Leading Through Uncertainty: State Approaches to AI in Kâ12 Education
AI reached Kâ12 classrooms before state policies on its use and role in public education did. States are taking actionâbut for most, that action is still ad hoc, fragmented, and not keeping up with the pace of change in classrooms and workplaces. This report draws on survey responses and interviews with SEA staff and partner […]
PROFILE: From Exploration to Coherence: How SCORE Is Helping Tennessee Make Sense of AI in Schools
Tennessee has been a national leader on instructional improvement. Now, like every state, Tennessee faces a newer question: where and how should AI fit in? Most of that burden still falls on districts that have to navigate a fast-moving, unproven marketplace of AI tools largely on their own. But at the same time, many states […]
Charting New Paths: What AI-Enabled Transformation Looks Like in Four Early Adopter Districts
Most school districts are using AI cautiously, usually to save teachers and administrators time. But a small group of districts is doing something different: using it to rebuild how school works. CRPE’s early 2026 study of AI Early Adopters sorted districts into five categories, from Dabblers to Reimaginers. This brief follows up with four districts […]
A Strategic Research Agenda for AI-Driven Transformation in Public Education
A new white paper from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) names our current reality: no shared measures of success, governance not keeping pace with the technology, and a market increasingly shaped by the priorities of ed-tech vendors. Generative AI carries real riskâ”wicked problems” like data and identity theft, cognitive offloading, and threats to students’ […]
Webinar: CRPE’s AI Early Adopter Research, 2026
As AI adoption accelerates across Kâ12 education, leaders are navigating a rapidly evolving and often fragmented landscape. This webinar, held on May 27, 2026, shares early insights from CRPE’s research on AI in school systems, state agencies, and the broader education ecosystem. It offers a synthesized view of whatâs actually happening on the ground, where […]
Early Adopter Districts and AI: Strategic Pathways, System Strain, and the Conditions for Amplifying Transformation
School districts are making consequential AI decisions largely on their ownâpurchasing tools, training teachers, setting policies for student use, and trying to determine what responsible and effective adoption looks like. Without clear federal guidance or a reliable roadmap, what are the most advanced districts learning, and what does it reveal about what the field needs […]
Getting Beyond the Lightbulb Stage: Why AI Is Not Yet Transforming Education
New AI tools are entering the ed tech market every day. But how are they actually playing out in schools and classrooms? Drawing on semi-structured interviews with more than 50 stakeholders across ed tech, philanthropy, policy, teaching, and advocacy, this brief identifies the gaps between what AI developers are building and what students, teachers, and […]
Reimagining Learning for the Age of AI: Visions from CRPE’s Think Forward Fellows
Will AI reinforce existing models of schooling, or will it help us build learning environments that center purpose, relationships, and real-world contributions? This is the question that our inaugural cohort of Think Forward AI Fellows explore in this compendium. Conversations about AI often center on details like tools and workflows rather than major concerns like ends […]
States and AI: An Early Look at How Early Adopters Are Approaching AI in Education
As AI use expands in schools, states are beginning to define their roleâoften without clear federal direction. What actions are they taking, and how are they approaching AI integration in Kâ12 education? CRPEâs new State AI Early Adopter Database compiles publicly available information on AI-related actions across 20 early adopter states in 2024 and 2025, including guidance, […]
Think Forward: Building a Coherent Approach to AI in Education
In November 2025, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) convened a diverse group of policymakers, system leaders, educators, researchers, funders, and technology experts for the Think Forward: Learning with AI Forum in New Mexico. At a moment when rapid advances in artificial intelligence are colliding with longstanding inequities and structural challenges in Kâ12 education, […]