AI in Schools: Balancing Innovation and Evaluation
In classrooms across the nation, schools are diving into the world of artificial intelligence, yet many are grappling with the challenge of assessing its impact on students. Amidst this technological exploration, determining the benefits or drawbacks of AI tools remains elusive.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Schools across the country are experimenting with AI in classrooms. In some districts, AI chatbots give students feedback on their work. But how should schools measure whether these experiments are helping students or harming them? Lee Gaines reports from one school in Dayton, Ohio.
LEE GAINES, BYLINE: In a unique educational setting in Dayton, Ohio, a high school senior interacts with an AI chatbot, offering advice akin to a therapeutic session.
N: I feel like a therapist, like I’m actually helping him.
GAINES: Known only as N, the student was part of an AI initiative at the Alternative School at Jackson Center, where students with behavioral challenges engage with AI chatbots like Jordan to discuss personal issues.
N: I kind of built this connection with him trying to get to the point of his issue and why he’s, like, feeling this way.
GAINES: Jordan, the AI chatbot, encourages students to share their thoughts by asking for advice on relatable issues. Although students like N find the experience rewarding, measuring its effectiveness remains a challenge.
MIKE KENTZ: Every test, every experiment that I try to measure in some sort of concrete way, I can only get as far as perception.
GAINES: Mike Kentz, a consultant for the Dayton school district, acknowledges the difficulty in quantifying the success of AI projects in education. Robin Lake, who leads the Center on Reinventing Public Education, notes the broader struggle educators face with technology assessment.
ROBIN LAKE: It’s been frustrating to see that innovation is tackled without a lot of attention to evidence building.
GAINES: The rapid development of AI tools leaves schools overwhelmed, often unsure of what truly benefits students.
LAKE: The technology is moving so quickly. Tools are being produced at such a rapid pace. And everybody is feeling overwhelmed in schools and saying, you know, I don’t know what works.
GAINES: As a result, Kentz remains cautious about expanding the use of the Jordan chatbot extensively in Dayton.
KENTZ: I don’t think it should be immediately input into their district or any others as some sort of, you know, full-scale solution.
KATELYN SCHOENHOFER: We wrestle with what does success really mean when it comes to AI use.
GAINES: In Wichita, Kansas, AI specialist Katelyn Schoenhofer is introducing students to a variety of AI tools in a measured manner. Last year’s AI exploration day for middle schoolers allowed students to engage with educational game development.
SCHOENHOFER: They got to make educational games and code those games and share them with their friends.
GAINES: High schoolers in the district are also utilizing AI-based math tutors. Despite the challenges in evaluation, Schoenhofer advocates for continued, albeit cautious, experimentation.
SCHOENHOFER: We are still going ahead with caution but with optimism with our students because it is something that is going to impact their lives. It is something they need to be educated about.
GAINES: Robin Lake concurs that halting AI experimentation could hinder students’ preparedness for a rapidly evolving world.
LAKE: We will set our kids back from being able to navigate a world that is changing outside of schools faster than we can possibly imagine.
GAINES: To support responsible AI integration, Lake suggests that government bodies establish frameworks to guide educational institutions in preparing students for future challenges. For NPR News, I’m Lee Gaines.
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