Press Releases

 Today, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Kiley (R-CA), delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at the fourth hearing in a series examining artificial intelligence, titled "Building an AI-Ready America: Teaching in the AI Age":

"AI is transforming schools across America. According to a Walton Family Foundation report, 60 percent of U.S. public school teachers used an AI tool for their work during the 2024-2025 academic year. That number was up by nearly double from the previous year.With AI tools, educators can more easily perform a wide range of classroom functions like analyzing student performance, creating lesson plans, and personalizing curriculum to help students succeed.
 
"However, this rapid shift also presents major challenges. Seventy percent of teachers admit they do not feel prepared to use AI effectively in their classrooms. Over 90 percent say they need additional support from their school leaders to leverage AI effectively in the classroom.
 
"As America’s schools and classrooms are revolutionized by AI, it is imperative we understand the benefits and challenges of this technology. 
 
"Let’s start with the positives: AI has enormous potential to slash teachers’ administrative and planning workload, freeing up more time for teaching kids. Teachers who use AI tools weekly estimate they save about six hours a week. Over a school year, this adds up to nearly six weeks of extra teaching time. In a world where thousands of teachers feel stressed or mounting burnout, AI can help teachers save time so that they can focus more on what they do best. 
 
"We also know that teachers are generally pleased with the quality of work AI helps them produce. For instance, 74 percent report that AI helps them produce higher quality administrative work. Virtually none say that AI worsens their administrative work.
 
"It’s hard to imagine another education technology that holds so much potential to make teachers’ jobs easier. 
 
"But this potential also comes with challenges. While a vast majority of teachers say AI tools can help in the classroom, an even larger swath of teachers—a staggering 85 percent—express concern about student use of AI. Of course, student misuse of AI will have direct consequences for teachers. 
 
"According to a recent survey by Impact Research, nearly 40 percent of middle and high school students admit they have used AI without teachers’ permission to complete assignments. And according to the Center for Democracy and Technology, 71 percent of teachers report that students’ use of AI is creating an additional burden on them to discern if student work is AI- generated or not. Detecting AI-fueled cheating is exceptionally difficult, as existing tools are inadequate and frequently produce false positives. 
 
"Students aren’t just using these tools to get homework done faster; excessive or irresponsible use of AI as a crutch threatens to replace critical thinking, especially when used outside of teacher supervision.

"These problems have obvious consequences as educators must fundamentally rethink how they design assessments, assign homework, and ensure academic integrity. 
 
"Unfortunately, teachers report receiving insufficient guidance on how to handle these challenges. For example, according to a recent RAND survey, only 34 percent of teachers reported their school or district has policies on academic integrity and AI.
 
"That’s why this hearing is so critical. Today will further illuminate the benefits and challenges of AI adoption for teachers. We’ll hear testimony today about how teachers can be equipped with the tools they need, what support they need from their leadership, and how teachers can best work with students in an era when seemingly everyone is experimenting with AI. We’ll also hear expert advice about what state and local leaders can do to ensure their teacher workforce is ready for the AI age. 
 
"AI has unprecedented potential to aid teachers, but that potential must be analyzed soberly, with a clear view of the potential risks."

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