AI Policy For K-12 Education: How To Develop

The AI Revolution In Education

According to an EdWeek Research Center survey conducted last year, 79% of educators say their districts don’t have clear policies on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. This is a concerning statistic given that AI is revolutionizing various sectors, including education.

As AI continues to reshape how students and staff work and learn, K-12 education leaders must establish comprehensive guidelines for integrating this technology into educational settings. Developing an effective AI policy is a critical step in this process. In this article, we’ll define what an AI policy is and offer tips on how to develop one so your school can model responsible and ethical AI adoption in K-12 education.

What Is An AI Policy?

An AI policy is a set of guidelines and expectations concerning the responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. In an educational context, an AI policy establishes best practices for how students, teachers, and staff should use the technology to promote learning outcomes, reinforce academic integrity, and protect users’ privacy.

Although AI policies differ across school districts, many of them feature guiding principles for AI usage, examples of appropriate and inappropriate use, consequences of violations, and more. This information helps students and other stakeholders understand how AI fits into their lives. It also ensures they know when and how to use the technology for various educational tasks.

Why Do K-12 Schools Need An AI Policy?

K-12 schools should implement an AI policy for several reasons. Here are four of them:

1. To Ensure Responsible And Ethical Use Of AI

Without the clear guidance that an AI policy provides, students and staff could misuse or abuse the technology. For example, students may rely too heavily on AI for their academic work and teachers could unwittingly provide personally identifiable information (PII) to AI systems. An AI policy would prevent these mishaps by clarifying what AI technology should be used for and outlining use cases that would violate ethical and legal considerations.

2. To Promote Academic Integrity

AI policies reinforce fundamental values of academic integrity, including trust, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility. These policies require students to produce original work, properly cite information received from AI tools, and review that information for inaccuracies.

3. To Protect Data Privacy And Security

AI tools, including those that generate content, learn from sensitive data provided by students, teachers, and staff. An AI policy would prohibit the provision of such information. It would also inform stakeholders about how data gathered from the community will be collected, stored, and used.

4. To Educate Stakeholders About AI

According to a 2024 EdWeek survey, 56% of educators expect AI tool usage to increase in their school or district over the next year. Given this anticipated increase, educators as well as learners need to know how to properly leverage AI technology. They should also be informed of the benefits, risks, and limitations of AI. An AI policy can address these concerns and encourage further education through training.

The Difference Between AI Policies For K-12 Schools And Higher Education Institutions

Both K-12 schools and higher education institutions benefit from having an AI policy. However, policies for these respective entities differ in complexity and focus.

Since K-12 students have a more limited understanding of AI tools and the ethical considerations of AI usage, K-12 AI policies feature simpler language and more straightforward use cases. They also emphasize the most basic values of academic integrity.

Meanwhile, AI policies for higher education institutions are more robust, focusing on research implications, advanced academic integrity concerns, and broader ethical considerations. Since students are more mature, they can engage with these nuanced areas.

Another difference is that K-12 AI policies anticipate high parental involvement since students are minors. Parents are encouraged to monitor their students’ AI usage, and disciplinary actions for violations often include parent-teacher conferences.

Conversely, postsecondary AI policies hold students to a higher level of accountability since they’re older and more autonomous. Penalties for violations are also more severe, including a student’s possible expulsion from a college or university.

What Should An AI Policy Include?

An effective AI policy shouldn’t simply ban AI tools. Instead, your school’s policy should provide specific guidelines so students and staff understand what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate use. Below are components to include in your AI policy so students and staff understand when and how to use AI.

Definition Of AI

Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Underneath that umbrella is generative AI, which can produce original content. Generative AI includes tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, and DALL-E.

Having a clear definition of AI will help students and staff quickly determine whether or not they’re employing the technology in their work. Your school will also be able to outlaw specific AI use cases or even specific AI tools, which will provide greater clarity and improve compliance.

Appropriate And Inappropriate Use Of AI

AI can be employed in countless ways—from solving math equations to automating grading. To ensure students and staff use the technology responsibly, outline appropriate and inappropriate use cases. Here are a few examples for students, teachers, and administrators:

• Appropriate use of AI
  • Students
    Simplifying complex concepts, brainstorming ideas, creating personalized study plans, and finding sources for research
  • Teachers
    Tracking attendance, automating grading, brainstorming ideas for lesson plans, and providing standardized feedback
  • Administrators
    Drafting communications, streamlining course scheduling, generating performance reports, and responding to frequently asked questions
• Inappropriate use of AI
  • Students
    Not asking for permission to use AI tools, completing entire assignments with AI, not fact-checking AI-assisted work, and not properly citing AI usage
  • Teachers
    Analyzing students’ personal information, deciding disciplinary actions, replacing human interaction, and creating whole lesson plans with AI
  • Administrators
    Collecting data without authorization, surveilling students and staff, evaluating teachers, and leveraging AI without informing the community

Consequences Of Policy Violations

This section of the AI policy should highlight how schools will respond to violations. This includes disciplinary actions, how the violations will be characterized, (e.g., as an ethics violation), and whether the offense will correspond with the school’s plagiarism policies. Possible disciplinary actions for students include a parent-teacher conference, discipline referral, grade forfeiture, resubmission of the assignment, and/or an administrator conference.

