Step 1: Review Pre-Read Materials
Ahead of the forum, please find time to review the materials below. We’ll draw on these pieces throughout our discussions, and encourage you to reflect on what resonates, what raises questions, and where your perspective may diverge. All viewpoints, including extensions, challenges, and critiques, are welcome and valued.
The Age of AI
- To Bot or Not to Bot? How AI Companions Are Reshaping Human Services and Connection (Julia Freeland Fisher*)
- The Generation in the Gap: Reimagining Education in the Age of AI (Nick Potkalitsky*)
- Learning in the Age of Agility: How U.S. Education Can Prepare Students to Solve the Problems of the Future (Robin Lake)
- AI Adoption Linked to 13% Decline in Jobs for Young U.S. Workers, Stanford Study Reveals
Coherent Learning
- AI’s Real Potential in Education Is About Rethinking What School Is for in the First Place (video – Thomas Arnett)
- Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Ruining Education; It’s Exposing What’s Already Broken (William Liang)
- Building Alpha School, and The Future of Education (podcast – Joe Liemandt, Patrick O’Shaughnessy)
Aligned Systems
- The Humans Behind AI: A Conversation between Entrepreneurs, Impact Investors, and Researchers (video – Malvika Bhagwat, Arman Jaffer, Peter Gault, Katie Boody Adorno)
- AI Early Adopter Districts: The Promises and Challenges of Using AI to Transform Education (Bree Dusseault, Maddy Sims, Michael Berardino)
Frameworks We’ll Reference During the Forum
- Three Dimensions of Coherence
- Three Models (intended as thought provocation)
Optional Reading
- Wicked Opportunities: Leveraging AI to Transform Education (CRPE)
- Soft Skills Matter Now More Than Ever (Moh Hosseinioun, Frank Neffke, Hyejin Youn, and Letian (LT) Zhang)
- Behind the Curtain: A White-Collar Bloodbath (Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen)
- Against “Brain Damage” (Ethan Mollick)
- From Urgent to Future: Charting a Course for AI in K-12 Education (Michael Ham, Beth Holland, Beth Rabbitt*)
- Artificial Intelligence Will Not Transform K-12 Education Without Changes to ‘the Grammar of School’ (Joel Rose*)
- Generative Practice: Practical Insights for Unlocking the Instructional Potential of AI from the School Teams AI Collaborative (Leading Educators)
- Could AI Accelerate a Revolution in Schooling? (Chris Unger*)
Please note: if there are additional readings or materials that you would like to share with the group, please send them to Maddy Sims so that we can add them to the optional reading list.
*Indicates Think Forward Fellow attending the 2025 Forum
Step 2: Complete Pre-Work Assignments
A. Try out ChatGPT’s voice mode.
Experiment with ChatGPT’s voice mode. We highly recommend comparing and contrasting with another companion app, such as Replika or Character AI. The goal here is to experience new “relational” ways one might use these tools and to note the similarities and differences from talking to a human. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Practice a tough conversation you need to have.
- Take a stroll and discuss what you see around you.
- Vent. Truly unload in an unfiltered way.
- Take a trip down memory lane and have it mirror back what these moments say about you.
- Share about your day and ask about theirs.
- Role-play with a historical figure (or celebrity, or someone in your life).
Come ready to discuss: How might this shape young people’s development of relationships, particularly as this becomes more ubiquitous and sophisticated?
B. Schedule 20 minutes to talk to a young person in your life about AI.
This might be a child, grandchild, niece or nephew, student, mentee, neighbor, etc. Below are some suggested questions to guide your conversation:
- How do you use AI right now in and outside of school? How has it changed your day-to-day routine?
- What do you think adults don’t get about how young people are using AI or how it’s changing your lives?
- How do you feel about the world you’ll graduate into? How prepared do you feel, and what do you wish adults or your school were doing to get you ready?
Jot down some notes and bring them with you to our forum.
C. Sketch out a draft vision for a coherent learning environment.
After completing the pre-readings and reviewing the two conceptual frameworks provided, think about what a strong, coherent AI-powered school or learning model would look like from your perspective.
Once you have some ideas, enter them into ChatGPT and ask it to help you draft a 1-2 page memo that outlines your vision. Then, revise the draft as needed to reflect your thinking.
If you’d like support at any point, feel free to reach out to any member of the CRPE team.
Please submit your 1-2 page memo to Jani Nygaard by October 24, 2025. Our team will identify common themes, key differences, tensions, and opportunities, and will share these insights with fellows at the forum.
Please reach out to Jani Nygaard if you have any questions about the materials or pre-work.