Giving Compass' Take:
- Anna Merod examines whether AI easing teachers' workloads could be effective in remedying the teacher shortage by helping retain teachers.
- What are the root causes of the teacher shortage? How can donors best support the recruitment and retention of teachers?
- Learn more about key issues in education and how you can help.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits focused on education in your area.
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Teachers are swamped. They’re working longer hours compared to other professionals, and their job-related stress often comes from managing student behavior, earning low salaries, and performing administrative work that isn’t tied to instruction, according to an educator survey by Rand Corp. released in June. As some school districts begin to pilot AI tools, however, AI could ease some of the burden of teachers' challenging workloads.
While not a guarantee, if districts are thoughtful about which AI tools and supports they provide to teachers, the technology has the potential to improve teacher retention by making the job more manageable, said Bree Dusseault, principal and managing director at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. The research and policy analysis center at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College focuses on innovative, evidence-based strategies to improve public education.
Dusseault said she has noticed two different ways districts are currently using AI to support teachers. The first is by improving their efficiency in daily tasks like lesson planning and communicating with families. Another is by providing tools such as tutoring or translation services that help teachers offer personalized learning to students, she said.
Anywhere generative AI tools can help teachers focus on their core roles and feel most effective with students, “I think that increases just enjoyment of the job and a sense of satisfaction,” Dusseault said.
How One Texas District is Leveraging AI to Ease Teachers' Workloads
There are many ways AI can help ease teachers' workloads by allowing human tasks that typically take three to four hours to be completed in an instant, said Ángel Rivera, superintendent of Texas’ Mesquite Independent School District. In the case of teachers, that means they have more time to focus on students, he said.
In his 38,000-student school system, leaders are hoping a platform owned and developed by the district can leverage AI to help teachers better understand students before they even enter the classroom, Rivera said. The name for that platform, AYO, comes from a Yoruban word meaning “great joy.”
Read the full article about AI easing teachers' workloads by Anna Merod at K-12 Dive.