AI in school libraries report

A recent report examined K-12 teaching about AI. Some of the key recommendations are based more around how we assign and assess student work, rather than on AI as a specific technology. For example, the report suggested moving away from AI detectors or other adversarial approaches to assessment re-design and instead seeking more valid evidence of student understanding. 

Harris, C. et al. (2026). TeachingAbout.AI K-12 Field Report.  Teaching About. https://teachingabout.ai/report-for-the-k-12-field/

For Classroom Teachers

• Move from punishment to a restorative protocol for suspected AI misuse: conversation, redo opportunity, explicit teaching about the purpose of the assignment.
• Pilot Black Box Assessment in two or three units per grade band where the work has traditionally been a take-home product. Capture and credit the rough draft, the revision, and the rationale—not only the final paper.
• Use AI feedback as preparation for human feedback, not as a substitute. A chatbot can scaffold a first draft; only a teacher can tell a student what the work means and provide recognition.

For Principals and Instructional Leaders

• Reframe district planning documents from “AI policy” to “teaching and learning in an AI-mediated context.” The shift is not cosmetic; it changes what counts as a relevant solution and who needs to be in the room.
• Issue explicit, written permission from district leadership: this is the year we redesign. Specify what divergence is allowed, what evidence is requested, and what supports are available.
• Replace “AI ban” and “AI mandate” framings with explicit harm-reduction policies. Name the harms (engagement-driven design, parasocial bonding, deepfake abuse) and the mitigations.

For School Librarians

• Empower school librarians as in-house consultants on task redesign. Their co-teaching role across subject areas makes them well placed to coach colleagues through structural redesign one unit at a time.
• Use the LibraryReady.AI PreK–12 scope and sequence as a backbone. It is grade-banded, librarian-friendly, and built for exactly this work in all levels of classrooms.
• Treat school librarians as the in-district R&D unit. Their broad view across classrooms, their information-evaluation skills, and their relationship to the LibraryReady.AI scope and sequence make them ideal redesign partners.

Harris, C. et al. (2026). TeachingAbout.AI K-12 Field Report

Student ChatGPT Use Survey

 

Twenty-six percent of US teens ages 13 to 17 say they are using ChatGPT for schoolwork, doubling the figure who reported that use in 2023, a recent survey indicates. The survey also reveals that 54% of respondents consider using the AI tool acceptable for researching new topics, while 18% say the same about using it to write essays. 

Black and Hispanic teens (31% each) are more likely than White teens (22%) to say they have used ChatGPT for their schoolwork. 

Sidoti, O., Park, E., & Gottfried, J. (2025). About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork - double the shrae in 2023. Pew Research Center. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/15/about-a-quarter-of-us-teens-have-used-chatgpt-for-schoolwork-double-the-share-in-2023/https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/15/about-a-quarter-of-us-teens-have-used-chatgpt-for-schoolwork-double-the-share-in-2023/

Student and Teacher AI Use Report

 A recent report shows a significant increase in AI use among students and teachers during the 2023-24 school year, with 70% of high school students and 67% of teachers using generative AI. However, two-thirds of teachers have not received guidance on handling AI-related plagiarism, although 39% use detection software.

Laird, E., Dwyer, M., & Woelfe, K. (2025). Out of step: Students, teachers in stride with edtech threats while parents are left behind. Center for Democracy & Technology.

https://cdt.org/insights/out-of-step-students-teachers-in-stride-with-edtech-threats-while-parents-are-left-behind/

AI and teens study

 A recent survey found that more than 40% of teens are likely to use artificial intelligence to complete their schoolwork, but 60% consider it cheating. As AI-powered tools like ChatGPT become more prevalent in schools, educators are grappling with how to incorporate AI use responsibly, emphasizing it as a tool to assist learning rather than a replacement for learning.

Junior Achievement. (2023). AI and tomorrow's jobs. Author.

https://jausa.ja.org/dA/79df6c0f56/criticalIssuePdfDocument/AI%20and%20Tomorrows%20%20Jobs.pdf

Academic Librarians' Perspective on AI

 Many academic librarians believe context matters when artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are used by students and faculty to assist with their work, according to a recent study. While only eight percent of respondents said that they believe it is cheating when students use AI products for research—compared with 49 percent who said it was not—42 percent said that it was “somewhat” cheating.

AI in Higher Education: The Librarians’ Perspectives. (2023, March). Helper Systems.

https://www.helpersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HS-AI-Survey-Whitepaper-3-7-22.pdf

AI Library Use Report

 This article gives a quick overview of some of areas where AI tools are being used and how they work. It then provides a checklist for assessment. 

Upshall, M. (2022). An AI toolkit for librarians. Library Journal. https://www.infodocket.com/2022/11/04/research-article-an-ai-toolkit-for-libraries/

The Future of Cyber Technology

Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and cyber threats are among the biggest forces that will impact the internet over the next five to seven years, according to a new report from the Internet Society, a nonprofit focused on the open development, evolution and use of the internet. The organization's 2017 Global Internet Report predicts a mix of promise and uncertainty as we move toward the digital future, and makes recommendations for safeguarding the internet for the next generation. The report identifies six key "drivers of change," emphasizing that the forces are highly interconnected:

·       The Internet & the Physical World 

·       Artificial Intelligence

·       Cyber Threats

·       The Internet Economy

·       Networks, Standards & Interoperability

·       The Role of Government

Some of the report's recommendations include: put users' interests first with respect to their own data; act now to close digital divides; take a collaborative approach to security; build strong, secure, resilient networks; address the need for online social norms; and empower people to shape their own future.

Internet Society (2017). 2017 Internet society global internet report: Paths to our digital future. Reston, VA: Internet Society. https://future.internetsociety.org/