AI in the Classroom - Daily

In this episode we explore Stanford's SCALE Initiative's updated research on generative AI in education. The review has expanded from 20 to 52 studies, including five conducted in U.S. K–12 classrooms, revealing a more complicated picture of AI's impact on teaching and learning. Topics covered: Learning support versus cognitive offloading Student satisfaction without measurable learnin...

In this episode we explore a 10-week study by Eedi and Google DeepMind involving 1,179 students across 10 UK schools, comparing AI tutoring, human tutoring, and traditional math remediation. The findings reveal a surprising disconnect between immediate learning gains and performance on broader assessments. Topics covered: AI tutoring versus human instruction Immediate progress versus long-term ach...

In this episode we explore Google's new AI policies for K–12 schools, following an EdSource report on districts' limited ability to separate traditional Google Search from AI Overviews and AI Mode. Even when schools disable Gemini, AI-generated summaries remain embedded in search results. Topics covered: The challenges of switching search engines midyear Google's disappearing AI-free s...

In this episode we explore Dacia Toll’s shift from EdTech skepticism to a new vision of AI supporting rigorous classroom instruction. Drawing on Emily Freitag’s work with Instruction Partners, we discuss why the distinction between general-purpose chatbots and purpose-built educational tools matters. Topics covered: AI support during challenging lessons Productive struggle versus excessive scaffol...

In this episode we explore a Hechinger Report article examining Goblins, an AI math tutor used by 6,000 middle schoolers in Arizona. Students completing at least two problems weekly showed higher math scores, with differences equivalent to roughly three months of additional learning—though causation remains unproven. Topics covered: The persistent EdTech “5% problem” Math gains versus causal evide...

In this episode we explore two developments in AI and education: an EdWeek report on how Mesquite School District in Texas has cut IEP preparation time in half, and SETDA’s 2026 State EdTech Trends report. Topics covered: AI-assisted IEPs and teacher workload Personalization’s hidden risks for students Disability labels and algorithmic assumptions Unequal AI responses across student populations St...

In this episode we explore a summit convened by Common Sense Media at the New York Public Library, where students, researchers, educators, and policymakers examined AI’s growing influence on young people. We hear striking perspectives from New York City high school students and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Topics covered: Teenagers questioning AI’s value Alternative explanations b...

In this episode we explore a troubling gap in the research supporting AI in education, drawing on a webinar featuring MIT’s Justin Reich, Patrick O’Neill, Elizabeth Tipton, and Susanna Loeb. O’Neill examined 39 meta-analyses of AI in education and found serious methodological flaws in every one. Topics covered: Publication bias and inflated evidence claims AI’s impact on academic peer review Resea...

In this episode we explore insights from the Council of Great City Schools’ annual meeting in Boston, where Dallas ISD and Broward County shared how AI is shaping writing instruction, teacher feedback, student attitudes, and district policy. Topics: AI feedback and writing frequency The background knowledge problem in assessments Teacher self-observation versus formal evaluation Surprising changes...

In this episode we explore an Edutopia article offering five instructional strategies for preserving authentic student writing as AI detection tools struggle to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated evasion software. From Turnitin and Pangram to AI “humanizers,” the technological arms race raises uncomfortable questions about academic integrity. Topics covered: Pangram, Turnitin, and AI detect...

In this episode we explore an Edutopia article identifying five seemingly helpful uses of AI that may undermine students’ writing development. We also consider a Stanford review of 800 AI education studies. We examine the tension between making writing easier and helping students become stronger, more independent thinkers. From brainstorming and thesis development to research and revision, we cons...

In this episode we explore two stories about AI's growing impact on education infrastructure: EdSurge's interview with Sandra Liu Wang of Learning Commons, a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative-backed effort to develop shared educational AI resources, and The Atlantic's reporting on how AI-driven memory shortages are raising school technology costs. Topics covered: Learning Commons and AI's...

