El Segundo Unified School District to Establish AI Policy Lab

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 12/13/23

In partnership with the EdSAFE AI Alliance, El Segundo (California) Unified School District (ESUSD) has announced it will establish an AI Policy Lab to promote the safe and ethical use of AI in its K–12 schools.

This is part of a nationwide effort of school districts to commit to similar policy initiatives. The national network, led by the Alliance under the auspices of InnovateEDU and New York City Public Schools, focuses on the challenges and opportunities of using AI in school settings, to "solve the real-time problem of rapid adoption of AI in education, building and iterating timely policymaking as a continuous support structure to districts, schools, students, and families," the Alliance said in a release about the launch of the policy lab.

The Alliance follows the S.A.F.E. (Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Efficacy) Benchmarks Framework, including recommendations from the global Software and Information Industry Association, to help "clarify the urgency and specific areas of need to prevent failures in data management that compromise the potential for how responsible AI can be a lever for equity for educators and learners alike," according to the organization website.

The Alliance network currently has 12 district members across the U.S. who are developing a "policy stack" that includes AI use policies, consent from and communication with families policies, and school district professional development resources.

The ESUSD AI Policy Lab will provide the district with collaborative recommendations and resources for teachers, students, and parents and will update policies as needed to align with practices enhancing the engagement of students, parents, and the community.

"Our AI policy initiative underscores our dedication to integrating AI in a manner that prioritizes our values," said Melissa Moore, ESUSD superintendent. "We aim to incorporate a wide array of perspectives in this process, including those of policy-makers, industry experts, educators, students, and families, to collaboratively develop AI strategies and policies that resonate with our community's unique needs and principles."

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • The First Steps of Establishing Your Cloud Security Strategy

    In this guide, we'll identify some first steps you can take to establish your cloud security strategy. We'll do so by discussing the cloud security impact of individual, concrete actions featured within the CIS Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls®) and the CIS Benchmarks™.

  • Human Error Remains the Leading Cause of Cloud Data Breaches

    Human error is still one of the biggest threats to cloud security, despite all the technology bells and whistles and alerts and services out there, from multi-factor authentication, to social engineering training, to enterprise-wide integrated cybersecurity platforms, and more.

  • Abstract illustration of a human news reporter interviewing an AI with a microphone

    AI on AI in Education: A Dialogue

    Scholars are doing lots of asking and predicting about the risks and rewards of generative artificial intelligence in school, but has anyone asked the all-knowing chatbots?

  • Pattern of desks with interconnected circles, triangles, and lines

    Classroom Furniture Giveaway Seeks Dream Learning Space Design

    Educators have a chance to design their ideal K-12 learning space in a contest recently announced by classroom furniture manufacturer KI.