Key points: Access to AI training stays inconsistent throughout
Developed on a brand-new statewide teacher survey and the momentum of Senate Bill 1920, the legislation that directs the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to establish statewide AI assistance this summer, the report offers policymakers a clear, classroom-grounded roadmap for getting this right.
“In 2025, Illinois instructor leaders blazed a trail on artificial intelligence by passing SB 1920 and directing the Illinois State Board of Education to issue state-level guidance on AI. Today, teacher leaders are supplying the roadmap ISBE needs to guarantee that assistance is grounded in classroom truths,” stated Expense Curtin, Teach Plus Illinois Policy Director. “Because AI is constantly progressing, Illinois policy need to be as adaptive as the technology itself, and instructors should have a permanent seat at the table to make sure AI innovation improves student knowing and human connection instead of changing it.”
Teach Plus Illinois and IDEA drew on a statewide survey conducted with a broad union of 15 organizations. While 58 percent of reacting teachers use AI for lesson planning and almost half use it to tailor instruction to private students, access to training stays irregular across the state. Educators see real guarantee, particularly for multilingual learners and trainees with specials needs, but are clear that AI must never replace the human judgment and relationships at the heart of great mentor.
“Educators are browsing both the guarantee and the obstacles of AI in real time. This report elevates what teachers are gaining from their class: AI can be a powerful tool for innovation and gain access to, however just if it is implemented in ways that protect trainee thinking, academic stability, and human connection,” said Kelly Torres, Bensenville history instructor and Illinois Policy Fellow who is a lead author of the report.
The findings are:
- Lots of educators are discovering effective ways to utilize AI to enhance their work.Educators are using AI to develop more imaginative lessons, tailor material for multilingual learners and trainees with impairments, provide faster feedback on composing, and improve administrative jobs.
- AI is changing schools faster than schools are establishing guidance around using it well.Access to training has actually grown considering that 2024 however stays deeply unequal, with one in four teachers reporting no AI expert advancement at all.
The suggestions for ISBE are:
- Provide concrete examples of finest practices and unsuitable use.Educators need specific, real-world examples of what accountable AI use appears like in an Illinois class.
- Take advantage of instructor leaders to support effective AI execution.Trained instructor leaders can equate state assistance into daily practice based upon what students require.
- Develop a statewide framework for vetting AI tools.All schools, despite size or spending plan, ought to have the ability to choose products based on educational value, trainee privacy, and equity.
- Position AI as a tool to support, not change human connection. Guidance must be explicit that AI can not substitute for the mentorship, relationships, and human judgment at the core of mentor.
“Education is changing at a fast lane right now, and it will be essential for instructors to focus on the processes and crucial thinking that accompany finding out rather than the end outcome. It is crucial that teachers are trained on how to make that shift, and ISBE is completely placed to assist all educators navigate AI and its uses for education. This report creates a solid photo of what is occurring in schools right now, and it gives us a chance to learn and grow from educators from throughout the state,” stated Dr. Traci Johnson, Executive Board President of Illinois Digital Educators Alliance.
“This report shows exactly what we hear from teachers: AI is already improving mentor and learning in class throughout Illinois. The state’s teachers and students are prepared to welcome AI as a tool for innovation and they are worthy of guidance that keeps pace with its fast improvement. AI can likewise reimagine what student engagement looks like and reveals that when educators are supported and relied on, AI becomes a driver for the kind of future-ready learning every trainee should have. This report provides policymakers honest, classroom-grounded insights into what’s working, what’s missing out on, and where opportunity exists for Illinois to become a national leader in accountable, equitable, human-centered AI,” said Scott Fraunheim, Chief Executive Officer of LEAP Innovations
Teach Plus intends to empower outstanding, skilled, and diverse instructors to take management over crucial policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Considering that 2009, Teach Plus has actually developed countless instructor leaders throughout the nation to exercise their management in shaping education policy and enhancing teaching and learning for students.
This news release originally appeared online.