AI in Education: What School Leaders Need to Do This Year
On July 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education published a Proposed Priority and Definitions—Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education (Docket ID ED‑2025‑OS‑0118, FR Doc 2025‑13650, 90 FR 34203–34206)1 for a 30‑day public comment period a proposed priority that could shape the next decade of learning: Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education. It’s not just a funding move—it’s a signal. A signal that the future of education is now, and it will be influenced, shaped, and redefined by AI.
What should school leaders do this year to prepare?
This is bigger than adopting a tool or adding an AI training to your PD calendar. Forward thinking leaders will use this year strategically to ensure all staff build awareness and confidence around AI, what it is, how it’s showing up in education, and how to integrate it thoughtfully into teaching and learning. It’s not about turning everyone into AI experts, it’s about making sure no one is left out of the conversation.
Why This Matters Now
We are no longer at the beginning of the AI conversation. We’re at the inflection point.
The Department’s proposed definition of AI literacy sets a powerful foundation:
“The technical knowledge, durable skills, and future-ready attitudes required to thrive in a world influenced by AI. It enables learners to engage, create with, manage, and design AI, while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and implications.”
AI literacy isn’t just for coders or tech electives. It’s for every student. And every educator needs to be ready to help students meet that challenge.
Key Priorities for Leaders to Focus On This Year
Let’s cut through the 1,000-foot policy language and get specific about what this means for school and district leaders.
Here are three priorities to focus on right now:
Priority 1: Invest in Educator Learning First
Before we ask teachers to teach about AI or integrate AI into their classrooms, we need to start by investing in their confidence and understanding.
This includes:
- Professional learning that explains how AI works (and where it doesn’t)
- Opportunities to explore ethical questions around AI in instruction and student use
- Support for integrating AI into their own workflows—lesson planning, assessment, communication
This school year is the time to start building lasting capacity—not just offering one-off training.
Ask yourself: Do your teachers have the language, space, and tools to talk about AI with their students confidently?
Priority 2: Infuse AI Literacy Across the Curriculum
AI should not live in a single elective or tech department. It should show up in social studies, where students analyze bias in algorithmic decision-making. In English, where they learn to spot AI-generated misinformation. In science, where students explore data, pattern recognition, and models.
This year, challenge your team to:
- Identify natural crossovers between current curriculum and AI concepts
- Pilot AI literacy units that connect to real-world issues
- Talk about AI as a human issue, not just a technical one
Priority 3: Leverage AI to Support Learning and Innovation
There’s a lot of hype around AI tools. Some of it’s legit. Some of it’s smoke and mirrors.
But here’s the part we should pay attention to:
- How might AI help us address the long-standing challenges that have nothing to do with technology?
- Can AI help us personalize learning in ways that support students with disabilities or multilingual learners?
- Can it free up time for teachers by handling repetitive admin tasks?
- Can we use AI to offer high-quality tutoring or college and career guidance in schools that have never had access before?
Where to Start (Even If You’re Not “Ready”)
Many schools don’t have an AI plan and that’s okay. Here’s what you can do now:
- Do an audit: What AI tools are already being used in your schools—officially or unofficially?
- Ask your staff: What do they want and need to learn about AI this year?
- Identify a small, focused pilot project (AI in tutoring? PD workflow? Student media literacy unit?)
- Assemble an internal working group to keep the conversation moving—and build momentum.
You don’t need a finished plan to make progress—these early actions help build staff awareness, build momentum toward AI literacy, and create a strong foundation for future planning.
What This Priority Could Mean for Funding & Strategy
This new federal priority lays the groundwork for future funding opportunities that will reward the districts already doing the work. That means this year’s efforts can double as strategy and grant prep.
Use this year to:
- Document your teacher training efforts
- Design programs that align with the proposed categories (dual enrollment, certifications, teacher prep, etc.)
- Gather evidence of what’s working—those data points will matter when the next round of funding opens up
This new proposed priority from the U.S. Department of Education gives school leaders an opportunity to take a thoughtful, proactive approach to AI without rushing, overhauling everything, or getting lost in the buzz. You don’t need your staff to be an AI experts, you need to be clear about your goals for teaching and learning, and willing to ask how AI fits into that vision.
Start small and use the ideas in this post to:
- Ground your team in a shared understanding of what AI literacy means.
- Build confidence and clarity through targeted professional learning.
- Create safe spaces for teachers to experiment, reflect, and collaborate.
- Center your decisions on what’s best for students, not just what’s trending.
AI is already part of our world and school leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions, bringing your educators into the conversation, and making intentional moves.
The U.S. Department of Education’s proposed priority offers a clear invitation for schools to lead this work with purpose and reflection. If you haven’t already, take a moment to review the proposal and consider submitting a comment at this link by selecting ‘public comments’ in the menu bar on the left. Your voice as a school leader matters in shaping how this policy supports the real work happening in classrooms every day.
Written by Rae Fearing, Director of Programs at CUE. This post has AI-supported content that was human-reviewed.
1 U.S. Department of Education. Proposed Priority and Definitions—Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education. Federal Register, Vol. 90, No. 139, July 21, 2025, pp. 34203–34206. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/07/21/2025-13650
Quick Guide: Key Terms from This Post
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Computer systems that perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence—such as recognizing patterns, analyzing data, generating text, or making decisions. Common examples in education include adaptive learning platforms, chatbots, and content creation tools.
AI Literacy: The knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to understand, use, evaluate, and create with AI. This includes knowing how AI works, how to use it responsibly, and how to assess its impact on learning, equity, and society.
Generative AI: A type of AI that can create new content—like writing, images, music, or code—based on patterns it has learned from large datasets. Tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E are common examples.
Machine Learning: A type of AI where computer systems improve their performance by learning from data, rather than being explicitly programmed. It’s what powers personalized recommendations, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making tools.
Durable Skills: Transferable skills like critical thinking, adaptability, ethical reasoning, communication, and collaboration that are essential across careers and are especially important in an AI-influenced world.
Responsible AI Use: Using AI tools in ways that prioritize student safety, data privacy, fairness, and accessibility—while aligning with the school’s mission and instructional goals. Includes ethical decision-making and human oversight.
AI Integration: The thoughtful and intentional use of AI tools and practices within teaching, learning, and school operations. Integration should enhance—not replace—educator practice and student engagement.