From Risk to Readiness: Why We Must Lead on AI Use in the Classroom

By Keith R. Krueger, CoSN CEO

A new report from the Brookings Institution offers a thoughtful premortem on the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in education. The report leads with an important and necessary premise: without intentional implementation, AI poses real risks to students. Given how rapidly this technology is entering classrooms and communities, the report creates an opportunity to focus not only on what could go wrong, but on what must be done now to mitigate risks while maximizing AI’s potential to support learning.

AI is not going away, and no school ban will stop the risks already emerging. The work ahead is to ensure school systems and educators have the tools and support necessary to integrate AI in smart, safe ways that strengthen learning and improve student preparedness to enter the workforce.

AI Bans Do Not Reduce Harm, They Push It Beyond School Safeguards

Districts are increasingly realizing that so-called AI bans do not take into account student access through AI via their personal devices.

This tells us something important: opting out of AI does not stop its use. It simply removes adult guidance, instructional intent, and school policies and safeguards from the equation.

Schools are uniquely positioned to do what no ban can: work collaboratively with families, model responsible AI use; provide guardrails; and teach students not to depend on AI, but to question it, evaluate its responses and use it thoughtfully as part of a broader learning process.

The risks described in the Brookings report are not an argument against school involvement. They are an argument for it.

Reporting Highlights the Need for AI Readiness, Not Rejection

At its core, the Brookings report calls for AI literacy, educator preparation, ethical design and human-centered learning. These recommendations align directly with the work CoSN already has underway to help school districts navigate AI’s opportunities and challenges.

For instance, CoSN has developed a K-12 Generative AI (Gen AI) Readiness Checklist Questionnaire to guide K-12 school districts in understanding key factors to consider before implementing Gen AI technologies.

Building on the foundational considerations outlined in the checklist, the K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool helps districts assess their level of readiness and pinpoint specific areas that require further attention and investment to ensure the safe and secure adoption of this transformative technology. The tool equips districts to plan before deploying, train educators and leaders, redesign instruction intentionally, engage with stakeholders including parents, and address safety and governance concerns.

CoSN has also launched an AI District Leaders Action Summit series to help district leadership teams to work with their communities to transition from exploring AI to implementing it with intention, providing them with a clear vision and a head start on creating a prioritized 6–12-month action plan that aligns generative AI with their district’s mission, values and long-term goals.

The Future of AI In Education Depends On District Leadership

AI is already part of our students’ lives. The question is not whether schools should engage, but how.

Districts can allow AI use to happen without the guidance of school leadership, or they can lead with clarity, values, and safeguards. The Brookings report makes clear that the latter is not just preferable — it is necessary.

That is exactly the work CoSN exists to support.