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The Hill
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Trump admin seeks to unleash AI in schools
The Trump administration is looking to propel the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, a task that puts the U.S. in a race with China and faces open-ended questions on the best way to implement the technology for students. Multiple AI plans, including for K-12 schools, were released last week by President Trump in a moment advocates say could either be a turning point or quickly fizzle out. The next steps will depend on private market buy-in, addressing ethical and data concerns and ensuring educators have the proper training with AI. Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent guidance to K-12 schools outlining formula and discretionary grant funds that can be used to integrate AI into instructional material creation, tutoring, career and college guidance and teacher preparation. The guidance came as Trump introduced a broader 'Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan,' hitting every sector and declaring AI's importance for U.S. national security. 'This is really the first time the U.S. government has explicitly positioned AI education as a national security issue, and it's really a long time coming' said Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of the AI Education Project, adding Beijing has had a lead on AI in education since 2017. China 'built a multilevel AI education system, from K-12 to vocational, university tracks, and launched teacher outreach programs,' Kotran said. 'It's very clear … the administration is basically saying, 'Game on.'' An important crux of this strategy will be innovation and buy-in from the private market, as the top-down approach implemented in China is not plausible in the U.S. But so far, it seems many educators are willing to embrace the new challenge. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced a partnership earlier this month with the United Federation of Teachers, Microsoft Corp., OpenAI and Anthropic to create the National Academy for AI Instruction. The academy will give free AI training to all 1.8 million members of the AFT, one of the largest teachers unions in the country. The implementation of AI in schools, however, will face a national patchwork of initiatives. California has introduced official AI guidance, while others states such as Tennessee are pushing for oversight and AI literacy legislation. Mississippi has established an AI task force to create recommendations on implementing the technology in schools. 'The tools are changing so fast that the education system will not be able to keep up with them if you're only focused on AI literacy … so it will not make sense for the school system to set up curricula around teaching how particular tools work, but I think they need to focus really on helping students teach themselves how to use the best tools that they have available,' said Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation. In the recently released 'AI Learning Priorities for All K-12 Students' report by the Computer Science Teachers Association, only 42 percent of surveyed teachers felt prepared to teach AI, while 85 percent believe AI should be included in foundational computer science experiences. The concept of AI in schools exploded in 2022 in the U.S. after ChatGPT hit the scene, with some districts initially banning the technology due to cheating concerns. Schools are still facing difficulties with how to address AI cheating and bullying. Privacy and ethical concerns remain a key issue as leaders look to race ahead with AI education. In her 'Dear Colleague' letter, McMahon highlighted 'responsible use' of AI, which she said should be educator-led, ethical, accessible, transparent and data-protective. 'The Department expects grantees to apply sound judgment and partner with researchers, educators, and communities to ensure the effective, safe, and ethical deployment of AI,' McMahon wrote. She explained that use of AI must follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, outputs should be evaluated so students learn with rather than from AI and that stakeholders such as parents should be fully informed about how the technology works. 'I think part of what we see as critical for all students to learn are about the core personal, societal and environmental impacts, both positive and negative, of this technology,' said Jake Baskin, executive director of the Computer Science Teachers Association. 'I think, in ensuring students learn how it works and dig into those ethical aspects of what this looks like, we're going to ensure we're supporting students to actually be critical about that themselves and ask really hard questions to their teachers, to their administrators, to their school boards, of how their data is being used, how AI is being leveraged and what that means for them,' he added.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New state commissioner nominee attracts universal, bipartisan support
