Key points:
A Michigan Virtual survey of more than 1,000 educators from classrooms, districts, and support organizations found higher trust in AI among building and district administrators than within teacher populations, underscoring the need for successful AI implementation to address teacher concerns and focus on ethical considerations in addition to logistical ones.
The survey looked at how educators in Michigan are using AI and how they are implementing AI in schools. The results of the survey are clear that additional work is needed to support awareness, research, training, and addressing concerns in the field. These results also revealed that many educators are ready to engage in this challenge, with the right supports in place.
It was distributed across the state to better understand educator needs regarding AI as the state works to establish a robust and unified strategy for collecting educator opinions about AI.
The workgroup includes top leaders from 14 organizations, including the Michigan Education Association, Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, and more.
Key survey takeaways include:
Building and district administrators have high trust in AI and deeper experience with AI: “Building and district administrators have higher levels of trust in AI and consider AI integration to be a higher priority than teachers. These administrators also have much more experience using AI both personally and professionally than teachers. As such, administrators need to be mindful and patient as teachers may not automatically ‘buy into’ their vision for AI integration. Education leaders can use their experience and vision to lead their buildings and districts but need to be understanding of stakeholder concerns and reluctance towards AI.”
Educators are using AI in their buildings and classrooms, regardless of official district policy: “Only approximately 30 percent of district administrators reported that their school, school board, or governing body officially adopted AI policy or guidelines; however, over 50 percent of educators who responded to this survey reported using AI in their professional role (an additional 15 percent reported using it personally but not professionally). Educators (not all, but many) are “ahead” of their districts and using AI in their classrooms and schools. Whether or not districts want to pursue AI integration, this data suggests a real need for clear AI policies and guidelines to guide the use that is already taking place.”
There exists a group of AI skeptics that cannot be ignored: “There is a not insignificant group of educators who have little to no interest, low trust, and are not actively seeking information on AI. Six percent of educators reported that they are not looking for support on AI integration and will not need it in the future, 20 percent have not used AI and do not plan to, and approximately 10 percent do not think AI will be used significantly in classrooms in the next 5 years. This group of educators, while not the majority, may possess serious concerns about AI integration and/or be largely apathetic to the potential uses and implications of AI.”
Discussions around AI are just getting started: “A vast majority of educators, over 80 percent, feel like AI will play a “very significant” or “somewhat significant” role in education in the next 5 years. However, given current experience and use trends, there exists a large gap between how and when educators are using AI now and where they expect to be in the future. Encouragingly, educators reported a strong need for support integrating AI into their schools and districts in the areas of professional development/expertise, data privacy, and draft policy and guidelines among others.”
“The findings from this study highlight both the enthusiasm and the apprehensions surrounding AI integration in education. As district-level leaders, it is our responsibility to listen to concerns, be forward-thinking, and weave in the unique perspectives of the communities we serve,” said Dr. Shawn Bishop, MASA Associate Executive Director. “It seems evident that AI is only going to grow more prevalent in our world. District leaders must use this data and input from our communities to lead forward with; robust training, clear policies, thoughtful education, and assurance that AI is used ethically and effectively to enhance learning and prepare our children for this changing world.”
Additionally, many educators are already using AI both personally and professionally, and students are utilizing the tool academically. This reality needs to be addressed with school and district policies and guidelines to govern use.
“A desire for more information and professional development on AI integration underscores the pivotal role educational institutions must play in empowering educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to harness the power of AI while upholding the core values of education, said Sue Schwartz, Executive Director of the Regional Educational Media Center (REMC) Association of Michigan.
Despite high use, there remain small pockets of educators with serious concerns about AI who refrain from using it and are hesitant to engage. As a potentially disruptive technology, connecting with and informing these educators is critical to long-term success for both teachers and students.
“Surveying our partners to learn more about how they are impacted by AI within their buildings and classrooms was critical to developing a path forward,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, CEO & President of Michigan Virtual. “This is one of the most transformative technologies in modern times. AI holds the potential to revolutionize the educational experience for educators and students, so we need to understand how to leverage that experience within schools.”
Michigan Virtual’s AI Guidelines for educators can be found here. They were created as a complementary resource to Michigan Virtual’s Planning Guide for AI. Additional resources from the Michigan Virtual AI Lab can be found here.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
