Ninety-Two Percent of Your Students Use AI. Do You Have a Plan Yet?
When the Tools Arrived Before the Rulebook
Picture this. It is 7:42 a.m. on a Tuesday. A first-year teacher in Brooklyn is standing at the copier, coffee in hand, watching ChatGPT draft a small-group phonics plan on her phone while her principal walks by nodding approvingly. Down the hall, a fifth grader is quietly asking a chatbot to "explain long division like I'm nine and hate math." Neither of them has read a district policy on artificial intelligence. Neither of them is waiting for one.
That scene is not an outlier. It is the new normal. Microsoft's third annual AI in Education Report, released in June 2026, found that 92 percent of students and 88 percent of educators have already used AI for school-related work, yet 77 percent of students and 53 percent of educators say they have received no formal training whatsoever. Adoption is at the ceiling. Pedagogy is at the floor. And the gap between the two is where every education leader in America is currently standing.aesopacademy
The good news is that this gap is closeable, and closing it does not require a moonshot. It requires a plan.
Start With Literacy, Not Licenses
The instinct in most districts is to buy something. A shiny platform, an enterprise license, a vendor pitch deck full of promises. Resist it for one semester. The single highest-leverage move a school or municipal education body can make right now is building AI literacy in its adults before layering on more tools.
Consider what "AI literacy" actually means in a Tuesday-morning sense. It is a fourth-grade teacher who can rewrite a ChatGPT-generated reading passage to match her students' Lexile levels because she understands what the model does well and where it hallucinates. It is an assistant principal who can spot the difference between a thoughtful AI-assisted parent letter and a bland, jargon-stuffed one. It is a bus scheduler who realizes she can save four hours a week on route optimization. Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that teachers who use AI weekly reclaim an average of 5.9 hours per week, which adds up to roughly six full work weeks over a school year. Six weeks. That is a summer vacation hiding inside a Tuesday.morso
Practical moves that actually work:
Run a ninety-minute "AI petting zoo" for staff before the school year starts. Let teachers touch three or four tools, break them, laugh at the bad outputs, and share what surprised them. Curiosity beats compliance training every time.
Pair a tech-forward teacher with a tech-cautious one and give them a shared low-stakes task, like drafting a family newsletter. The best professional development in 2026 is a colleague two doors down.
Create a one-page "what is fair game" guide before you write a fifty-page policy. Teachers do not need a treatise. They need to know whether it is okay to use AI for lesson plans on Sunday night. (Spoiler: it is.)
Overcoming the Institutional Sludge
Every leader reading this knows the villains of change management in schools. Legacy contracts. Committee-heavy approval chains. A tech department that says no faster than students say why. Add data-privacy anxiety and a shrinking budget for professional development (national spending on educator digital-literacy PD has dropped 15 percent since 2023, according to a 2026 NEA analysis), and you have a recipe for paralysis.theeducationecho
The way through is not a bigger committee. It is a smaller pilot.
The Council of School Networks' 2026 State of EdTech report found that districts creating AI-specific policies doubled in a single year, from 19 percent to 38 percent, and the ones moving fastest share a pattern. They pick one grade band, one instructional problem, one willing team, and they run a ninety-day cycle with clear success metrics. They do not try to boil the ocean. They boil a teakettle.feynman-ai
A pragmatic pilot blueprint any building leader can steal:
Weeks 1 to 2, name the pain. Not "AI adoption." Something specific, like "third-grade small-group reading planning takes teachers seven hours a week."
Weeks 3 to 8, run the tool with three volunteers. Collect artifacts, not opinions. Save the lesson plans, the exit tickets, the parent notes.
Weeks 9 to 12, share the receipts at a faculty meeting. Let the volunteers, not the administrators, do the talking. Nothing sells adoption like a peer holding up a lesson plan and saying, "I made this in fifteen minutes and my kids loved it."
Professional Development That Does Not Feel Like a Punishment
If your staff associates "PD" with a stale sheet cake and a slide deck about a platform nobody uses anymore, you are not alone. But AI PD has to be different, because the tools change monthly and the learners are your own colleagues.
