Learning Accelerator (TLA)

As a national nonprofit building field-level capability to transform K-12 education, The Learning Accelerator (TLA) harnesses the potential of innovation and improvement efforts to drive real change and impact for youth nationwide, generating open evidence, resources, networks, and tools while fostering greater connectivity across efforts and actions.

To help school and system leaders achieve their vision of student-centered design, TLA developed the Innovative Learning Implementation Framework, which identifies key conditions educators need to successfully implement new teaching and learning practices. Learn more at www.learningaccelerator.org.

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