AI Has No Place in Our Schools or Curriculum
The recent three year agreement between Google and ISTE and ASCD to provide AI training for six million educators, alongside similar partnerships between Microsoft and the American Federation of Teachers, does not symbolize any advancement in education. Instead, it reflects how greedy tech corporations are embedding themselves within our public school systems. In framing AI as both the problem and the solution, these corporations are able to leverage this dependence to profit off our teachers and students. These initiatives also fail to acknowledge how these AI tools have instead caused delays in learning, and have little benefit on the development of our students. Especially within underfunded districts, the introduction of AI risks becoming a distraction from critical resource gaps. Rather than investing in teachers to support students, schools are instead pushed to adopt technologies that only line the pockets of the tech industry.
These AI initiatives should not be at the forefront, as it takes away from the urgent systemic inequalities that remain unaddressed. If the goal is to uplift and support public education, we must instead strive to push for Prop 13 reform, which has historically limited funding for our schools for nearly five decades. Reforming Prop 13 could generate billions in funding, expanding resources that could be directed toward hiring and retaining teachers, restoring essential programs and services, and addressing disparities across school districts.
Yan Wu
By Thomas Ultican | Network for Public Education
