San Mateo Union High School District task force weighs rules for AI
in schools

Some shared they never want AI to become someone’s significant other or personal friend, others agreed and emphasized there’s no replicating the power of human relationships, empathy and nuance. 

“So much of how we develop as people is through our interactions, through our communication and collaboration and critical thinking together as a community,” Dominic Bigue, tech coordinator for the district, said. “That empathy, to me, is the piece that AI will never have, that genuine sense.” 

At the beginning of this year, the San Mateo Union High School District convened an AI task force to investigate how schools can use artificial intelligence to deepen and even increase the opportunity for those human-centered interactions and learning. 

Ensuring AI does not replace interactions between teachers and students, and their peers, is of the utmost importance, Trustee Greg Land said. 

“AI is an unknown that we have to try to figure out as a tool,” Land said. “With all tools, you have to be careful with tools, you have to be safe, but also we still have to use them. Whether it’s a hammer, saw, or AI, we have to figure out that balance.” 

One parent on the task force, Ashley Tan, said it’s just as important to make sure students know how to use the tool in a world where the technology has become increasingly utilized. 

“How do we ensure this generation of students with AI they’re ready, they’re empowered by AI when they go into college or in the workforce?” Tan said. 

AI as a tool can be beneficial for learning environments, the task force team and board members agreed. It has the ability to transform instructional material to “level the curriculum” for a diverse array of abilities and create materials that can make teachers’ jobs easier, Dr. Julia Kempkey, associate superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, said. 

“The most important thing that we nurture in our classrooms is the interaction that students have with the teacher,” Kempkey said. “Sometimes it’s not the content that engages them, it is the person there in the classroom making the environment engaging. A tool like artificial intelligence is not going to be able to replace that.” 

To maintain these dynamics between teachers and students, it will be just as critical to equip teachers and administrators with the necessary level of understanding and education on the tool itself. 

Varieties of use

Kids are already interacting with a tool with which many adults may be less familiar. According to information gathered by Common Sense Media, 70% of teens are using AI and they appear to use it to “stave off boredom almost as much as they’re using it for homework help,” Kempkey said. 

The study also found that three in four teens are using AI for companionship, whether that be mental health advice or emotional support. One in three find conversations with AI chatbots about personal topics are “more satisfying” than with real people, according to Common Sense Media. 

Allowing teachers and administrators the space and time to become fully informed on all AI can do, play around with the technology and develop an understanding of its limits should be a priority in the district, Trustee Land said. 

“The real crux is making sure our admin and teachers have exposure and understanding about it, so that we have them give safe, clear guidelines of ‘this is what we expect you guys can do,’” Land said. 

‘Productive struggle’

An educational value that the district is determined to maintain is what was described as “productive struggle” by the task force. It’s the tug and pull of student experiences that develops their ability to learn throughout their life, members said. 

“How do we ensure that we’re allowing students to continue with productive struggle in the classroom?” Kempkey said. “It’s easy for artificial intelligence to become a tool that overtakes the actual work of learning and teaching and that is not the intention.” 

This productive struggle also speaks to a larger educational practice that needs reimagining. 

For professionals or adults, AI is used to do something they already know how to do more efficiently, to increase production. Students, on the other hand, should be using the tool to learn something new.

This presents a concern when students are often motivated by obtaining good grades. Guardrails must be in place to not make this endeavor simply more convenient for students, Trustee Jennifer Jacobson said. 

“Students are concerned about getting good grades,” Jacobson said. “If you have access to better tools that procure a better product that gets a better grade, how do we break that incentive structure? How do we disrupt that?” 

Kempkey said this dynamic also reflects a larger shift in education, generally. Educational practices were once, as described by Kempkey as  “static,” or a “factory model of learning,” but educators know that’s no longer the case. 

Students thrive with constructivist educational models and curriculum built around their strengths and shortfalls, she said. There are opportunities to use AI to aid in this educational shift, which is the goal of the district. 

“It’s no longer static, it hasn’t been for a long time and we have to change our education system in that way, and we know that is the long journey we’re on,” Kempkey said. 

‘Red, yellow, green’ framework

The next steps in that journey include rolling out short term, achievable goals in the coming months and school year, Kempkey said. 

This summer and fall, the goal will be to establish clear, consistent rules for AI use for students and staff. This may include adopting a “red, yellow, green” framework that informs students when they can use the tool, when it can be helpful and when it is strictly banned. 

The district also hopes to establish an approved AI tool list to ensure any platform used in classrooms meets safety and privacy standards, and update the district website to include guidelines and resources for families. Short lessons will also be developed to roll out for both students and teachers to build literacy with AI tools. 

Longer term goals will include developing an overall AI literacy curriculum, implementing a family education series and begin redlining the district’s assessment practices. This will help redesign how students are tested to reflect proper AI practice. 

The discussion was held during a study session with no reportable action by the Board of Trustees.