Penn State wraps first listening tour for K-12 leaders to shape AI in education

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes education and the workforce, Penn State — through an interdisciplinary collaboration — is leading a statewide effort to help prepare Pennsylvania’s schools.

Through “Shaping AI in Education: A Pennsylvania Listening and Learning Tour,” Penn State faculty, researchers, outreach staff, evaluators and graduate students convened with K-12 educators and administrators across the commonwealth to share expert insights and spark meaningful conversation about how AI is and could be used in Pennsylvania’s K-12 education landscape. Sponsored by and in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the effort will culminate in published recommendations based on findings from the meetings to inform statewide AI guidance and future programming.

The tour, conducted from March through June, was a collaboration among multiple Penn State units, including the Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS), the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), the College of Education and Penn State Extension. Listening sessions were hosted at Penn State's University Park, Greater Allegheny, Berks, York and Wilkes-Barre campuses, in addition to virtual sessions to provide access for educators and administrators who could not attend in person.

“The initiative exemplifies Penn State’s commitment to increasing its land-grant impact — leveraging the University’s assets and strategic partnerships to build resilient, sustainable communities for the betterment of the commonwealth,” said Kathleen Hill, professor of science education, CSATS director and one of the initiative’s leads. “Pennsylvania currently lacks a consistent, statewide framework to guide AI implementation in K-12 education. While more than 20 states have adopted formal AI guidance for schools, approaches vary widely. With data collected from Penn State's tour, we aim to help the commonwealth develop thoughtful, research-informed direction grounded in educators’ and administrators’ voices and local context.”

The day-long summits — which were offered free of charge and for which participating educators and administrators were eligible for Act 48 and Act 45 credits — were designed as both learning and listening sessions. Participants engaged in “AI Café” discussions covering topics such as:

• The fundamentals of how AI works
• Ethical and sustainability considerations, including bias, privacy and environmental impact
• K-12 AI guidelines and policy considerations
• Workforce development in an AI-driven economy
• Using AI to support multiple tasks performed by educators and to enhance student learning

In addition to knowledge-sharing, each summit included structured stakeholder listening sessions using design strategies centered on humans rather than AI. Pre- and post-event surveys, facilitated discussions and follow-up evaluations were designed to capture educator perspectives, concerns and recommendations ensuring the research findings are grounded in direct community engagement and participant input.

The events were well received, noted Jeff Remington, CSATS STEM outreach liaison and co-project lead, who pointed to some of the feedback the team received:

• “It was a very hopeful and informative day. I really loved the experience.” — Josh Fleming, technology educator for Solanco School District

• “I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciated the session — your expertise engages teachers.” — Michele Dubaich, assistant superintendent of West Perry School District

• “This was, by far, the best AI session I’ve ever attended. I appreciate the work you have done and continue to do to further AI awareness and education across the state. I plan to use many of these resources to support the work our AI Steering Committee will be doing this summer.” — Tamara Solometo, director of curriculum for Southern Lehigh School District

• “This was a great session. I’m looking forward to what comes next.” — Ken Zimmerman, associate program director of education technology and innovation for Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13

According to Hill, the tour addressed a critical need through four interconnected dimensions: AI policy development; transformative opportunities, including personalized learning and building students’ AI literacy; reduced administrative burdens for educators; the future workforce implications of AI adoption; and critical concerns around bias, academic integrity, data privacy and environmental sustainability.

Using these dimensions as a framework, the Penn State team will deliver a comprehensive report to the Pennsylvania Department of Education summarizing outcomes, evaluation findings and recommendations for next steps to support AI in K-12 education statewide.

“By combining research expertise, cross-sector collaboration and direct stakeholder engagement, ‘Shaping AI in Education’ positions Penn State as a convener and thought leader in preparing Pennsylvania schools for an AI-enabled future — delivering on the promise of the University's land-grant mission and demonstrating the purpose, agility and opportunity for years ahead,” Hill said of the listening tour, which was named a runner-up for the “AI Societal Impact” Award at the recent Penn State AI Awards held by ICDS’s AI Hub.

In addition to Hill and Remington, the initiative is led by a cross-disciplinary team of Penn State experts, including Mehrdad Mahdavi, associate professor of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering; Gretta Kellogg, engineering program manager and assistant director of the Center for Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Industry at Penn State Harrisburg; Gerald LeTendre, the Harry L. Batschelet Chair of Educational Administration in the College of Education; Anil Kumar Chaudhary, associate professor of agricultural and extension education in the College of Agricultural Sciences; and graduate students Paul Tolulope Akinbobola, Jagadeesh Kimavath, Aastha Adhikari and Ehi-kowochio Blessing.