The Center for Democracy and Technology found that 85 percent of teachers used AI during the 2024–2025 school year, yet nearly seven in ten received no formal training from their school or district. That gap is not a training problem. It is a design problem.thelearningstandard
What works, based on what schools are actually reporting in 2026:
Micro-PD in fifteen-minute doses, delivered where teachers already are (a Monday-morning email, a Friday faculty meeting warm-up, a Slack channel where someone posts "prompt of the week"). Twenty hours of targeted training per platform, spread across two academic quarters, is the emerging benchmark for actually moving practice, according to NEA data.
Communities of practice organized by problem, not by tool. A "differentiating for ELLs with AI" group will outlast any "ChatGPT club."
Coaching that models the work in real time. Sit next to a teacher, open the tool, plan tomorrow's mini-lesson together. Fifteen minutes of that beats a two-hour keynote from a national expert.
For educators just starting their careers, the message is even simpler. You do not need to be an expert. You need to be curious out loud. Ask questions in the staff room. Volunteer for the pilot. Keep a running document of prompts that worked. Five years from now, the teachers who did that in 2026 will be the coaches and administrators everyone else is asking for help.
Bringing the Community Along, Not Dragging Them
Parents are not the enemy of AI in schools. They are usually just the last ones to be told what is happening. That is fixable.
A tenth grader's parent does not need a policy document. They need to know three things. What is my kid actually using? What is the school doing to teach them to use it well? And what happens to their data? Answer those three questions clearly and publicly, and you have earned more trust than any 40-page framework will ever generate.
Consider hosting a "family AI night" the way schools once hosted math nights. Let parents try the same tools their kids are using. Show them a well-crafted prompt and a lazy one, side by side. Invite a local employer to talk about what AI literacy looks like in the jobs your students will actually hold. Suddenly the conversation moves from panic to partnership.
Equity has to be named out loud. The Walton and Gallup research found that teachers in high-poverty schools were significantly less likely to receive AI guidance or training than peers in wealthier districts. If your rollout does not intentionally overinvest in the schools serving the highest-need students, you will hardcode the digital divide into the AI divide. Lead with the buildings that have the least, not the most.blab
Where This Is All Headed
Look at any prior technology wave in schools, from calculators to the internet to smartphones, and the pattern is the same. First panic, then paralysis, then piecemeal adoption, then eventually a new normal. What is different this time is the speed. That two-decade arc is compressing into roughly twenty-four months. The World Economic Forum reported in July 2026 that young people aged 16 to 24 are using generative AI at nearly twice the rate of the general population, and only one in three teachers currently uses AI while three in four say they lack the knowledge to teach with it.weforum
That is not a reason to slow down. It is a reason to build the muscles now. The districts that will thrive over the next five years are not the ones with the flashiest AI vendor list. They will be the ones whose teachers can think critically about a model's output, whose leaders can pivot policy in a quarter instead of a decade, and whose students learn to treat AI the way a good writer treats a first draft. Useful, imperfect, and something you always revise.
Your Move
You do not need permission to start. You need a small, willing group, one honest problem, and a ninety-day window. Pick the teacher who has been quietly experimenting anyway. Pick the grade level where the pain is loudest. Pick the parent who has been asking the smartest questions at PTA and put them on the advisory group. Then go.
The teachers, students, and communities who are going to shape what AI looks like in education are not sitting in a conference room somewhere waiting to be consulted. They are already in your building. The only question left is whether you are going to hand them the pen, or keep writing the story without them.
What are you going to try first?
References
Careertrainer.ai. "AI in Education Statistics: 2026 Report." Last modified April 26, 2026. https://careertrainer.ai/en/reports/ai-in-education-statistics/.
Education Commission of the States. "What a Year of Generative AI in Real Classrooms Is Teaching Us." July 1, 2026. https://www.ecs.org/schools-implementing-ai-student-usage/.
Education Echo, The. "Education's 2026 Tech Burden: NEA Reveals Crisis." June 19, 2026. https://theeducationecho.com/education-s-2026-tech-burden-nea-reveals-crisis/.
