Texas Schools Set Differing Classroom AI Policies

Texas school districts are taking different approaches to classroom AI as its use grows, with leaders saying the technology should strengthen students’ learning rather than replace their thinking. Dallas ISD bars elementary and middle school students from using AI. High school students may use it for deep research or as a study aid, but not to complete tests or assignments. The district held its first AI summit earlier this year to show teachers how AI tools can support classroom work.

Houston ISD, Texas’ largest school district, launched its AI-powered Future 2 model at nine campuses during the current school year. Superintendent Mike Miles plans to expand it to 25 additional campuses next year. The program is intended to prepare students for an “AI-enabled world” and includes a Foundations of AI course for high school students, the Houston Chronicle reported on October 22.

A July survey by education technology company Instructure found that nearly three-quarters of parents said their children use AI at least occasionally. Most surveyed parents were concerned about academic integrity and the possible loss of critical thinking skills, while nearly nine in 10 could identify reasons for optimism about AI in education. Nationwide, New York City Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District have restricted student use of generative AI while leaders study its effects.

Aroutis Foster, dean of American University’s Baker School of Education, said the key question is whether AI helps students build skills or merely improves the work they submit. In math, for example, AI could point out where a student’s reasoning went wrong or offer a hint, helping the student solve the problem independently. If it simply supplies the solution, the student may submit a correct answer without learning the method. Foster said districts were still addressing academic losses from the pandemic as AI capabilities and educational implications grew.

Atheeth Sishtla, a Frisco ISD parent and software company technical leader, created LemonSugar Ai to encourage students to work through class material instead of seeking quick answers. The study aid breaks concepts into parts and can generate quizzes to reinforce learning. When asked about checks and balances, it identified the concept’s basis in the U.S. Constitution and asked the student to name the three branches of government that share power. Sishtla said he considers it unrealistic to expect students not to use AI, since adults use it at work. His oldest daughter is 11, and he said schools need guidelines that permit AI as a learning tool without letting it undermine students’ subject knowledge.

Texas school districts are taking different approaches to classroom AI as its use grows, with leaders saying the technology should strengthen students’ learning rather than replace their thinking. Dallas ISD bars elementary and middle school students from using AI. High school students may use it for deep research or as a study aid, but not to complete tests or assignments. The district held its first AI summit earlier this year to show teachers how AI tools can support classroom work.

Houston ISD, Texas’ largest school district, launched its AI-powered Future 2 model at nine campuses during the current school year. Superintendent Mike Miles plans to expand it to 25 additional campuses next year. The program is intended to prepare students for an “AI-enabled world” and includes a Foundations of AI course for high school students, the Houston Chronicle reported on October 22.

A July survey by education technology company Instructure found that nearly three-quarters of parents said their children use AI at least occasionally. Most surveyed parents were concerned about academic integrity and the possible loss of critical thinking skills, while nearly nine in 10 could identify reasons for optimism about AI in education. Nationwide, New York City Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District have restricted student use of generative AI while leaders study its effects.

Aroutis Foster, dean of American University’s Baker School of Education, said the key question is whether AI helps students build skills or merely improves the work they submit. In math, for example, AI could point out where a student’s reasoning went wrong or offer a hint, helping the student solve the problem independently. If it simply supplies the solution, the student may submit a correct answer without learning the method. Foster said districts were still addressing academic losses from the pandemic as AI capabilities and educational implications grew.

Atheeth Sishtla, a Frisco ISD parent and software company technical leader, created LemonSugar Ai to encourage students to work through class material instead of seeking quick answers. The study aid breaks concepts into parts and can generate quizzes to reinforce learning. When asked about checks and balances, it identified the concept’s basis in the U.S. Constitution and asked the student to name the three branches of government that share power. Sishtla said he considers it unrealistic to expect students not to use AI, since adults use it at work. His oldest daughter is 11, and he said schools need guidelines that permit AI as a learning tool without letting it undermine students’ subject knowledge.