Why Schools Need a Plan for AI

When ChatGPT was first released to the public in November 2022, most of us didn’t realize how quickly it would impact our world and the way students learn. Suddenly, kids had access to a tool that could write essays, solve problems, and even generate ideas in seconds. For parents, this raises an important question: How should schools respond?

Some schools have banned AI completely, worried about plagiarism or shortcuts. Others have embraced it without much guidance. Neither extreme really serves students well. The truth is, AI isn’t going away—it will be part of their future in college, careers, and everyday life. That’s why schools need a thoughtful plan.

Why a Plan Matters for Kids

Without clear direction, AI can easily become a shortcut instead of a tool for support and deeper learning. Students might miss out on the resilience, problem-solving, and critical thinking they need for flourishing. On the other hand, when guided well, AI can actually help personalize learning, give students feedback faster, and free up teachers to spend more time building relationships with kids.

What Parents Should Look For

A good school plan for AI should:

• Teach kids when AI use is helpful—and when it takes away from real learning.
• Give teachers tools to save time so they can focus more on students.
• Show students how to use AI with integrity (including how to cite it).
• Make sure human relationships and values come first.
• Encourage teachers and students to keep learning as new tools are developed 
• Prioritize continuous learning and adapting with changing technologies.

How NorthStar Is Responding

At NorthStar Academy, we have intentionally chosen not to ignore artificial intelligence (AI) or to ban it entirely from our classrooms. Instead, in the spring of 2024, we established an AI task force dedicated to developing a thoughtful and deliberate plan for engaging students, teachers, and supervisors in the effective use of AI tools.

As a result of the task force’s efforts, we launched a series of professional development sessions for teachers. These sessions focused on strategies for writing quality prompts, facilitating meaningful student conversations about AI, and fostering professional discussions around AI tools that are especially helpful for lesson planning, creating rubrics, and inspiring new ideas.

NorthStar Academy intentionally designs activities and summative assessments around authentic tasks that require students to demonstrate their own learning. As such, many of our assignments require students to use knowledge and critical thinking without the support of AI tools. Where NorthStar course developers have chosen and designed specific assignments and assessments in which AI tools should be used in order to support and deepen learning, students are provided with clear information about the tool, why the tool is being used, and a rubric about the level to which AI use is acceptable for that activity. Additionally, individual teachers encourage students to reflect on their use of AI and to demonstrate honesty by citing AI use when they utilize AI for assignments.

Most importantly, we consistently remind our school community that nothing can replace genuine relationships and the personal growth that comes through perseverance, persistence, and encouragement. To reinforce this message, we dedicated the entire Spiritual Emphasis Week in the spring of 2024 to exploring these themes and emphasizing the enduring value of human connection.

Ongoing Commitment to AI Education

NorthStar’s board and administration team are actively engaged in ongoing discussions about the role of AI in education. As part of the school’s strategic plan, they are developing a comprehensive approach to teaching students age-appropriate skills and ethical practices related to using AI. This initiative is designed to ensure that students learn both how to use AI responsibly and how to understand the implications of its use, aligning with NorthStar’s commitment to thoughtful and ethical integration of technology in the classroom.

The Bottom Line

AI is here, and it’s not going away. The question is whether schools will prepare students to use it wisely. A thoughtful strategy helps kids benefit from the best of AI while protecting what matters most: their character, their learning, and their relationships.

This post is part of our Reimagining Education with AI series. Next, we’ll talk about how parents can help their kids keep education and relationships at the center—without letting AI become a shortcut that steals growth.

This AI series is written by Katie Ahmadzai. Katie is a school leader with over 20 years of experience in U.S., international, and online schools, including 12 years with NorthStar Academy. She is committed to creating engaging learning communities that foster student flourishing and reflect the Kingdom, using technology and innovation as tools to advance these goals.