In contrast to the polarizing fight over a new education commissioner eight years ago, Gov. Kelly Ayotte's pick of 15-year Department of Education executive Caitlin Davis of Concord attracted unanimous, bipartisan support during a public hearing. The 2½-hour session in the Executive Council chambers Tuesday drew a parade of supporters for a candidate that vowed to be an apolitical consensus builder, looking to create pathways for students to excel. 'Listening first, leading with humility and always keeping students at the center,' Davis said of her priorities in prepared remarks. The outpouring virtually guarantees that the council, meeting in Pittsburg on Wednesday, will confirm Davis to succeed two-term Commissioner Frank Edelblut of Wilton, whom Ayotte chose not to renominate when his current stint ran out at the end of March. Several speakers across the ideological spectrum said Davis would bring stability and more tranquility to the public-school landscape that endured many divisive debates about Edelblut's reform agenda such as universal Education Freedom Accounts, the Learn Everywhere program and a total rewrite of the state's education standards. 'We would like to see a commissioner of education who both leads and supports our local public schools strongly and feel the nominee will be in that direction,' said Deb Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest union that was often at odds with Edelblut's approach. 'Cooperation and collegiality' Rep. Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, the House Education chairman, got the task of pushing many of Edelblut's policies through the State House maze, but he too signaled it was time for a change. 'We ought to figure out a way to clone her 10 times over; she is really needed,' Ladd said. "She is not political as we have seen here in the past several years.' Former Education Board Chairman Fred Bramante worked with Edelblut on the standards and said Davis will usher in an era of 'cooperation and collegiality.' 'I am expecting there will be a different tone in education circles across the state with Caitlin as commissioner,' Bramante said. Micaela Demeter serves on the Dover School Board and the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project and spoke only for herself. 'I am really excited for a fresh start,' Demeter said. 'There is a lot of level of trust rebuilding that needs to happen based on (the) outgoing commissioner.' Once overlooked himself, Edelblut backed her In 2017, new Gov. Chris Sununu nominated Edelblut, whom he had narrowly beaten in the GOP gubernatorial primary four months earlier. Tom Raffio, a former state board chair, said 57 pages of opposition showed a lack of confidence in the choice. One prominent sticking point was Edelblut's lack of experience in public schooling as an educator, administrator or even as a parent, having opted to home-school his seven children. The council endorsed Edelblut, 3-2, along partisan lines with Democratic Councilors Andru Volinsky of Concord and Chris Pappas of Manchester in opposition. While stunned at not getting the chance to serve four more years, Edelblut endorsed the pick of Davis this time. 'Caitlin is a respected peer within the state's education field and a pivotal member of our leadership team. We are proud to have this nomination from within our own pool of talented professionals,' Edelblut said in June on the day she was nominated. In Edelblut's final week, the state Education Department notched a win when the Trump administration released $6 million in critical federal grants it had previously frozen, part of billions of dollars unfrozen nationwide. Prosecutors from blue states had sued the White House over the decision, but Davis said the latest development showed that wasn't necessary. 'We continue to review all the legal remedies that we might have. We did not think legal action was the best step at that time,' Davis said. Several said Davis was uniquely qualified to deal with the changing federal grant landscape under a president who has favored abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. 'She is probably the best prepared candidate to lead the Department of Education ever, perhaps the best to lead any state agency,' said Labor Commissioner Ken Merrifield, who got to know Davis when she attended Bishop Brady High School in Concord with his children. Every program to come under the microscope If confirmed, Davis said no existing program will be immune from review. 'He calls himself an innovator,' Davis said of Edelblut at one point while praising the incumbent for leaving public schools in better shape upon his departure. 'I would like to spend a lot of time looking at some of those programs, understanding some of the ones that are working, some of the ones that are not working — ensuring all of the support from the Department of Education is supporting programs that are high-quality, needed by students, and are a good use of our taxpayer dollars,' Davis said. After a private career in auditing, Davis came to the Department of Education in 2010 as an internal auditor. During her tenure, Davis has overseen the department's Bureau of Assessment and Accountability, Bureau of Education Statistics, Bureau of Educational Opportunities, Bureau of School Finance and Bureau of Federal Compliance. Michael Bessette, assistant superintendent of the Kearsarge Regional School District, said the fact Davis never taught in a classroom will be no impediment. "Caitlin Davis has an exceptional capacity to listen; that is the key," Bessette added. klandrigan@ Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
