What The White House AI Education Plan Must Get Right

Forbes

3 days ago

LOS ANGELES-CA-MARCH 20, 2024: Saron Henok, 10, uses Ed, a new district-developed Artificial ... More Intelligence-assisted "learning acceleration web-based platform that will boost student success and revolutionize how K-12 education is tailored to meet individual needs," during the official launch event at Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles on March 20, 2024. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The White House announced a sweeping 'AI Education Pledge' Monday, with more than 60 companies, including Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and McGraw Hill, committing to deliver AI curriculum, professional development and tools to K–12 schools. It's a major policy shift, signaling the Trump administration's move to fast-track classroom AI adoption.
But one announcement won't ensure equity, readiness or trust. With the administration now tasked with delivering a full AI action plan by mid-July, the real work begins. The question is not whether AI will shape the future of learning, but how deliberately we prepare schools, educators and students to lead that future.
I spoke with many of the world's most respected education experts on this topic — including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Andreas Schleicher, Harvard's Chris Dede, the American Federation of Teachers' Randi Weingarten and Finnish-Australian thought leader Pasi Sahlberg. Their insights offer a blueprint the White House cannot afford to ignore.
1. Teacher Training Must Come First
New tools are not a substitute for professional learning. As the Weingarten has emphasized, basic AI literacy should be mandatory before teachers are expected to integrate AI into instruction. That doesn't mean mastering code — it means understanding how tools work, where they fail and when to use them. Teachers also need time, not just tools. Without space to explore and evaluate, even the best platforms will gather dust.
2. Students Need More Than Devices
One of the most persistent myths in edtech is that access equals equity. But connectivity alone doesn't close learning gaps. Students — especially those in under-resourced or disrupted environments — need support to use these tools confidently and critically. Equity in AI means safe platforms, strong scaffolds and protections from harmful content and algorithmic bias.
3. Hybrid Readiness Is Non-Negotiable
In just the past year, more than 210 million students missed school due to climate shocks, illness or conflict. As Dede told me, the world is now irreversibly hybrid. Systems that insist on in-person learning as the only 'real' learning are setting their students up to fall behind. The next emergency isn't a hypothetical — it's inevitable. A national action plan should require every district to have a pre-approved hybrid readiness protocol that includes devices, Wi-Fi mapping, teacher training and student agency metrics.
4. Educators Must Co-Design, Not Just Comply
OECD's Schleicher reminded me that AI is 'just an amplifier' — it will scale both good and bad practice. What matters is not the tool, but how it's used. One powerful policy lever since 2020? Engaging educators as co-designers of the digital tools they'll use, not just passive recipients. Edtech that's built with teachers, not just for them, is far more likely to be adopted — and trusted.
5. We Must Protect the Human Layer
Sahlberg's reminder stays with me: learning never stopped when schools closed during COVID-19 — it just changed form. Many young people created their own learning systems using digital tools and peer networks. But that doesn't mean we should hand over education to algorithms. The irreplaceable power of human relationships — of teacher-student trust — must remain central, especially as AI enters the classroom.
The Bottom Line
AI can personalize, support and extend learning. But it cannot replace the values, relationships and pedagogical wisdom at the heart of education. Any national action plan must balance innovation with integrity, scaling what works and protecting what matters.
According to the pledge, companies have committed to providing curriculum, professional development, free resources, funding and safe platform access — important steps. But real impact won't come from donations alone. It will come from district-level capacity, community-level trust and national leadership that centers teachers and students at every step.
This is a rare moment: to shape a generation of learners not just fluent in AI, but empowered by it. Let's make sure the action plan doesn't just check a policy box — but builds a future where every child can thrive.