“While there are numerous discussions surrounding the opportunities and challenges of Generative AI in K12 education, practical guidance for educational leaders has been lacking,” Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, said in a statement. Finally, leaders and educators can begin self-assessing their own school and/or district’s readiness for implementing artificial intelligence in the classroom.
Last week, the Council of the Great City Schools and CoSN launched the “K12 Generative Artificial Intelligence Readiness Checklist,” a comprehensive list of factors leaders and educators should consider before using such technology in their schools.
Constructed as a questionnaire, the checklist aims to help leaders craft strategies for implementation across six focus areas:
- Executive Leadership
- Operations
- Data
- Technology
- Security
- Risk Management
But at its foundation, the checklist helps ensure that Gen AI solutions are “free from bias or algorithmic discrimination, protect data privacy, and have a clear understanding of the sources of generated information,” according to a news release from CGCS.
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In total, the checklist presents leaders with nearly 100 questions they must ask ahead of AI policy implementation. For instance, in the “Executive Leadership” section, leaders must answer questions like:
“Does the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) align to achieving your district’s mission, vision, goals and values?”
“Are you adequately equipped to leverage Gen AI potential benefits and understand the challenges?”
“Do you have a designated point person or team responsible for overseeing the adoption, procurement and management of Gen AI within your district?”
“The K12 Gen AI checklist gives district leaders a starting place and framework to tackle the opportunities and challenges Gen AI will bring to our schools,” Evangelina Mendoza, chief information technology officer for the San Antonio Independent School District, said in a statement. “My team is already working through this list and has identified several readiness factors we have yet to consider as we create policies and procedures for the safe implementation of Gen AI across our district.”
