CoSN, a professional association for K-12 EdTech leaders, has received a grant to advance responsible implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in K-12 school districts.
The Building Capacity for Generative AI in K-12 Education Grant will support training to help school districts assess their readiness to implement generative AI (Gen AI) technologies and develop a roadmap for implementation that aligns with their objectives.
CoSN will work with Education Service Agencies (ESAs), state nonprofit organizations, and national education associations to provide high-quality professional learning opportunities to school districts of all sizes, with a special emphasis on reaching small- and medium-sized school districts that may otherwise have limited access to quality training and guidance.
“As schools across the country explore how AI can transform teaching, learning, and the broader education enterprise, many districts – especially smaller, under-resourced ones – are unsure where to begin,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “This groundbreaking initiative leverages CoSN’s national expertise, in partnership with education service agencies, to empower districts to navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI in K-12 education.”
The grant builds on CoSN’s previous efforts, including the development of the CoSN/CGCS K-12 Generative AI Readiness Assessment and the K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool. CoSN will work with project partners and members of CoSN’s AI Committee to ensure the Maturity Tool is relevant and accessible to school districts of all sizes and locations, including rural and under-resourced school districts.
In a press release, CoSN identified key activities supported by the grant, including:
- Training a cohort of 10-20 lead trainers at the national level.
- Working with the Association of Education Service Agencies (AESA) to host four regional Train-the-Trainer sessions to train additional cohorts. The additional cohorts will provide ongoing training to local school districts, focusing on reaching under-resourced and rural districts.
- Hosting three Gen AI Maturity Summits for district teams targeting medium and large school districts. The summits will focus on building awareness of the CoSN/CGCS K-12 AI Maturity Tool and how it can be used by districts along with resources, insights, and strategies for harnessing the power of generative AI.
Additionally, CoSN identified key objectives of the grant, including:
- Serving medium and small school districts that lack the capacity and expertise to leverage AI opportunities by engaging ESAs and state nonprofit organizations in a “Train-the-Trainer” model, delivering professional learning opportunities and shared technical assistance.
- Collecting data on best practices for meeting the local needs of different ESA and state nonprofits’ operating models to support scaling efforts.
- Conducting a pre- and post-survey of participating district teams to provide baseline data and evaluate their readiness to utilize the Gen AI Maturity Tool.
- Developing a library of resources from CoSN’s Gen AI Committee – with experts from AESA, The School Superintendents Association (AASA), and SETDA, the principal association representing U.S. state and territorial education technology leaders – tied to the Gen AI Maturity Tool, providing evidence and examples of successful Gen AI integration at varying levels of maturity.
- Enhancing networking between ESAs, state nonprofit education organizations, superintendents, state departments of education, and CoSN to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing on common successful strategies.
CoSN said that lessons learned from these activities will inform the continuous improvement of the “Train-the-Trainer” model and supporting resources, with the end goal of making the training available to additional organizations and school districts following the completion of grant-funded activities.
Funding for the grant came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
