AI in K-12: Practical use cases schools are already using

AI in K-12 isn't a problem to solve tomorrow — it's a tool to use today.

Teachers and students understand this. That’s why they’ve been using generative AI tools as a force multiplier to diversify instruction and assist student learners in novel ways that previously required:

• More time
• Larger budgets
• Increased headcounts
• Greater accessibility

To address the unique needs and limitations that students and instructional institutions are, respectfully, faced with.

Our guide, "AI in K-12: Practical Use Cases," doesn’t ask the question: Does AI belong in the classroom? Instead, it provides insight into common ways K-12 stakeholders are currently using AI tools for education, learning, IT and school-based operations. It presents this information and then asks whether K-12 IT and educational leaders have a thoughtful plan for managing AI compliance.

Or, is adoption occurring silently, unmanaged and without visibility into:

• What AI tools are being used?
• Who is using these tools?
• How are they being used?
• Where is use happening?
• Which data sets are being shared?
• What role does regulation play?

Three ways AI helps stakeholders in the classroom

Drafting lesson plans

Among the many tasks that are part of an educator's ever-growing to-do list, lesson planning takes a significant bite of time from teachers. How much is difficult to quantify as it varies between educators, schools, subjects, cognitive level and differentiation for students. Not to mention that the time needed often occurs both in and out of the classroom.

That’s why it’s no surprise that educators jump at the chance to reduce the time spent on generating high-quality lesson plans by over 30%, according to trial findings in the UK by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

Personalized tutoring

Typically requiring additional private funding, access to a tutor that personalizes learning to the student’s unique needs and learning style may be out of reach for a significant percentage of the student population globally.

However, leveraging the adaptive capabilities of AI, students reap the benefits of customized help with literacy and comprehension tools that support learners by:

• Reading aloud
• Drafting reports
• Explaining math problems
• Research support

And much more, helping students get the support they need at school and at home – without adding another task to the teacher’s plate or incurring a financial burden for the parent.

Early intervention support

This use case doesn’t benefit teachers or students, at least not directly. Rather, it helps schools identify individual student risk indicators of possible chronic problems down the line through attendance and academic records.

Paired alongside helpful responses like learning gap tracking and progress monitoring, and with the help of teachers and parents, schools prioritize intervention strategies to proactively remediate student learning outcomes instead of reacting to them after it’s become a severe problem.

Conclusion

If you answered, “AI is being blocked,” to the question, What AI tools are being used, we urge educational stakeholders to read our guide so they understand that, simply put: blocking AI is not a solution.

Truthfully, it’s a band-aid at best, preventing less tech-savvy stakeholders from accessing AI tooling until the workaround gets out and everyone’s using it (again).

At worst, it gives institutions a false sense of security. The reality is that stakeholders continue using "blocked tools" after admins have blocked it – except now, IT lacks insight into the personal devices, unsanctioned apps and school data being used with them.

Visibility, or the lack thereof, introduces more risk, not less, and strengthens the case for K-12 institutions to build the proper guardrails around AI tools. In doing so, they develop use cases that genuinely enable and empower teachers and students to reach desired learning outcomes while maintaining compliance with current and evolving regulations, such as AI Governance.