Students, Teachers and Leaders Have Different Views on AI Support
According to Microsoft’s findings, more than half of education leaders are using AI daily. Among students and teachers, however, the number is lower: About one-third of teachers and one-quarter of students use it every day in their school-related work. Many educators are using AI tools to brainstorm, plan lessons and simplify complex topics, while leaders are using it to work more efficiently and analyze data to improve students’ learning.
But while many districts are encouraging AI use, there appears to be a big perception gap. Among survey respondents, 4 in 5 school leaders say their institution’s AI guidance is clear, but half of students and teachers say that guidance is nonexistent or neutral. To feel more supported and confident with AI, students and teachers say they need regular training; ideally, monthly or quarterly.
That’s likely a gap that leaders don’t realize they’re overlooking: 7 in 10 education leaders say at least half their students and teachers have had AI training. Conversely, 77% of students and 53% of educators say they have not had any formal AI training. That could be due to the speed of AI’s evolution.
“Education leaders say they’re delivering the content, but the end audience says they’re not receiving it. That deserves a closer look,” says Mark Sparvell, director of marketing education for Microsoft, in the report. “AI is changing so fast that people may not have time to embed what they’ve learned into their practice before it’s changed again, so they’re constantly feeling in deficit.”
To meet this need, schools must build practical AI literacy that withstands constant changes. This can mean ongoing, hands-on education opportunities, co-ops that allow educators to share with and learn from their peers, and short, stackable learning modules that can be completed even when time is tight.
Microsoft Offers AI Literacy Tools
Along with the report, Microsoft unveiled expanded AI tools tailored for education so schools can provide the kind of support and ongoing learning that students and educators need.
“Schools are places that develop skills — but they’re also where society itself is created,” Sparvell says. “AI gives educators an incredible range of new tools to accomplish that work.”
The new tools include:
- Teacher tools that allow educators to brainstorm and plan standards-aligned lesson plans in minutes, set guidelines for how and when AI can be used in assignments and oversee student activity and lesson progression
- Student tools that help students explore their classroom materials and use Copilot Chat as a research partner
- Training through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, including a no-cost AI literacy program for educators and leaders looking to build confidence and transform classroom learning.
The report offers a proof point from Broward County Public Schools in Florida that tells how such AI tools can improve student learning, teacher efficiency and the district’s bottom line. The district deployed 20,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses for students and teachers. They were able to directly tie that investment to up to 7 hours per week of reclaimed time for educators and a projected facilities savings of $40 million to $50 million over five years.
Sherri Wilson, director of innovative learning for Broward County Public Schools, says the investment was a no-brainer for the district. “We have to meet this moment and prepare our students for what’s ahead. If we shy away from what’s going on globally, we will be left behind.”