"Good Trouble Get Down" Honors John Lewis with March, Bold Vision & Call to Action
Atlanta leads day of action with symbolic march, panel discussion, block party, and press conference on the sweeping tax and spending cuts and the Supreme Court's decision allowing the administration to gut the Department of Education. ATLANTA, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the National John Lewis Day commemorating the fifth anniversary of the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis's passing and his lifelong fight for voting rights, civil rights, and justice, local organizations will host the Good Trouble Get Down on Thursday, July 17 in 4-7 PM in Atlanta. The afternoon begins with a SYMBOLIC MARCH, mirroring Rep. Lewis's historic crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, starting at his mural on Auburn Avenue and ending at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park Amphitheater. Participating groups include the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, ACLU of Georgia and American Federation of Teachers. A PRESS CONFERENCE will follow the march, where local civil rights leaders will respond to pressing national developments—including the recently passed tax and spending cut bill, the firing of thousands of federal workers, and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing the gutting of the Department of Education. A PANEL DISCUSSION titled "Where Do We Go From Here?" will explore motivational messaging and organizing strategies to increase voter engagement heading into the 2025 local and 2026 midterm elections. The evening will close in true John Lewis fashion—with "Happy" music, dance, and joy at the GOOD TROUBLE "GET DOWN" BLOCK PARTY, featuring a DJ and dynamic live performances. The John Lewis Day of Action is a national call to honor Congressman Lewis's legacy by turning remembrance into resistance—and joy into justice. In Atlanta, the heart of Georgia's 5th Congressional District—the district Congressman Lewis proudly represented—local organizers will march, educate, register voters, and celebrate the power of community. This is more than a commemoration—it's a mobilization. As Congressman Lewis reminded us: "If you see something that is not right… you have a moral obligation to say something, do something." While a coalition of Georgia groups organizes locally, the National John Lewis Day initiative—a 50-state voting and civil rights action—is led by the Transformative Justice Coalition, Black Voters Matter, Indivisible, Declaration for American Democracy, Public Citizen, and others. Thursday, July 17, 2025 schedule: 4:00 PM: Assemble at the John Lewis "Hero" Mural - 219 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 4:30 PM: Good Trouble March from mural to MLK National Historic Park Amphitheater led by Coach Q (5050I) and Attorney Gerald Griggs (GA NAACP) 5:00 PM: Press Conference Location: National Historic Park Amphitheater in front of Horizon Ebenezer (across from The King Center), 400 Auburn Ave NE 5:30 Panel Discussion – Same Location 6:00 PM–8:00 PM: Good Trouble "Get Down" Block Party Celebration Press Conference Speakers: Helen Butler – Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda Andrea Young – ACLU of Georgia Fredrick Ingram – American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Attorney Mawuli Davis – Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Kimberly King – League of Women Voters Atlanta/Fulton & AFT Panel Discussion Participants: Adrian Consonery, Jr, Lyfeline Initiative Inc (Moderator) Tariq Craft – National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis) Noah Waters – Atlanta University Center Angel Ewards – Transformative Justice Coalition Autumn Smith – Director of History, SCLC Block Party Performers: JK Savvy No Clu3 Total Dance Dancical Teen Company One Love Special Guest: Poet Laureate Hank Stewart Music by DJ Naka the Ear Doctor The media is encouraged to attend. For more information contact Edrea via text: 818.613.9521 or email: edmedia@ Kemauhl: text- 678.663.8035 or Kemauhld@ Contact: Edrea Davis, Jazzmyne PR- edmedia@ Davis – Kemauhld@ 678.663.8035 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's challenge to Democrats on school choice: Put up or shut up
