(TNND) — A new Gallup report finds that fewer than one in five teachers say they have received any formal guidance on using artificial intelligence in a variety of tasks, including teaching students and preparing lessons.
An additional 48% told Gallup they had received informal mentoring. This includes verbal conversations and shared norms, but does not include written policies.
Additionally, about one-third of teachers surveyed by Gallup said they received no guidance at all about using AI.
George Velezianos, a learning technology professor at the University of Minnesota, said the Gallup findings are “alarming, but not surprising.”
“Schools should not expect teachers to navigate AI implementation alone or rely solely on informal guidance,” Velezianos said in an email. “Teachers need meaningful support, professional learning opportunities, and clear frameworks to help them understand both the potential and problematic features of AI.”
Veletsianos previously wrote about the questions schools should ask before jumping into AI, but added that strict mandates against the use of AI won’t help teachers either. Professional autonomy is needed to make informed decisions about how to best use AI to meet the specific needs of students, he said.
Gallup categorized the potential uses of AI across 10 education-related task areas, including preparing lessons, creating quizzes, modifying materials to meet student needs, and administrative tasks. Less than 9% of teachers reported having formal written policies for specific areas of work.
Teachers in wealthier schools are slightly more likely to receive instruction in AI, but are still most likely to receive only informal instruction.
Those who obtain formal policies are also more likely to be encouraged to use AI.
Previous RAND reports also found that school instruction on AI lags behind its use.
Both Gallup and RAND found that the majority of teachers use AI, but less than half of principals in the RAND survey reported having an AI use policy.
Christopher Doss, lead author of the previously released RAND report, said Thursday that Gallup’s new findings are broadly consistent with his own research and suggest that schools are making little progress in developing formal AI policies.
Doss said written policies combined with training are the most effective way to apply AI consistently across the classroom.
“And I think teachers and educators are hungry for that guidance,” he says.
But Doss said informal guidance could serve as a necessary bridge as schools work toward more inclusive policies.
He also said schools should not wait for the perfect policy before taking action. Broad guardrails that define acceptable and unacceptable AI use can provide value to teachers and students while administrators grapple with more nuanced policies over time.
“I feel sorry for the school at this moment,” Doss said. “I think they’re just as serious about trying to understand this problem as we are.”
Douglas Harris, an economist and education policy expert at Tulane University, echoed Doss’ sympathy for schools grappling with powerful, rapidly evolving technologies that represent a once-in-a-generation transformation in education.
Harris said many teachers have probably only heard ideas about AI but haven’t actually received clear and consistent instruction.
And he warned of the “telephone game problem,” where informal oral instruction can cause confusion and misunderstanding among educators.
Harris said schools face the difficult challenge of creating one-size-fits-all policies for educators, given the wide range of applications of AI and the unique needs of each classroom.
He likened AI to “a Swiss Army knife, but 10 times more powerful.”
Harris said schools should try to get teachers “on the same page” on AI. He said the focus should be on areas where teachers have the most control, such as lesson planning, assessment and classroom materials.
“On the other hand, you want teachers to experiment a little bit and fumble around, especially since the subjects are different,” Harris said. “On the other hand, there needs to be some consistency, especially in the messages students receive.”
