Designing AI Strategies That Stick: Lessons from Early Adopters

Outline

Welcome and Framing (Moderator – Bree Dusseault)
Time: 8 minutes
Introduce panelists and session goals.
Share a quick pulse-check on where educators are in their AI strategy journey (many experimenting, few with coherent vision).
Ground the conversation in CRPE’s national research on early adopters.

Engagement: Live audience poll (via phone/QR code): “What’s your biggest barrier to AI integration?” (options: vision, knowledge, tools, policy, other).

Bree will acknowledges results and tie to national trends.

Process: Device-based interaction at the start, immediate tie-back to research.

Setting the Landscape: Why AI Literacy Matters (Pat)
Time: 15 minutes

Content:
Define what “AI literacy” means for educators.
Share key elements of effective AI strategies at state/district level.
Connect AI literacy to broader instructional goals.

Engagement:
Audience “pair-share” (turn to neighbor): “What’s one thing you’ve heard about AI this year that feels overhyped, and one thing that feels promising?”
A few members are picked to share, and Pat then links to the TeachAI framework.
5 minutes for reflection and mid-session Q&A
Process: Peer-to-peer reflection before diving into expert framing.

School & Classroom Perspectives (Lanira Murphy + Casey Cuny)
Time: 25 minutes

Content:
Lanira: district/school leadership view—how to support teachers without overwhelming them.
Casey: classroom perspective—what works, what doesn’t, how AI helps real instruction.
Both highlight concrete use cases (lesson prep, differentiation, feedback, reducing administrative load).

Engagement:
Audience Q&A “lightning round” — moderator collects 4-5 short questions from audience via QR submission, asks panelists to respond quickly.

Invite 1–2 audience members to share how AI has (or hasn’t) worked in their classrooms/districts.

Closing Reflections & Call to Action (Moderator + Panelists)
Content:
Recap key themes: strategy, literacy, alignment with vision, practical use cases.
Panelists each share a 1-minute “If you remember one thing…” takeaway.
Moderator outlines resources (CRPE research, TeachAI tools, etc.).

Engagement:
Final live poll: “What’s one action you’ll take in the next 30 days to advance AI literacy in your context?” Results displayed on screen as collective commitments.

Process: Close with reflection + explicit commitment.

Outcomes

Identify the foundational elements of AI literacy that educators need in order to evaluate tools and strategies effectively.

Connect AI opportunities to broader instructional visions rather than one-off tools or pilots.

Analyze lessons learned from CRPE’s research on early adopters and national case studies across states, districts, and classrooms.

Explore tangible examples of how AI can enhance teaching and learning in real classroom contexts.

Develop initial ideas for how their own school, district, or state could support teachers in building AI capacity.

Supporting research

crpe.org/wp-content/uploads/RB_Launching-DW-Innovation.pdf

crpe.org/wp-content/uploads/AI-Early-Adopters-Brief-Final.pdf

https://crpe.org/calming-the-noise-how-ai-literacy-efforts-foster-responsible-adoption-for-educators/

https://crpe.org/wp-content/uploads/Teacher-Prep-AI-2024.pdf

https://www.the74million.org/article/what-california-teachers-are-trying-building-and-learning-with-ai/

https://crpe.org/districts-and-ai-tracking-early-adopters-and-what-this-means-for-2024-25/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8P7_yyo1o4

https://patyongpradit.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKjWyvpPM4

https://www.the74million.org/article/how-early-adopter-districts-are-moving-ahead-fast-with-ai-and-getting-it-right/