How One School Overcame AI Fears and Got Teachers and Parents On Board

Strategies to Disarm Fears Over Implementing AI in Schools

More than two and a half years after the launch of ChatGPT, many school districts have moved past simply discovering generative AI. They are now actively implementing it. The challenge remains: how to ease teacher and parent concerns while integrating AI effectively.

At ISTELive 25, technology leaders from Allen-Stevenson School, a private boys' school in New York City, shared practical steps to engage educators and demystify AI. Their approach centers on professional development, participation, and open communication.

Addressing Concerns About AI

Teachers and parents often fear AI due to concerns about bias, hallucinations, the erosion of critical thinking, devaluing expertise, dehumanization, and cheating. Recognizing these worries is the first step to addressing them openly.

Initially uncertain about how to use ChatGPT, Allen-Stevenson started by identifying early adopters through an AI club for teachers and administrators. This group evolved into an AI council. Over the 2023 school year, they trialed seven AI tools before selecting SchoolAI because it suited K-8 students and had a strong privacy policy.

Building AI Literacy Through Professional Development

The school developed an 8- to 10-hour professional development (PD) course to create a shared vocabulary and understanding among faculty. This PD covered AI literacy, ethics, bias, and how teaching methods might need to change to prepare students for future schools.

Teachers filled out forms indicating their interests—such as report-card writing or lesson planning—to tailor future training. By fall 2024, roundtable discussions allowed teachers to share deep dives on specific AI topics, broadening collective knowledge.

Grade-by-Grade AI Integration

The school outlined clear steps for incorporating AI across grades K-8:

• Kindergarten to First Grade: Teach students to distinguish between artificial and natural creations and introduce the idea that AI involves machines acting smartly.
• Second Grade: Introduce generative AI concepts and start using SchoolAI.
• Third Grade: Students chat with historical figures via AI, then write a three-paragraph essay on their achievements and challenges.
• Fourth Grade: Deepen AI literacy using tools like Common Sense Media to discuss bias and AI’s impact. Use Google Teachable Machine to train AI with uploaded data.
• Fifth Grade: Students interact with an AI version of Marcus Aurelius using a detailed prompt, then create comic books based on historical stories with Canva.
• Sixth Grade: Students engage AI chatbots about rocks and minerals, then design geology trading cards using Adobe Express and generative AI. English students refine AI-generated images by adjusting descriptions, while Spanish students create animated storybooks with recorded audio.
• Seventh Grade: Use ChatGPT and Newsela for detailed essay feedback. Students practice revising essays with AI input before submission.

Engaging Parents in the AI Conversation

Initially hesitant to involve parents, the school later launched “Tech Tuesdays,” a series of five hour-long meetings throughout the year. Early sessions explained how AI was being used at school. Later meetings showed parents how to support AI use at home to improve learning and executive functioning skills.

Resources and Encouragement for Educators

For those guiding teachers, courses like the AI literacy trainer course from AI for Education and communities such as Women in AI and Education on Slack offer valuable support.

At Allen-Stevenson, as staff worked on AI projects, interest naturally grew among other faculty. While AI use is encouraged, it is not mandated, and there are currently no strong oppositions. This gradual, voluntary approach has helped maintain a positive atmosphere around AI adoption.

For schools looking to introduce AI thoughtfully, the key takeaways are clear: invest in professional development, create spaces for teacher collaboration, communicate openly with parents, and provide practical, age-appropriate AI activities for students.