LOCALIZE IT: States and schools around the US are scrambling to develop AI literacy plans

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The term “AI literacy” has become a buzzword of this back-to-school season. It’s turning up in classrooms, at school board meetings and in countless op-eds and teacher trainings.

Schools feel a sense of urgency to train students in the skills they’ll need for an AI-driven future. But first teachers need training and schools are in the process of figuring out how to do that.

The concept of AI literacy is evolving as fast as the technology itself. Experts say there is no single, coherent definition of AI literacy, what it means to be AI literate or how to teach it. Tech giants that make the biggest AI tools, like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic offer schools training courses in how to use their chatbots. But there is a growing consensus among educators that AI literacy means not just knowing how to use AI tools — but knowing how to use them responsibly and when not to use them.

Across the U.S., the rate of teaching AI skills to teachers and students varies by state and often by school district and classroom.

This guide includes tips for covering or inquiring about AI literacy programs in your state or local school district. It also offers source material, recent studies that highlight the rapid growth of AI use in education and how training is lagging behind.

READ AP’S STORY

Schools are finding their way on AI literacy. For many, it means helping kids see chatbots’ flaws

SOURCES FOR STATE AI GUIDANCE AND FRAMEWORKS

So far, 37 states have published some degree of AI guidance for their K-12 schools. But experts say that doesn’t mean schools know what to do with it. State guidance is not binding and while it might require or encourage AI literacy it doesn’t typically specify what that is or how schools should do it. Another concern is equity. This RAND study shows that higher poverty districts are falling behind wealthier districts in AI use.

These are the states and territories that have AI guidance: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Here’s a map provided by consulting group AI for Education. Below the map are links to all the state policies.

AI for Education has helped draft AI policies for Chicago Public Schools, Houston schools and dozens of others. Their website offers helpful resources including free online training for teachers and students in AI literacy.

Another helpful resource is The AILit Framework , published in June 2026 by the European Commission and the OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). It includes age-appropriate lesson plans for teaching AI literacy.

NUMBERS TO HELP GUIDE REPORTING

In the past year, a multitude of studies have come out on AI in education asking, among other questions, how prevalent is AI use among students and teachers? What kind of training are they getting? The numbers vary but the data, and any secondary school teacher, will tell you that AI use is quickly increasing and training is lagging.

Here are a few polls that highlight different aspects of AI use in schools:

— This Gallup poll from June 2025 found that 60% of teachers said they are using AI for their work. A subsequent Gallup poll published in May 2026 found that just 18% of teachers said they have received any type of formal guidance from their schools in how AI tools should be used.

— This 2026 Common Sense Media poll found that 85% of kids ages 9 to 17 have used AI for help with schoolwork and homework, and that kids who struggle with schoolwork are more likely to use AI frequently.

— This study by the non profit research group RAND shows how quickly AI use by students is increasing: 62% of students in middle school and college reported using AI for help with homework in December 2025, up from 48% just seven months earlier in May 2025. And, 67% of students believe AI is harming their ability to think critically.

— In terms of training, students and teachers say they’re not getting enough: This RAND survey found that 35% of district leaders say they have provided students with AI training, but 80% of students say that teachers have not explicitly taught them how to use AI for schoolwork.

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