Data Privacy And Security Guidelines

AI models are trained on user data, so the AI policy should address data privacy concerns. Specifically, it should outline the kind of information students, teachers, and staff should avoid feeding to AI programs. For example, personally identifiable information like the names of specific students and individualized education plans (IEPs) should be withheld. The policy should also inform stakeholders about the school’s data collection efforts, including how that information will be used and handled to protect community members’ privacy.

Additional Resources

The subject of AI is too complicated to be addressed within a single AI policy. For that reason, education leaders should provide additional resources that will help community members better understand AI and how to use it effectively and ethically. Possible resources include AI guidance from other sources, AI citation guides, courses on how to use and teach AI, and regulations concerning the use of AI in education.

How To Develop An Effective AI Policy In 7 Steps

An AI policy isn’t something that K-12 education leaders should hastily put together. Instead, creating an effective AI policy takes time, community input, and continuous improvement. With that in mind, here are seven steps for developing a robust policy that will guide students, teachers, and administrators’ use of AI.

1. Establish A Task Force

Assemble a group of stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, administrators, and IT specialists. These individuals will help craft an inclusive and comprehensive policy.

Identify the concerns of all parties. This might include questions from parents about data privacy, ethical concerns from teachers, and implementation challenges identified by administrators. These issues should inform the policy’s content. The task force should also develop goals. For example, how do members want the school to use AI: to improve efficiency, enhance learning, promote AI literacy, or all of the above?

2. Survey Community Members

While the task force will provide vital information for the AI policy, K-12 education leaders should also gather insights from others in the community. This can be done by conducting surveys to gauge students’ and staff members’ awareness and use of AI. With this information, education leaders will know how AI is being used among community members, which will be crucial for outlining use cases.

Besides gauging awareness and usage, education leaders can employ surveys to determine additional concerns, expectations, and hopes about AI. Having this insight will allow leaders to craft a policy that addresses those concerns and meets stakeholders’ expectations.

3. Research Other AI Policies

To ensure your AI policy is relevant, comprehensive, and reflects the current state of AI technology, you should review AI guidance from various sources. For example, the Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology published a policy report on the use of AI in education. You can also check to see if your state’s education department has published its own guidelines.

Use these sources to determine what your policy should include. Then, based on insights gained from community members, decide what you should add. That way, your policy follows national guidelines while also addressing the unique needs of your community.

4. Draft A Policy

Keeping in mind insights from stakeholders, research findings, and your school’s limitations, draft a robust AI policy. Remember that you can’t address everything, so define the policy’s scope. This will clarify what the policy covers, what it doesn’t, and who it affects.

Once drafted, the policy should undergo a thorough review process. During that process, collect and evaluate feedback from task force members and other stakeholders.

5. Edit, Finalize, And Share The Policy

When editing the drafted policy, consider stakeholders’ feedback. Make sure the policy’s language is clear, concise, and inclusive. From there, finalize the policy and share it with the educational community. Notify community members of the new policy through email, social media, and other communication channels.

Also, ensure the policy is easily visible and accessible on the school’s website. Additionally, consider including the policy in the school’s code of conduct and course syllabi.

6. Educate Students And Staff

Simply having a policy won’t guarantee that students and staff will use AI responsibly. You also need to continuously educate them on the benefits and risks of AI technology. Start by hosting AI workshops for teachers so they can learn how to integrate AI into the classroom without infringing on privacy rights or committing ethical violations.

Meanwhile, students can be educated on AI in the classroom. For example, teachers can have lessons on citing AI. They can also allow students to use AI for certain in-class activities so students can learn appropriate use cases.

7. Monitor Results And Make Adjustments

You won’t know how effective your school’s AI policy is if you don’t monitor compliance and conduct regular reviews. A rule of thumb is to review the policy annually. Get feedback from the community and stay abreast of changes in the AI field. Then, use that information to improve your existing policy. You should clarify, add, or remove certain sections based on feedback. If you notice recurring questions or observe concerning uses, address those issues in the updated policy.

AI Policies Are Essential To The Future Of K-12 Education

The adoption of AI technology will only intensify across education and other industries. K-12 education leaders can navigate this reality by developing a robust AI policy.

An AI policy will provide clear guidelines for adopting AI into educational settings. By outlining acceptable and unacceptable use cases and detailing consequences for violations, the policy will ensure that students and staff use AI programs responsibly and ethically. To create an effective AI policy, K-12 education leaders should establish a task force, survey stakeholders, and research existing AI guidance.

Keep in mind, though, that your work isn’t done after the policy goes public. Monitor results, solicit feedback, and regularly update the policy to ensure your school properly responds to AI developments and helps shape a future where technology enhances, instead of undermines, education.

Originally published at medium.com.