Human Still Required / Field Notes
More than half of New York districts lack a board-adopted AI policy. But no policy is still a policy. Leaders need shared thinking staff can use, not just a document.
Read article: No District AI Policy Is Still a PolicyStudents mostly support in-class phone limits but oppose all-day bans. How leaders make this cellphone ban policy decision, by listening first, sets the pattern for AI policy next.
Read article: Cellphone Ban Policy Is a Listening Test for LeadersAI features arriving switched on in school tools is a vendor choice, but keeping them is a leadership choice. Audit what’s on, decide on purpose, and redesign work AI finishes easily.
Read article: AI Is On by Default in Schools. Judgment Isn’t.A banned-tools list tells people what to avoid. School AI guidance built on a few clear principles tells teachers and students how to decide, even about tools no one has reviewed yet.
Read article: School AI Guidance Needs Principles, Not Just ListsA school AI ban or a return to paper tests can buy time, but neither redesigns the work. Leaders should define the thinking students must do themselves and make it visible.
Read article: Back to Paper Won’t Fix What AI ExposedThe most durable AI school policy names the decisions only humans make, like grades, discipline and placement, instead of chasing a list of tools that changes every semester.
Read article: AI School Policy Should Draw the Line at Decisions, Not ToolsA new review found ChatGPT’s Teen Mode didn’t work as promised. Student AI safety can’t be outsourced to a setting; leaders must name what they protect and start the conversations.
Read article: Teen Mode Isn’t a Safety Plan. School Leadership Is.The College Board’s AP redesign builds AI into learning but keeps scored writing AI-free. The lesson for leaders: put AI guardrails where you need evidence of student thinking.
Read article: The AP Redesign Puts AI Guardrails Where They BelongHow an AI tool enters your schools matters as much as the tool. A Texas investigation and a voluntary Nevada pilot show why transparent, local, teacher-informed decisions build trust.
Read article: AI Adoption in Schools: Who Decides, and How, MattersMany school AI pilots run without a clear definition of success. Leaders should name the problem, decide what evidence of learning counts, and set a decision date before the next renewal.
Read article: Before You Pilot AI, Decide What Success Means