On Independence Day, President Trump signed into law the biggest expansion of universal private school choice in American history. In its reporting, the New York Times inexplicably characterized a last-minute amendment limiting Education Savings Accounts only to states that opt-in as a ' win for Democrats and teachers' unions,' because blue states would presumably choose not to participate. Although American Federation of Teachers president and recently resigned DNC member Randi Weingarten may view the denial of school choice to blue state parents as a 'win,' I doubt working class voters would agree. In fact, that 'win' represents a political landmine for Democrats. I am skeptical about the wisdom of Trump's Education Savings Accounts plan, but I must admit that I am only typing this sentence because of a scholarship I received to attend a private school many years ago. When I was 16, my alcoholic father committed suicide. I vividly remember going to school the first day after my dad's funeral feeling overwhelmed, numb and embarrassed. And I remember how my teachers made me feel safe and seen in a way that altered the trajectory of my life. My younger brother wasn't so lucky. He went to a different school when our dad died and joined a gang after dropping out. I have seen firsthand the impact of education dancing on the razor's edge of a child's life. That's why I do what I do. So I respect leaders like Democrats for Education Reform chief Jorge Elorza, who are driving the voucher debate. But I have a healthy skepticism about the public policy implications of scaling a wild-west national Education Savings Account plan with few regulatory guardrails to ensure educational quality — not to mention separation of church and state red flags or my belief in the promise of public education. Policy concerns aside, voters now face a stark color-coded national split-screen. In red states, you get free money for the school of your choice. In blue states, you get what you get and you don't get upset. Listening to teachers union leaders like Weingarten and her allies, you'd think charter schools were created in an underground right-wing laboratory as part of a secret plot to ' privatize ' public education. In fact charter schools were originally proposed in 1988 by her own American Federation of Teachers predecessor Al Shanker. I worked in the White House for President Bill Clinton, who proudly ran on charter schools when only one existed in America. President Barack Obama later scaled high-quality charters as part of his bold Race to the Top agenda. Charters are public schools, which means they are free and secular, cannot have admission requirements, and have strict regulatory controls on educational quality. That doesn't sound like a Republican plot to destroy public education to me. I am a longtime public school parent. My daughters have attended our great neighborhood Los Angeles Unified School District school, as well as multiple high-quality public charters. But we literally had to win a lottery to get into their charter schools. That's because California caps charter growth, since many charters are not unionized, as a Democratic Party favor to teachers unions. Amongst progressive issues outside education that Weingarten and I agree upon is that Trump is a threat to democracy. That's exactly why the time is now for a Democratic moonshot to translate 'high-quality public schools' from a soundbite into a civil right. In debating this abundance moonshot, the onus is on Democrats like me who are skeptical about Education Savings Accounts to articulate a compelling alternative that can win back working class voters. Weingarten, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have rightly championed universal preschool, free community college and student loan relief. But the entire K-12 experience of a child is conveniently missing from that agenda. In addition to scaling high-quality public school choice, our moonshot must span preschool to post-secondary, pivot from 'equity' to 'quality,' and put parents — not party interests — at the center. This begins with eliminating school attendance boundaries that trap children in failing schools; expanding high-quality career and technical education; universal tutoring for the COVID generation; endorsement of science of reading; and finishing the job of Brown v. Board of Education by codifying high-quality public schools as a civil right for all children in America. The good news for my party is that Democrats have a strong bench of national leaders with a record of challenging party orthodoxy. That was a feature — not a bug — of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's success as the only two-term Democratic presidents since Franklin Roosevelt. The bad news is that while Democrats have dithered for a decade under Biden, Harris and Weingarten, Republicans have been formulating a bold vision for American education with obvious appeal for the same working class voters Democrats need to win back. The ball is decidedly now in our court. Democratic leaders must volley with a viable vision that speaks to the urgent needs of working-class parents — not just to do the right thing for kids, but also to win back power. For the sake of American democracy, Democrats must not concede education Independence Day to Trump.
