Most Teachers Use AI, But Few Get Formal Training
Eighteen percent of teachers have received formal guidance on how to use artificial intelligence in their classrooms, according to a new poll from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup. The finding underscores a gap between widespread adoption and structured support.
AI tools are now common in American schools. Teachers use them to create assessments and worksheets, plan lessons, grade assignments, and provide tutoring. Yet most operate without clear direction. Nearly half of teachers-48 percent-have received only informal guidance through conversations. About one-third have received no guidance at all. Written policies remain rare.
The disparity is starker in lower-income schools. In the wealthiest schools, 52 percent of teachers received informal guidance on AI use and 10 percent received formal training. In the poorest schools, 40 percent got informal guidance and 11 percent received official policies.
Phillip Perry teaches at Bronx High School for Law and Community Service in New York. His school offered no training, so he taught himself to use AI for lesson planning and assignments. "Teachers should have every tool at their disposal in order to serve the students that are in front of them," Perry said. "I think it is the administration's job to provide those tools."
Data Privacy and Student Concerns
Parents and educators have raised questions about how schools are deploying AI. Concerns center on student data access, whether AI use may weaken critical thinking skills, and how tools are being implemented without oversight.
Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, reviewed a child's individualized education program and suspected AI had been used to draft it. The experience raised questions about where student data ends up. "The majority of parents are actually excited about AI," Rodrigues said. "But we've got some questions about how teachers are using it."
The American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.8 million members, is calling for stricter rules. The union wants a ban on screens for children through second grade, an end to student-facing AI in elementary school, and restrictions on chatbots for students under 16. President Randi Weingarten said proper oversight is essential: "Without proper oversight and strong guardrails, there will be dangers to our society and privacy, to the climate and to the very fabric of our society."
Broader Shift on Screen Time
Schools are moving in multiple directions on technology. Last school year, most public schools gave every student a device like a laptop or iPad. This year, more than a dozen states and school districts have restricted screen time. The Trump administration issued a surgeon general's warning on excessive screen use and encouraged schools to prioritize textbooks and pen and paper.
For educators looking to develop skills in this area, resources like an AI Learning Path for Teachers can help close the guidance gap. You can also explore AI for Education resources to understand how these tools fit into classroom practice.
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