School systems around the D.C. region are beginning to embrace artificial intelligence in different ways. In Prince George’s County, Maryland, AI is being used to help students improve their storytelling skills. In Virginia’s Fairfax and Prince William counties, the technology is helping teachers with tasks ranging from lesson planning to other classroom duties.

Effectiveness of AI in Schools

Even as schools race to implement more AI tools, the effectiveness of these tools remains limited. Researchers said there is still relatively little high-quality research examining AI’s impact on K-12 education. Lily Fesler, a senior researcher at the AI Hub for Education at Stanford University, noted that there are a lot of tools being used in schools right now, and there’s just not a lot of evidence on how these tools are affecting students and teachers.

Some trends are beginning to emerge. In some cases, AI appears to have a positive effect on K-12 student learning. Sometimes, it isn’t. Fesler said outcomes often depend on how students are using the technology. For example, giving students general-purpose AI chatbots to study for an exam isn’t likely going to increase student exam scores and can actually decrease performance.

Education-focused AI tools have shown more promising results, she said. Students who use tutoring-specific AI assistants don’t show that same decline in test performance as students who use general-purpose AI chatbots. And AI tools can help students with things like more individualized feedback, feedback on writing assignments, which can also improve the quality of future essays that students write.

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.