Seattle Schools and Online Learning - What Direction is Best? Hint: Not AI

Way back in the olden days when my kids were in school, I gave tours at their school. What was the number one question? "Do the kids have access to computers?" I was very proud to say yes, we have brand-new Apple computers in our computer lab. Then, as time went on, it was "do you have computers in the classroom?" And all the way to today when every single kid in SPS has a laptop or pad assigned to them.

What is the difference? The actual computer is hardware and AI is software. That is a huge difference. When my kids were in school, it was actually being able to learn to type on a computer and use various shortcuts to help that use. Additionally, librarians now had another task which was to guide students in how to look for information in valid ways that didn't take all day. It was also learning PowerPoint to do presentations. All useful and good stuff.

AI is not that. AI doesn't reduce the number of sites to find information, it expands them. AI doesn't help a student be more creative or improve critical thinking skills.

Bluntly, AI hasn't been proven to do anything for teaching and learning for children in any significant way. ChatGPT is just Wikipedia on steroids. Students are NOT going to fall behind if they aren't using AI daily for learning.

So why is the Superintendent and all these other districts hellbent on getting it into the classroom? I am serious. Why aren't school administrators and teachers pushing back and asking that question? I keep reading this:

AI boosters say the tools could reduce time educators spend on administrative tasks — from creating lesson plans to analyzing large data sets — and free up teachers to work with students.

To which I say, bullshit. I would say that if it is true that teachers will have more time with students, then document that for parents. Every single teacher should have to be able to show how using AI gave them more time for students.

And then there is this about Google from The Hill last week:

Schools are scrambling after Google said Tuesday that education leaders need to either accept some AI in classrooms or lose access to its search engine.

Google announced that early next year its Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Search will automatically be turned off for school districts and administrators will have to choose to opt into the features. However, the company said Search and AI are “deeply integrated”, and it will not be possible to turn on Google Search without accepting AI.

The company is updating its Search feature, so AI Overviews “will offer step-by-step guided learning” instead of instantly giving students the answers, but that does not offer comfort to the public.

“To change anything in the middle of a school year, big or small, I think is a challenge. I would hope that leaders would consider that, and maybe even Google would consider that — to allow school districts to determine what they want to do, but I’m sure that there’ll be some school districts, big and small, who say, ‘We cannot use Google, and we’ll have to figure something else out,'” he added. 

But abandoning Google is not as simple as just switching search engines.

What other big cities are doing is limiting AI use to learn to use it and understand its limitations and biases.

Across the nation, other districts are pulling way back. Places like NYC with their ban through 8th grade. In LA, it's pre-K-12th grade. Portland is hitting the pause button for a couple of years to review what their policy will be.

Good for all of them.

It is shocking to see that SPS has signage in many K-5 schools explaining AI usage for assignments as red for "restricted," yellow for "caution," and green for "allowed." The problem is that this signage is likely to mean little to many students. I would think for K-5, most kids wouldn't even get what they did wrong.

The SPS website lists AI tools available to students, including MagicSchool AI, Canva’s Magic Write and Adobe Firefly. 

The Times reports back in May that Washington State school districts got a grant from Microsoft to learn about AI initiatives. The article stated then:

Seattle is planning to translate AI guidance to help teachers, students and families understand how and when they’re allowed to use AI. The $75,000-per-district grants, announced in February, are part of the Microsoft Elevate Washington initiative to expand AI access and related skills statewide. Districts can also get up to $25,000 to work with a Microsoft-certified consultant.

Where was the discussion on this?

A Pew Research Center report in February found that 54% of students aged 13 to 17 used chatbots to assist with schoolwork and 57% to find information, more than twice as many who reported using ChatGPT for schoolwork in a 2024 survey. Twelve percent said they’d used chatbots for emotional support or advice.

As well, this is SPS's Mike Starosky:  

Parents are not the only ones with serious concerns. Starosky said in district focus groups, students said they fear their own “cognitive decline.”

Students’ major concerns include future job security, academic integrity and AI overuse. Starosky said students are asking: “Are they learning or not? And for a student to say that, that’s a vulnerable, vulnerable place to be.”

Plus, some kids are using AI for "emotional support."

Emotional support? That is so sad and does not bode well for the future. 

But Benjamin Riley, the founder of Cognitive Resonance, which educates people on generative AI, said districts should resist the pressure and “stop chasing technology hype.”

“These are tools of cognitive automation, and since the business of education is to build knowledge and improve cognition, these are really profoundly unhelpful tools by and large,” he said.

Riley pushed back on the argument “the future demands this.” Not too long ago, the same people were saying everyone needs to learn how to code, he said.

Another issue? Student data privacy. Huge issue. 

Last Thursday dozen of concerned parents gathered at the JSCEE asking for Superintendent Ben Shuldiner to hit the pause button on AI.

From KIRO 7:

Demonstrators argued that artificial intelligence tools are being pushed onto students without sufficient oversight. Parents raised specific concerns regarding whether children in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade even need AI technology as part of their daily education.

Shuldiner said:

“I will give a big shout-out to the folks who had a rally outside. We really appreciate SFIT (Seattle Families for Intentional Tech) and all the work that they’ve been doing, and really all the families that are thoughtful about, ‘What does tech look like that can be good for children?’” Shuldiner said.

I also see this messaging from the district on K-2 computer usage:

"Beginning Jan. 4, 2027, Seattle Public Schools will transition away from the current one-to-one iPad model in kindergarten through second grade and move to a classroom-based approach to technology access. The change reflects the district's commitment to developmentally appropriate learning experiences for its youngest students.

Under the new framework, iPads will continue to be available in K-2 classrooms when they support a clear instructional, accessibility, intervention, or assessment purpose. Technology will remain an important learning tool, but classroom instruction will continue to prioritize reading, writing, conversation, collaboration, movement, play, and hands-on exploration.

The update also means K-2 iPads will remain at school and will no longer be sent home with students."

What else has the district done? Pulled the plug on YouTube, Minecraft and an AI loophole. This starts tomorrow. From The Seattle Times:

Starting next week, YouTube will be blocked on district devices for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. “Minecraft” will be blocked in every grade, except in classes where teachers use it for instruction. The district is also closing a loophole that lets students reach Google’s Gemini AI chatbot through search results. District leaders announced the changes at a special Seattle School Board meeting Wednesday.

Starting in January, the district will also stop issuing individual laptops to students in third through fifth grades. They’ll share devices from carts or labs instead, the same change SPS announced in September for kindergarten to second grade. Third to fifth grades will also get a 60-minute daily screen-time cap, following a 30-minute cap set for kindergarten to second grade. Mike Starosky, assistant superintendent of academics, called the limits guidance, not policy. He described the 60 minutes as “more of a trial run” that could be reduced.

SPS already blocks AI chatbots such as Claude and Grok on its network, said Carlos Del Valle, assistant superintendent of technology. But students found that clicking AI summary in Google search opened a Gemini chat. An update from the district’s web-filtering vendor closes that route.

Don't feel helpless! There are many organizations to turn to. They are:

- Fairplay for Kids that has a petition for a 5-year pause on generative AI products in pre-K-12 schools.

The rapid expansion of generative AI products into schools is NOT inevitable. A five-year pause on all products using GenAI in preK-12 schools would allow time for school communities, including students, educators, administrators, and parents, to learn about the implications and uses of GenAI in education, to ask questions, and to provide feedback.


- Seattle Families for Intentional Tech (SFIT)


- Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA)


- Distraction Free Schools Washington