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Far-Left teachers are indoctrinating children to hate the West
The breakdown in relations between the US's top teacher's union, the National Education Association (NEA), and the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group focused on tackling anti-Semitism, reflects a deeper and dangerous takeover of education by determined activists. Besides the usual financial demands, education is increasingly seen as a means to achieve progressive, even radical 'social justice', which of course means boycotting anything connected to Israel. The NEA is clearly taking political sides, claiming that it is pledging 'to defend democracy against Trump's embrace of fascism'. The union is also adamant in defending undocumented immigrants, opposing parental rights, and pledging to back mass demonstrations against the administration. This approach is seen by boosters as 'social justice unionism', adding political stances to the usual economic ones. The political orientation of NEA and the second largest teacher's organisation, the American Federation of Teachers, with a combined membership of 4.5 million, is pretty clear. Their political donations even before Trump went 95 per cent to Democrats. But the transformation of teachers into cadres of the progressive Left is not restricted to the United States. It can be seen throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. In the UK, Britain's National Education Union has drifted ever further to the extremes. Last year, it passed a resolution denouncing Israel as 'racist'. Its rabid anti-Israel status has elicited complaints of anti-Semitism. The union has been labelled a 'hostile environment' for British Jews. Such attitudes can be carried into the classroom. This can be seen in California's ethnic studies programme, shaped by critical race theory, which has been accused of being openly anti-Zionist and of dismissing Jews as white oppressors. As one observer put it, the programme implies that 'Genghis Khan was a nice guy. Israel is evil'. San Francisco has seen anti-Israel walkouts in high schools, allegedly organised by an advocacy group with access to student addresses. In Toronto, children as young as eight were reportedly 'compelled' to attend a rally that devolved into anti-Israel chanting at the bequest of their progressive teachers. This takeover of the teaching profession by the far-Left poses a profound challenge to liberal institutions. Teaching always had some inherent political implications, but in the past the emphasis remained on learning maths and language skills, while exposing students to various viewpoints. Today, students in many places are treated mostly to highly partisan takes on issues, from the Middle East to gender and climate change, with little interest in alternative views. In many ways, the Left-wing orientation of teachers reflects the biases so deeply entrenched at the colleges where they learn their craft. In 2017, according to one oft-cited study, 60 per cent of college faculty identified as either far-Left or liberal compared to just 12 per cent being conservative or far-Right. In less than three decades, the ratio of liberal identifying faculty to conservative faculty had more than doubled. Even in purple Arizona, Democratic professors appear to outnumber their GOP counterparts by 28 to 1. Today teachers, whose training now focuses far more on radical themes, tilt towards the Left, more so even than Hollywood actors. And once they have graduated, more of these teachers embrace an agit-prop orientation. Their actual record of educating young people has become ever more awful. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation's Report Card, found that barely a quarter of students are proficient in reading, with the results little better in maths. Pressed by educational theorists, schools have abandoned phonics and other effective approaches for 'whole language', producing a population where 60 per cent of 4th graders are poor readers. The long-term results of teacher failure are hard to contradict, and the impact is pervasive. A recent federal survey suggests that 28 per cent of Americans now occupy the lowest level of literacy, up from 19 per cent in 2017. We may now also be seeing the first reduction of the average American IQ in 100 years. This decline in educational outcomes is evident not only in the US but across the West. Across Europe, students' scores have been plummeting as well. Poland, Norway, Iceland and Germany, for example, recorded a decline of 25 or more points in maths between 2018 and 2022, which can surely only partly be attributed to the Covid lockdowns. Canada, too, is seeing its performance standards dropping over time. Indoctrination also has its consequences; a recent study of Canadian college students found 80 per cent claiming that fears about climate change affect their mental health. All this bodes ill for the future of the West, as the pattern of indoctrination, and poor instruction, grows deeper. Once Western educational institutions, based on liberal principles, represented a distinct advantage. Now our educators seem more interested in ideology as opposed to knowledge. It's bad news not just for conservatives or Jews, but for our societies' ability to compete against countries, like India or China, who still focus on basic skills and prefer actual results, not just endemic virtue-signalling.