Feynman AI. "US Schools Are Adopting AI Policies Faster Than Ever: CoSN EdTech Report 2026." June 15, 2026. https://feynman-ai.com/blogs/us-edtech-ai-adoption-2026.html.
Learning Standard, The. "Senate Probes Classroom AI as Research Reveals Mixed Results for Kids." June 15, 2026. https://thelearningstandard.org/news/senate-probes-classroom-ai-as-research-reveals-mixed-results-for-kids.
Microsoft. "2026 AI in Education Report." Summarized in AESOP AI Academy, "Microsoft's 2026 AI-in-Education Report: 92% Student Use, 77% Have Had No Formal Training." June 27, 2026. https://aesopacademy.org/ai-news/articles/2026-06-27-microsoft-ai-education-report-2026-training-gap.
Morso. "How AI Is Changing Education: What's Real in 2026." June 27, 2026. https://www.morso.app/blog/how-ai-is-changing-education.
TheAIDaily. "AI in Education Statistics 2026: 60+ Sourced Stats & Trends." June 16, 2026. https://theaidaily.nl/en/statistics/ai-in-education-statistics-2026/.
Walton Family Foundation and Gallup. "Most U.S. K-12 Teachers Report Little Formal Guidance on AI Use." Summarized in Blab AI, June 16, 2026. https://ai.blab.com/2026-06-16-most-u-s-k-12-teachers-report-little-formal-guidance-on-ai-use-study-finds.
World Economic Forum. "Beyond Access: Why AI Literacy Will Define the Future." July 1, 2026. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/07/beyond-access-why-ai-literacy-will-define-the-future/.
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ABOUT THE ROLE Rhode Island College’s Feinstein School of Education and Human Development (FSEHD) is seeking a dynamic and data-savvy leader to serve as Director of Assessment and Accreditation. This role leads school-wide assessment efforts, drives continuous program improvement, and oversees state and national accreditation processes. The Director utilizes large data sets to drive program improvement and supports faculty and staff with assessment processes and documentation required for accreditation. The position reports to the Dean of FSEHD and serves on the Dean’s leadership team. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Direct assessment-related activities consistent with the FSEHD mission, vision, and continuous improvement process. - Collect and maintain school-wide assessment data, including key assessments, survey results, and student learning outcomes. - Analyze and interpret data for informed decision-making to drive program improvement. - Document and communicate assessment results to internal and external stakeholders, reporting strengths, challenges, trends, and opportunities. - Lead the accreditation process for educator preparation programs, ensuring program quality and compliance. - Serve as a member of the Dean’s leadership team and the FSEHD Assessment and Program Improvement Committee. - Provide expert consultation to FSEHD personnel regarding research methodology, data management, analysis, interpretation, and visualization. - Execute duties related to creating a sustainable accountability culture in the FSEHD. - Support grant and research-related activities in collaboration with the Dean. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education: - Earned master’s or doctorate in Education, assessment and evaluation, statistics, or related field with relevant experience. Experience: - Assessment and evaluation experience relevant to higher education. - Experience with educator-preparation or student learning-outcomes assessment. - State and/or national accreditation experience. - Experience with continuous improvement or program review processes to improve curriculum and student outcomes. - Survey development and assessment strategies for measuring impact and outcomes. - Leadership and administrative experience. Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities: - Strong background in quantitative and qualitative assessment and evaluation. - Ability to effectively present data in graphical format. - Skills in designing, administering, and analyzing assessment instruments (e.g., rubrics, test blueprints, alumni surveys). - Strong statistical analysis and computing skills, including proficiency in MS Office, database systems, statistical and survey software, and contemporary digital technologies. - Familiarity with web-based platforms to manage assessment data. - Ability to provide professional development in assessment through coaching or presentations. - Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills. - Strong initiative and effective organizational and time management skills. - Strong verbal and written communication skills with flexibility to adapt to diverse audiences. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Must have authorization to work in the US without the need for employer sponsorship (visa sponsorship is not available). - Preferred Qualifications: Doctorate in Education, assessment and evaluation, statistics, or related field; experience with CAEP, AAQEP, or state program approval; at least three years’ administrative experience at the college/university level; bilingual abilities. SELECTION PROCESS - Applicants must answer the supplemental question confirming their earned master’s or doctorate in a relevant field. - Review of required documents (Resume and Cover Letter). - Evaluation based on analytical expertise, accreditation experience, and leadership capabilities. HOW TO APPLY - Submit the following required documents: - Resume - Cover Letter - Application Open Date: 02/19/2026 - Application Close Date: Open until filled (no specific date listed). EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Institution: Rhode Island College - Division: Academic Affairs Division - Department: Feinstein School of Education and Human Development - Position Type: Staff - Non Classified - Position Status: Continuing - Reports To: Dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development - Work Schedule: Full-Time, 35 Hours, Monday through Friday - Collective Bargaining Unit: PSA - Benefits: Full-time employees receive Medical, Dental & Vision, Wellness Incentives, Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, Holiday), Retirement Benefits, Disability/Insurance, and Education Benefits (Tuition waivers for RIC, CCRI & URI). - EEO Statement: Rhode Island College is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, or any other protected status.
ABOUT THE ROLE The South Dakota Department of Education is seeking an innovative leader to serve as the Director for the Division of College, Career, and Student Success. This critical leadership role involves developing vision and strategy to ensure students have the necessary experiences and supports to graduate high school and achieve success afterward. The position oversees state efforts in Career and Technical Education, Jobs for America’s Graduates, student wellness, career development, and high school equivalency. As a member of the Department leadership team, the Director reports to the Deputy Secretary of Education and collaborates with various state agencies, postsecondary systems, and business/industry partners. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Provide vision and oversight for educational pathways, ensuring college, career, and life readiness for all students - Oversee Career and Technical Education, Jobs for America’s Graduates, student wellness, and high school equivalency programs - Manage business and industry outreach and collaboration - Align and engage with postsecondary education systems - Develop policy, manage staffing, and oversee budgeting - Orchestrate educational programs and workforce education efforts - Manage grants and integrate with departmental initiatives - Collaborate with other state agencies including Labor and Regulation, Economic Development, Social Services, Board of Technical Education, and Board of Regents - Support Jobs for America’s Graduates-South Dakota in dropout prevention and student engagement - Lead career development and student wellness efforts, including school counseling and suicide prevention - Craft and oversee budgets, grants, contracts, and fiscal reporting - Build, hire, retain, coach, and mentor a strong team - Ensure high standards of quality in services and programs - Build relationships with superintendents, principals, legislators, community leaders, and public/private sector partners - Understand federal regulations and coordinate with the U.S. Department of Education MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Experience: Successful experience in leadership positions in education administration, public administration, business, or related fields - Accomplished in facilitating large initiatives, bringing diverse groups together, policy development, staff deployment, strategic planning, grant administration, and lobbying - Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred in education, business, public administration, or related fields - Knowledge of educational opportunities and pathways for academic and workforce success - Knowledge of modern communication styles for creating and delivering compelling messages - Knowledge of leadership methods focused on strategic thinking, service, accountability, and follow-through - Ability to build coalitions across multiple levels and systems SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Ability to travel approximately 20% (in-state and out-of-state) - Must verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States (Form I-9 and E-Verify required) - The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas - National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC): Optional but encouraged; if possessed, submit with application SELECTION PROCESS - Applications must be submitted online via the provided link - Email submissions will not be accepted - Cover letter and resume must be attached to be considered HOW TO APPLY - Apply online at: https://gen-stateofsouthdako-trn.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=4A7 - Attach cover letter and resume - If applicable, attach National Career Readiness Certificate - Closing Date: July 16, 2026 EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Location: Pierre, SD - Agency: Department of Education - Division of College, Career, and Student Success - Job ID: 36506 - Full-time position - Exempt from the Civil Service Act - Benefits: $0 premium employee health insurance option, eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, other insurance options, and retirement benefits (Class A retirement under SDRS) - Contact: South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, Telephone: 605.773.3148, Email: careers@state.sd.us - Equal Opportunity Employer
