On a Sunday evening in Raleigh, North Carolina, English teacher Jennifer Moore used to spend three or more hours writing lesson plans, grading short essays, and drafting parent updates for the week ahead. This past fall, she tried something new: an AI planning tool that generated a draft lesson outline and quiz questions in under 10 minutes.
“I use AI like a student teacher in the room,” Moore explains. “It can handle the drafts, and I handle the humans.”
Her experience reflects a broader trend in schools nationwide: artificial intelligence is emerging as a co-pilot, not a replacement. Across districts, teachers are experimenting with AI to save time, reduce burnout, and focus more on students.
When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, headlines focused on panic. Would students cheat their way through high school? Would AI replace teachers altogether?
By 2023, a RAND Corporation survey found that more than 50% of teachers had already experimented with AI for lesson planning or administrative tasks. Another survey by the Walton Family Foundation revealed that 63% of teachers using AI reported it helped them reduce stress.
The conversation has shifted. Instead of existential fear, districts now discuss practical adoption: Where can AI free up teacher time? How do we ensure quality and safety?
“Our teachers aren’t asking, ‘Will AI replace me?’ They’re asking, ‘How can I get back my Sunday evenings?’”
1. Lesson Planning & Content Creation
AI platforms such as MagicSchool AI and Eduaide.AI generate state-standard-aligned lesson plans, classroom activities, and even parent communication letters. Teachers report saving hours of prep time, though they still carefully review and adapt outputs.
2. Feedback & Grading
Tools like Gradescope and Writable are used to streamline grading. These platforms analyze student submissions, suggest comments, and allow teachers to focus on higher-level feedback.
3. Student Tutoring & Support
Khan Academy’s Khanmigo has been piloted in districts such as New York City and Dallas. Acting as an on-demand tutor, it explains concepts, provides practice, and nudges students to think critically. Teachers monitor dashboards that highlight misconceptions across the class.
4. Classroom Management & Communication
AI chatbots integrated into LMS platforms like Canvas or Schoology answer routine student questions, draft parent emails, and translate updates into multiple languages—particularly useful for multilingual families.
In 2024, Nashville Public Schools ran a pilot with AI lesson planning tools in 12 middle schools. Teachers reported saving an average of five hours per week.
One science teacher described projecting an AI-generated quiz during class—only to notice an error. Rather than discarding it, she used the moment as a teaching opportunity:
“We turned it into a mini-lesson on fact-checking technology. Students learned the science and learned how to question an algorithm. That was powerful.”
The district is now expanding AI use to support multilingual learners, using real-time translation features to better serve families who speak more than 40 languages.
While many teachers welcome the time-saving potential, they remain cautious.
“I’ll never let AI decide how to teach my kids Shakespeare,” says Moore. “But I will let it draft parent newsletters or create practice multiple-choice questions. That’s where it makes sense.”
Other teachers see AI as a way to differentiate more effectively. “I can generate three versions of the same reading passage at different Lexile levels,” said a high school history teacher in Illinois. “That helps me reach struggling readers without spending my entire prep period rewriting text.”
Accuracy:
AI “hallucinates” facts, sometimes inventing information or mislabeling concepts. Teachers must act as editors and fact-checkers.
Equity:
Wealthier districts can afford AI pilots, professional development, and tech upgrades. Underfunded schools risk being left behind, deepening the digital divide.
Over-Reliance:
Educators warn against treating AI as an autopilot. “If AI writes every assignment, we risk losing the creativity of teaching,” said one district curriculum director.
Privacy:
AI tools raise questions about FERPA and COPPA compliance. Who owns student data? How secure are AI platforms collecting it?
What protections exist for student data?
To address these challenges, districts are beginning to create AI usage policies and invest in professional learning.
CoSN’s Driving K–12 Innovation 2025 report emphasizes the importance of teacher training. “AI literacy for educators is essential,” the report notes, “so teachers understand both the power and the limits of AI.”
Professional development workshops are popping up across the country. Some districts run AI bootcamps, where teachers learn how to generate content responsibly, review outputs for bias, and design assignments that encourage critical use.
Experts predict AI will evolve from an assistant into a collaborator over the next decade. Imagine a classroom where:
But one thing remains clear: the teacher’s role is irreplaceable.
Jennifer Moore agrees. After using AI for a year, she sums it up this way:
“AI can’t build relationships. That’s my job. But it can give me the time and space to do that job better.”
Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.
AI and gamification help students learn with adaptive lessons, real-time feedback, and engaging challenges that…
Teacher burnout is a growing concern. These 10 strategies help educators reduce stress, find balance,…
AI in schools is growing fast. Here are 10 strategies districts can use to educate…
Stories That Matter this week focus on AI leadership, cybersecurity risks, science safety culture, and…
Parent communication in schools has shifted from paper to nonstop digital updates. Here’s how districts…
Schools are a prime target for cyber attacks. Here’s why K–12 systems are vulnerable—and what…