Microsoft Offers AI Community for Educators with 'Elevate' Program

• By Rhea Kelly
• 01/22/26

Microsoft has introduced Elevate for Educators, a new program designed to "provide educators and school leaders with access to a global community, professional development, and resources to confidently integrate AI into teaching and learning." The program is part of the company's broader Microsoft Elevate goal to help more than 20 million people gain in-demand AI skilling credentials in the next two years and advance AI education and workforce readiness worldwide, Microsoft said in a blog post.

"As AI becomes part of everyday learning, our responsibility is to ensure it supports educators and earns the confidence of students and families," said Justin Spelhaug, president of Microsoft Elevate, in a statement. "For Microsoft, that means building responsible AI-powered solutions for education in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app secure and grounded in the values that make learning human, while ensuring our educators and schools have the skills and resources through programs like Elevate for Educators to use these tools effectively."

Elevate for Educators is a peer educator network that features:

• New global communities for K-12 educator and schools, designed to foster collaboration on best practices in AI-powered teaching.
• A progressive achievement system that allows educators to advance as they learn, gaining recognition for their professional growth and impact in classrooms.
• Free professional development resources and associated credentials.
• A new Microsoft Elevate for Educators credential, developed in partnership with ISTE+ASCD and aligned to the AI Literacy Framework.

To join Microsoft Elevate for Educators, applicants must complete the Elevate Educator training on Microsoft Learn, either through the Explore (General) learning path, which focuses on Microsoft tools such as Teams, OneNote, PowerPoint Recorder, and Microsoft Forms, or through the Explorer (AI) path, covering AI concepts and tools. Then, educators can fill out an application survey to be considered for Explorer status, the first step in the Microsoft Elevate Educator pathway. Subsequent "Expert" and "Fellow" levels offer additional opportunities for community engagement and recognition events.

In conjunction with its Elevate announcement, Microsoft launched new AI tools and updates for education:

• Microsoft's Teach hub, launched in preview last fall, is now available in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, providing AI tools for streamlining lesson planning and personalizing instruction.
• Microsoft Learning Zone, a free AI-powered learning app that enables educators to quickly create, share, and track personalized and interactive learning activities right from their Copilot+ PC, is now available.
• Study and Learn Agent, available in preview later this month, is an AI assistant designed to provide students with personalized support that fosters critical and reflective thinking.  

For more information, visit the Microsoft blog.