ABOUT THE ROLE The South Dakota Department of Education is seeking a full-time attorney to serve as Deputy General Counsel. This position reports to the General Counsel and provides legal services to department staff, associated boards, and commissions. The role involves representing the department in administrative proceedings and litigation, providing legal advice on education law, and coordinating ethics investigations. Minimal travel is required. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Represent the department as a Special Assistant Attorney General in administrative proceedings and litigation in State and federal court - Provide legal advice and representation to the South Dakota Board of Education Standards, teacher and administrator ethics commissions, and other department boards - Coordinate investigations regarding teacher and administrator ethics issues - Provide legal counsel to department staff on the interpretation and application of State and federal laws related to education, schools, and public agencies - Respond to legal inquiries from school districts and the public - Draft statutes and administrative rules - Review contracts, joint powers agreements, and related documents - Perform other duties as assigned MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Graduate of an accredited law school - Member of the South Dakota State Bar - Qualify for appointment as a Special Assistant Attorney General - Three or more years of experience preferred - Excellent verbal and written communication skills - Strong work ethic and ability to organize and prioritize tasks - Interest in education law SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Must attach a resume and a writing sample to be considered - National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) may be submitted but is not required - Veterans’ Preference is eligible per ARSD 55:10:02:08 - Must verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States (Form I-9 and E-Verify required) - The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas - This position is exempt from the Civil Service Act SELECTION PROCESS - Applications reviewed based on attached resume and writing sample HOW TO APPLY - Apply online at: https://gen-stateofsouthdako-trn.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=481 - You must apply online; emailed resumes or submissions will not be accepted - Attach your resume and a writing sample - Closing Date: Open Until Filled EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Location: Pierre, SD - Agency: Department of Education - Job ID: 36414 - Benefits: $0 premium employee health insurance option, eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, other insurance options, and retirement benefits (Class A retirement under SDRS) - Contact: South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, Telephone: 605.773.3148, Email: careers@state.sd.us
ABOUT THE ROLE This is a full-time, non-state service position (X-16) with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), specifically within the Office of Technology and Strategic Services (OTSS). The role reports to the Director of Infrastructure and focuses on modernizing IT infrastructure through cloud adoption and automation. Current key projects include implementing Azure Landing Zones, migrating applications using Terraform and deployment pipelines, managing endpoints via Intune, administering Microsoft 365 for collaboration, and supporting application and data teams in their cloud adoption efforts. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Administer Microsoft 365 services - Manage Intune and Autopilot for endpoint administration - Administer Active Directory and Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) - Administer Azure public cloud services using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform - Perform Windows Server administration - Manage network infrastructure, including switches, Wi-Fi, and firewalls - Identify weaknesses in existing processes and infrastructure and implement solutions - Automate day-to-day tasks to improve efficiency - Collaborate with team members while also working independently - Continuously learn and adapt to new technologies in a rapidly changing landscape MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education: - Typically requires a Bachelor’s Degree Experience: - Typically requires 5-8+ years of IT experience with an emphasis in network infrastructure, operations, and administration Skills and Abilities: - Ability to work and learn independently - Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with team members - Initiative and vision to identify and resolve infrastructure weaknesses - Proficiency in automating routine tasks - Willingness to continuously learn and grow with emerging technologies SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - This is a NON-STATE SERVICE position (X-16) - Must be able to support cloud migration projects involving Azure, Terraform, and Microsoft 365 ecosystems HOW TO APPLY - Apply through the State of Mississippi job portal - Job Number: 9549-0206-20260710HS - Application Deadline: July 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central - For inquiries about the position, contact John Hartley at JHartley@mdek12.org EMPLOYMENT DETAILS Employer: State of Mississippi Agency: Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) Department: 0206 - Education-Vocational & Technical Office: Office of Technology and Strategic Services (OTSS) Job Type: Full-Time Location: Hinds County, MS Opening Date: July 10, 2026