In this episode we explore Dan Rockmore’s New Yorker essay, “Should the Classroom Be More Like the Gym?” and its argument that schools should value the process of learning as much as the final product. What can physical training teach us about student motivation, feedback, and the role of AI? Topics covered: Why learning should resemble physical training The problem with grading final products Imm...

In this episode we explore how Mike Yates, Vice President of AI and Emerging Technology at Teach For America, is helping educators rethink teaching and learning with AI. From a Michigan algebra teacher who built a chatbot that deliberately lies to students to a Houston teacher using AI to overcome language barriers, we discuss what meaningful innovation looks like in real classrooms. We examine th...

In this episode we explore a Wall Street Journal investigation into Google's expanding AI presence in schools. We examine the tension between protecting students' independent thinking and giving teachers enough time to observe, guide, and respond to that thinking. Topics covered: Google's AI features and growing school backlash The hidden costs of effortless AI answers Bringing cogniti...

In this episode we explore insights from education researcher and author Tony Frontier, who spoke with 250 high school students across the country about their experiences with AI in the classroom.  We examine what students say teachers are getting wrong, what's working, and what these insights mean for building more effective learning environments in the age of AI. Topics covered: What 250 stu...

Are schools protecting students from AI, or creating new challenges by restricting it? In this episode, we explore three major stories shaping the debate over AI in K–12 education, from New York City's restrictive AI policies to concerns about ChatGPT's teen experience and a national student competition's decision to ban AI entirely. Topics covered: New York City's AI restrictions...

In this episode, we explore the double-edged sword of AI persuasion, drawing on new research. We examine why the qualities that make AI such a promising educational tool may also create serious risks for student thinking, independent judgment, and the integrity of knowledge itself. Topics covered: What new behavioral research reveals about AI's ability to influence beliefs, attitudes, and deci...

When is an educational model actually ready to scale? Alpha School has drawn attention for its promise of compressing traditional academics into a two-hour, AI-powered learning block, along with claims of dramatic student growth. But beneath the headlines is a much bigger question about the role we expect software to play in teaching and learning. Topics covered include: Why Alpha School’s model i...

In this episode we explore why I stopped using AI as a thinking partner in developing this podcast. For more than 100 episodes, AI was part of the show’s development process. But after a conversation with a high school English teacher, and some reflection on how the workflow itself had changed, I began to question whether the tool was still helping me think more clearly. Topics covered include: Ho...

In this episode we explore what happens when concerns about AI cheating begin to reshape the relationship between students and educators. We also look at the growing divide between policies that signal trust and those that signal mistrust. Topics covered include: • Why AI-related cheating concerns are becoming a trust issue• What students say about being falsely accused of using AI• The unintended...

In this episode we explore three stories that reveal just how differently schools are beginning to respond to AI, from redesigning major courses and assessments, to confronting parent concerns about AI tutors, to using AI behind the scenes to rethink school transportation. Topics covered include: The College Board redesigning AP Computer Science Principles to incorporate generative AI, machine lea...

In this episode we explore what it looks like when a school leader decides to take AI seriously, without letting the technology dictate what good teaching and learning should become. We sit down with Vinnie Murray, Principal of Dominican High School for a conversation about Dominican’s evolving approach to AI. We also explore the tension Vinnie is seeing in his own students: many are skeptical of...

In this episode we explore what educators are actually seeing when AI-powered tools move from demos and headlines into real classrooms. Drawing on Instruction Partners’ recent “AI in Action” learning tour, we examine what seems to be working, what clearly isn’t, and why the difference may have less to do with whether a product uses AI than with how that AI is designed and deployed. Topics covered...

In this episode we explore how to tell whether educational technology is actually helping students learn. We sit down with Dr. Nicole Barnes, a learning scientist at the American Psychological Association, to unpack a new APA report on children, adolescents, and educational technology. Topics covered include: Why “engagement” can be a misleading measure of learning The difference between clicking,...