Springfield, Illinois, December 11, 2024—As AI tools become increasingly ubiquitous in schools, at least a third of teachers across the country say they are using them in their classrooms for tasks ranging from lesson planning to personalizing learning for students. Yet, there is little teacher input into the AI policies at the school and district level. For their new brief, Rules and Tools for AI-Powered Learning: Why Educators Can’t Afford to Wait on AI Policies Teach Plus Illinois and the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance conducted a survey of educators across the state to understand their perspectives on the potential of AI in teaching and learning, and what the teachers’ needs are when it comes to timely, comprehensive policies and guidance around effective use of AI in Illinois’ schools. Listen to this AI-generated podcast discussing the main points of the report and read the executive summary of the report.
“The General Assembly thoughtfully brought experts and key stakeholders together to make policy recommendations around AI, but now it’s time for legislators to act,” said Bill Curtin, Teach Plus Illinois Policy Director and one of the report’s lead authors. “Teachers have spoken loud and clear: AI is already in our schools, and they can’t wait any longer for guardrails that protect students and support that helps teachers leverage AI for learning. Teachers need policymakers to act now and to keep teachers at the table as AI policy evolves.”
Teach Plus Illinois and the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance collaborated with 13 other organizations around the state to conduct a digital survey in the spring of 2024 in which more than 200 educators—from classroom teachers to administrators to technology specialists—participated. In the survey, teachers noted that AI tools specifically designed for teachers can support grading, differentiation, and tutoring, helping educators ready students for the technology-rich future. Teachers especially highlighted the need for teacher voice across the AI landscape, as well as how they can maximize the technology’s benefits. “My role as an educator is to harness it to empower my students. This means continuously advocating for ethical AI practices, ensuring equitable access to technology, and fostering an environment where human judgment and relationships remain at the heart of education,” wrote a Chicago high school teacher. Many teachers in the Teach Plus survey pointed to a need for professional learning on AI to ensure that they can guide their students in the understanding of AI tools and resources.
The findings are:
- Educators urgently need clear guidelines for responsible AI use that also preserve the flexibility to explore and experiment.
- Educators care most about preserving the student learning experience and protecting students from harm.
- Educators welcome AI as a tool to save time or enhance learning, but need more training to use it—and teach students to use it—effectively.
- Educators are concerned about equity and access issues, and want to ensure students aren’t left behind.
The recommendations are:
- The General Assembly and ISBE should collaborate with urgency to provide regulations and guidance to schools, and include teacher voice as they are continuously updated.
- The General Assembly, ISBE, and district leaders should center student learning and safety in regulations and guidance around AI.
- ISBE should develop and amplify teacher expertise in the design and use of AI technology for learning.
- The General Assembly should center equity and access as AI use in schools grows.
“AI will never replace the human connection in the classroom, but teachers can use it as an ally to personalize learning and spark creativity in students in ways we’ve never seen before. With policies and guidelines supporting safe and ethical use, Illinois teachers will feel empowered to explore this new technology to create more engaging, adaptive, and quality learning experiences for all students,” said Sarah Murmann, a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow and one of the report’s lead authors who teaches math at Crystal Lake South High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
“There’s a big difference between knowing about AI tools and knowing how and when to use AI tools in the classroom. These findings are indicative of educators’ desire to address gaps in their learning around AI, and this is the perfect opportunity to meet educators where they are,” said Ms. Tyler Hunt, a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow, report co-author, and a former 5th grade teacher at Georgetown Elementary in Aurora now on sabbatical studying Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Traci Johnson, incoming President of the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance and one of the report’s lead authors, said, “This work is so urgent. We’re already living in a world where students bring AI to school every day. The teachers I work with are eager for guidance on AI in schools, and I’m excited that the educator voices captured in this report will help shape the policies that impact classrooms.”
Stefanie Crawford, Executive Director of the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, said, “So often, educators are responding to laws made without their input. This report allows educators to have a seat at the table as legislation is still being crafted around AI in schools.”
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, its responsiveness to individual needs, and its ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/il/
