AI in the Classroom

Teachers Plan to Learn and Use AI More in the 2023–2024 School Year

• By Kate Lucariello
• 08/29/23

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) recently released Part 1 of its ninth-annual Educator Confidence Report. In Part 1, "Outlook on Teaching and AI," the survey showed that even if only 10% of K–12 teachers used generative AI during the 2022-23 school year, 74% of those plan to increase their use in 2023-24. Overall 38% of educators expect to adopt AI tools in the coming year, and 57% said they think AI tools should be used.

The research was conducted between May and June of 2023 of 1,000 K–12 classroom teachers and over 200 administrators.

While 12% of educators felt the use of AI tools was "very" or "extremely" helpful, 44% felt they were "somewhat helpful," and an equal 44% felt they were "not very" or "not at all" helpful.

Most teachers do not feel confident in their use of AI tools. While 57% agree they should be used, and 58% want more instruction in them, only 1 in 5 feel able and ready to use tools like ChatGPT in the classroom, the report found.

AI wasn't the only subject of the research. It also looked at educator confidence and other aspects of the teaching profession.

While educator confidence in the teaching profession took a large hit between 2020 (49% positive) and 2021 (42.7% positive), it improved by two points between 2022 (40%) and 2023 (42%).

Between 2019 and 2023, 17% more teachers used digital platforms to increase student participation, and 17% also paid more attention to students' social and emotional needs, the report found.

Although some educators remained negative toward education following the pandemic, others expressed a cautious optimism in certain areas:

• The use of digital platforms: 14% in 2019, but 33% in 2023;

• Attention to the social and emotional needs of students: 33% in 2019, but 50% in 2023.

"It's encouraging to see that educators are beginning to transition out of survival mode and toward regaining confidence in their profession. We hope that last year was the low point, and that we are turning the corner," said Francie Alexander, senior vice president of research at HMH.

Parts 2 and 3 of this annual report will be published this fall, the company said.

Visit the report page to download Part 1 and to sign up to be notified when Parts 2 and 3 become available.