The AI Literacy Gap: How Early Adopter Districts Are Leading the Way in K-12 Education

In the two years since ChatGPT’s release, generative AI (genAI) tools have flooded the K-12 education space. Each day, educators and administrators hear new claims about AI’s power to transform learning, while also facing warnings about its dangers. Caught between the hype and the fear, they struggle to distinguish real opportunities from noise. This uncertainty leaves many school systems either paralyzed or experimenting with genAI tools without a clear strategy.

To understand how districts are navigating this reality, CRPE is studying 22 AI “early adopter” school systems.

One clear finding is that a lack of AI literacy among educators and central office leaders is an immediate barrier to adoption.

Before districts can tackle larger challenges related to AI effectiveness, equity, and implementation, all educators need a basic understanding of AI’s capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations. 

Adult AI literacy is the foundation for advancing scalable, sustainable AI strategies. While many districts remain stalled in spreading AI literacy, the early adopters in our study are piloting promising practices to build system-wide AI literacy.

How a Lack of AI Literacy Stalls Progress Before It Even Begins

District leaders shared that without adequate AI literacy, educators concerned about privacy, bias, and job displacement often default to skepticism or outright resistance, leading some districts to ban AI tools preemptively rather than adopting them thoughtfully. At the same time, many district leaders, overwhelmed by the flood of AI tools and conflicting narratives about their risks and benefits, limit their use of AI to the simplest applications—like chatbots answering student questions—rather than leveraging its full potential to enhance instruction, streamline operations, or support deeper learning. Without a clear framework for evaluating AI tools, districts risk mistaking hype for innovation—leading to stalled decisions and missed opportunities.

Despite the importance of AI literacy, there is little guidance and support from state agencies, universities, or professional organizations, leaving most districts to build AI knowledge and strategy on their own.

The real question isn’t whether AI literacy matters—it’s how districts can effectively build it, so AI adoption doesn’t stall before it even begins. The early adopter school systems in our study have demonstrated promising practices for building AI literacy.

How Early Adopters Are Laying the Foundation for AI Adoption

Early adopter school systems that have embraced AI aren’t just experimenting with tools—they recognize the importance of baseline AI literacy for effective AI adoption. They are taking deliberate steps to close knowledge gaps, build confidence, and create the conditions for the responsible use of AI. These systems are using several key strategies to build system-wide AI literacy:

• Creating Safe Spaces for AI Experimentation: Early adopters recognize that AI adoption won’t gain traction if educators are fearful or misinformed. To counter hesitation, early adopters are creating structured but flexible environments where teachers and leaders can explore AI tools without risk. These “safe spaces” enable educators to test AI under clear guidelines, allowing them to see its practical benefits. Districts are also sharing success stories through internal newsletters, superintendent-led initiatives, and collaborative AI task forces that include teachers, administrators, and technology leaders, fostering collaboration that builds confidence and literacy at all levels.
  
  
• Multi-Modal Professional Learning That Meets Educators Where They Are: Early adopters recognize that professional learning must be ongoing and embedded into existing training structures. They are doing so through a variety of formats, including in-person workshops, informal “pop-up” learning sessions, full-day conferences, and self-paced AI learning modules. These multi-modal approaches ensure that all educators—not just those comfortable with tech—have access to ongoing learning opportunities, providing educators with the foundational knowledge needed to evaluate AI tools critically and integrate them effectively into teaching and administrative workflows.
  
  
• Participating in AI Capacity-Building Leadership Programs: Recognizing that AI literacy must extend beyond classrooms, early adopters are partnering with organizations like Digital Promise, TeachAI, ISTE, AI for Equity, and Chiefs for Change to build leadership capacity for school and central office leaders. These partnerships provide frameworks and peer learning opportunities that enable districts to evaluate tools and align AI initiatives with their broader educational goals. System leaders found these cohorts critical to their success by providing them with time to step back and visualize possibilities, pressure-test ideas with peers, and connect with implementation teams to ensure effective adoption.
  
  
• Connecting Central Office to the Classroom with Technology Teams and Coaches: Many districts are expanding their technology teams to include dedicated AI or technology coaches who provide on-the-ground support to educators. Similar to instructional coaches, these specialists work directly with teachers, responding to concerns and helping integrate AI tools effectively while ensuring that AI adoption aligns with district-wide priorities. By positioning AI as a collaborative effort between schools and district offices, early adopters are creating a more cohesive approach to AI integration.

An Urgent Call: Coordinated AI Literacy Support from State, Philanthropies, and System Leaders

Early adopters aren’t solving every challenge AI presents, but they are acknowledging and addressing the fact that AI literacy is the necessary first step.

By building knowledge and trust upfront, they’re creating the conditions for informed, strategic, and equitable AI adoption. Early adopter districts are finding that addressing basic AI literacy among adults is a challenging condition for success. They are showing us that getting ahead of this work is key. They are also learning about what works, offering a roadmap for those who follow. While these strategies show promising early results, district leaders also acknowledge that there is still work to do to reach all educators in their school system. Scaling AI literacy beyond small pilot groups will require sustained efforts, coordination, and external support from policymakers and philanthropic organizations.

To create the conditions for effective AI adoption, system leaders should take concrete steps to build AI literacy across their district, including:

• Integrate AI-related implementation and professional development into ongoing initiatives, rather than treating them as new or one-off responsibilities.
  
• Create a culture of learning through “structured play” with AI and multi-modal professional learning opportunities.
  
• Collaborate with educator “AI early adopters” to identify promising tools and design classroom pilots.
• Form advisory boards that include educators, families, and students to develop AI training for all stakeholders.
• Establish and follow clear principles for evaluating tools and ensuring broad access.
• Develop leadership capacity at all levels to drive the strategic and ethical implementation of AI.

State agencies, intermediary organizations, and philanthropies can take immediate steps to support educators in building AI literacy:

• Providing funding and resources for systems to invest in sustained, system-wide professional learning that addresses both technical skills and ethical considerations.
• Fostering collaborative networks for peer districts to accelerate learning and share best practices for superintendents, central office teams, and board members.
• Crafting legal guidelines and exemplars for evaluating AI tools, developing procurement processes, and ensuring universal access.

AI has the potential to transform education rapidly; however, without broad support for AI literacy, its impact will be uneven and potentially harmful. While the early adopters we are studying are making strides, real progress requires systemic, coordinated support at all levels.

CRPE will continue tracking this critical issue—stay tuned for more insights as we follow these pioneering districts on their AI journey.

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This post first appeared on CRPE.