AI Early Adopter Districts: The Promises and Challenges of Using AI to Transform Education
This report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education examines how districts across the country are beginning to integrate AI into schools. Based on a study of 27 districts in 2024–25, it finds that most are still piloting AI tools in fragmented ways, often focused on teacher efficiency rather than instructional redesign. A smaller group of “System Changers” and “Reimaginers” are embedding AI into broader transformation agendas, rethinking educator roles, student learning, and future workforce preparation. Key findings highlight both the promise and pitfalls of early adoption: limited adult AI literacy, edtech fatigue, policy gaps, and uneven support for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. The report offers recommendations for districts, policymakers, funders, and developers to move from scattered pilots to coherent strategies that align AI with systemic goals and equity priorities, ensuring AI adoption strengthens—not sidelines—teaching and learning.