AI Is in Schools. Teachers Are Not Ready.

While school districts are rapidly adopting AI guidelines—75% now have them, up from 57% last year—teachers remain woefully unprepared, with 82% reporting no formal guidance on using AI in their work. This disconnect reveals a systemic failure: technology leaders are moving fast, but frontline educators are being left behind. Joseph South of ISTE argues that the solution isn’t waiting for top-down policy, but creating flexible, hands-on guidelines that prioritize transparency, student input, and peer mentorship. Real-world examples from Long Beach, Gwinnett County, and Fairfax County show that success comes not from mandates, but from intentional integration—embedding AI training into existing professional development and empowering early adopters to lead. The real crisis isn’t AI’s presence in schools, but the lack of equity and support in how it’s being rolled out, especially for teachers and students who need it most.