Gates Foundation funds national initiative to improve schools’ AI readiness

Program Overview: The Consortium for School Networking will implement a nationwide training initiative, funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to help school districts assess and improve their AI readiness.

• The program will utilize a “train-the-trainer” model to teach district teams how to evaluate their AI preparedness using the K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool
• Training will begin with 10-20 people at the national level, followed by four regional training sessions
• Regional trainers will then provide ongoing support to local districts, with particular focus on under-resourced and rural areas

Assessment Framework: The K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool, launched jointly by CoSN and the Council of the Great City Schools, evaluates school districts’ AI readiness across seven key domains.

• The tool measures operational and data readiness
• Security and legal preparedness are key components of the assessment
• The framework helps districts identify areas for improvement and development

Partnership Structure: CoSN is collaborating with several major educational organizations to implement the training program.

• Key partners include the Association of Educational Service Agencies
• The School Superintendents Association will provide additional support
• The State Educational Technology Directors Association will assist in conducting training
• These organizations will help gather evidence and examples of successful AI integration in schools

Strategic Focus: The initiative specifically targets accessibility and inclusivity in AI education preparation.

• Under-resourced and rural districts receive special emphasis in the training rollout
• The program aims to bridge the gap between districts with varying levels of resources
• Data collected throughout the program will inform future scaling efforts

Implementation Timeline and Impact Analysis: While the exact start date remains unspecified, the program will gather data to optimize future AI readiness efforts across school districts.

• The initiative will monitor implementation success across different district types
• Results will be used to refine and scale the program
• Evidence of successful AI integration will be documented to complement the maturity tool

Looking Ahead: The program represents a significant step toward standardizing AI readiness in education, though its success will largely depend on the effectiveness of the cascade training model and the ability to reach traditionally underserved districts.