New York schools admit AI is teaching kids, insist it helps ‘foster human connection’

New York City school superintendents are boasting that instructors use artificial intelligence (AI) to teach kids reading comprehension.

In an opinion article for education policy outlet The74, superintendents Cristine Vaughan and Celeste Terry of the Bronx and Brooklyn districts said they are testing new AI tools that analyze student responses, guide them toward predefined interpretations of assigned texts, and provide discussion questions based on “misconceptions” the system identifies in those responses. The two claim that using AI to teach kids helps “increase student thinking” and “foster human connection.”

“We did not want the entire class to become tech-powered; rather, we targeted the AI toward the most challenging parts of the lessons, when students were doing close reading and writing,” the educators write, explaining that students are first assigned to small discussion groups.

The middle schoolers then respond to questions the AI derives from the curriculum, and the system analyzes the group’s answers in real time, sometimes prompting them to elaborate or reconsider and generating follow-up questions to guide their understanding.

The tool allows students to give verbal responses rather than written or typed replies typically required in a reading and writing class, though they are sometimes still asked to write short summary paragraphs at the end of the lesson.

With the push of a button, the AI tool “synthesizes the two biggest misconceptions in the class in real time” and hands the teacher prompts to lead class discussions based on the results, the superintendents wrote. They claim this method has led to “more student participation than usual because the kids feel more confident after working with the AI and their partner.”

The superintendents also state that this method has increased student performance on the state English language arts (ELA) exam. Thirteen total schools are taking part in the program.

In Vaughan’s district, 49% of students in grades 3-8 test proficient in ELA compared to the state average of 53%. In Terry’s district, 56% of students are proficient.

Parents across the country have voiced concerns about technology infiltrating the classroom, with some saying their kids’ classrooms are almost solely reliant on AI rather than human teachers. Some say increased technology use has made their children hostile, lowered their ability to think critically, and overall made them less sociable and intelligent.

As AI use becomes increasingly common among children, calls to limit the technology and apply safeguards have grown. Several cases have been reported of AI coaching kids to commit suicide and giving them access to inappropriate content.

Data from 2024 shows that less than one-third of students nationwide are proficient in reading.

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