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Benjamin Franklin famously said that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, but in the life of a K-12 administrator there’s another – the need for an ever-evolving policy.
When it comes to artificial intelligence technology in K-12 schools, it’s been hard for leaders to keep up with the rapidly-growing offerings and new guidelines on usage. As a result, some schools initially banned AI tools, only to reverse their decision later. Others are still trying to wrap their arms around this new and expansive topic before creating an AI policy.
If your school or district hasn’t created a responsible AI policy yet, you’re not alone. According to an EdWeek Research Center survey conducted in November and December 2023, 79 percent of educators say their districts did not have clear policies on the use of artificial intelligence tools.
Creating an AI policy for your district might sound like a daunting task, but don’t worry, we’re here to help. As the creators of the first large language model (LLM) built specifically for K-12 education, this is our domain of expertise. In fact, our cofounder Sharad Sundararajan contributed to the U.S. Department of Education's guide for developers, "Designing for Education with Artificial Intelligence," advising edtech companies how to work toward safety, security, and trust while creating AI products and services for use in education.
In this two-part blog post, we’ll give you a roadmap for a responsible AI policy that will help your district move from cautious exploration to enthusiastic adoption of AI tools in the classroom. As with any policy, it should be a living document – revisited, updated, and refined as AI guidelines evolve. Flexibility is crucial due to the fast-paced nature of AI development.
First things first – establish a rationale for integrating AI into your school or district’s educational activities. A clear "why" will help focus your tool selection and implementation, and it will also reaffirm to your community that there is a thoughtful, strategic approach to utilizing AI – not just tech for tech’s sake.
Some goals for AI usage to think about including in your rationale:
Enhanced learning opportunities
AI can encourage problem-solving, foster a culture of innovation, and help students develop the skills to navigate in an AI-driven world in the future. Students are excited about engaging with technology, and when it’s applied to real-world applications, it can inspire curiosity and creativity.
Making time for more classroom engagement
When educators use AI to streamline administrative tasks, you free up time that can be spent on teaching, supporting a student who needs more attention, or building relationships with families. Things teachers love to do! At Merlyn, we design AI solutions to empower teachers to focus more of their time and energy on human work – not replace them.
Creating a more equitable and accessible learning environment
Instead of teachers sifting through pages of data, AI can quickly analyze assessment data to flag where and when students need additional support. Many tools can also create personalized learning paths to support each students’ needs, allowing educators to cater to the diverse styles of learning in their classrooms.
This section of the plan will help you greatly when it comes to selecting which AI tools to use and which ones to skip. By clearly outlining how the tools ladder to your goals and what the right fit looks like for your unique school system, you’ll be better equipped to select tools that make an impact.
Start with a needs assessment
Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to determine how AI tools can best serve the district. Include what challenges or goals technology can help you achieve, whether a tool is for students or teachers, and how the technology aligns with standards and district learning objectives.
Perform due diligence on the tool and the company
Review the research and evidence available about the tool’s effectiveness. What is the anticipated impact of using this tool? What evidence exists to demonstrate that logic? Additionally, ensure that any AI technologies use a diverse dataset to help eliminate bias and promote inclusivity.
As part of this audit, be sure you carefully evaluate the company’s privacy and security measures. Just as you need strong policies and procedures in place to ensure privacy and security, so does the company who is accessing the data. For example, at Merlyn, our Responsible AI team works to ensure that Merlyn solutions built on our domain-specific LLM adhere to the highest standards for safety, in addition to COPPA and FERPA requirements.
Resource: To help with the tool procurement process, we’ve developed Teacher and Administrator Checklists for Responsible AI Adoption. This downloadable resource will help your team evaluate Al tools for their safety and guide discussions you may have with a provider.
When rolling out any new technology, many of the questions or concerns relate to data privacy and security. That makes it even more critical that this section clearly communicate the policies, procedures, and responsibilities you’ll uphold to ensure data security and the ethical use of data.
Topics that you’ll want to include:
Data protection measures
Outline protocols for collecting, storing, and managing student data in compliance with relevant privacy laws and regulations.
Explain how you will ensure AI systems adhere to strict data security standards to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches.
Additionally, outline what data encryption and secure storage protocols will be implemented to safeguard student information.
Ethical Use of Data
In this section, you’ll want to provide clear criteria for determining what ethical AI use looks like for your school or district, how AI systems should be used, and how the community can address ethical breaches or concerns. You may already know where you’ve drawn the lines in the sand on these topics, or developing this policy may prompt more discussions about gray areas you have currently.
Consider including:
Cybersecurity Safety Measures
Identify the ongoing cybersecurity training that will be provided to educators and staff to enhance their awareness of potential threats and implement best practices for safeguarding student data.
Even the best systems have some vulnerability, so you’ll also want to include an incident response plan to address data breaches or cybersecurity incidents, if and when they happen. Communicating this plan transparently reinforces that you’ll act swiftly and effectively to mitigate risks should the need arise. Also include when regular monitoring and auditing of data systems will be conducted to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
Stay tuned for part 2 of "How to Create a Responsible AI Policy for Your School or District," where we'll discuss your educator training and support plan, prioritizing student well-being, and communicating your rollout plan.
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Schedule a free personalized demo to see our purpose-built solutions in action, and hear how innovative schools are leveraging the power of Merlyn in their classrooms.
Schedule a free personalized demo to see our purpose-built solutions in action, and hear how innovative schools are leveraging the power of Merlyn in their classrooms.