AI can’t replace teachers, union and state lawmakers say

Presented by Charter Schools Action Fund: Delivered every Monday by 10 a.m., Weekly Education examines the latest news in education politics and policy.

Jun 24, 2024 View in browser   By Rebecca Carballo Presented by Charter Schools Action Fund The National Education Association said that “interpersonal interaction between students and educators [is] irreplaceable" in its policy statement on AI. The group plans to vote on the the statement July 5. | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images AI & TEACHING: As AI continues to advance, workers across industries wonder how it will affect them. The National Education Association, the largest labor union in the United States representing educators and other support personnel, is also pondering the issue. The union proposed a policy statement on artificial intelligence in education, which says educators should remain at the center of instruction. The group will discuss and vote on the policy statement on July 5 at its upcoming Representative Assembly. The statement noted that “interpersonal interaction between students and educators [is] irreplaceable. The use of AI should not displace or impair the connection between students and educators.” Some state legislatures are taking a look at AI and classroom instruction as well. The California state legislature unanimously passed a bill in June prohibiting artificial intelligence (AI) bots from replacing community college faculty in the state. Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes authored the bill and worked on it with the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, an advocacy group. The group’s legislative and budget committee came up with the idea last summer. “Some faculty members on the committee loved AI, hated it, some haven’t even tried it yet,” Wendy Brill-Wynkoop, president, Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, an advocacy group said in an interview. “We didn’t have consensus on if it was a good or bad thing, but where we landed was on the importance of having a human in the center of the classroom.” The bill is being sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto. If signed into law by the governor, the bill would go into effect on January 1, 2025. A similar bill was introduced in Minnesota. The legislation authored by state Rep. Dan Wolgamott, of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, would prohibit state colleges and universities from using generative AI "as the primary instructor for a credit-bearing course." The bill was introduced in March and is still in committee. IT’S MONDAY, JUNE 24. WELCOME TO MORNING EDUCATION. I’m your host Rebecca Carballo. Send me a note at rcarballo@politico.com. Reach out with tips to me or my colleagues: Juan Perez Jr. (jperez@politico.com), Bianca Quilantan (bquilantan@politico.com) and Mackenzie Wilkes (mwilkes@politico.com).   A message from Charter Schools Action Fund: The federal Charter Schools Program funds the growth, expansion, and replication of high-quality public schools, so all students can have access to a great public education. But funding for this vital bi-partisan program has not increased in 7 years. Visit http://CharterAction.org.   Antisemitism Investigation INADEQUATE RESPONSE: The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights on Friday found Lafayette College inadequately responded to reports of antisemitic harassment on social media. How did we get here: The Pennsylvania college was among the first seven schools the Education Department launched investigations into following reports of antisemitic incidents on campuses in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Lafayette College was the third institution to enter into a resolution with the Education Department last week over antisemitic incidents on campus. The resolution, however, was the first to address how the school responded to phrases used by pro-Palestinian protesters, like “from the river to the sea.” The phrase has elicited controversy and there is some disagreement about its intent. But it has been deemed antisemitic by several Jewish advocacy groups and Congress has spent much of its efforts on antisemitism probing the rhetoric that has been used on college campuses. While the college did proactively respond to reports of harassment on campus, OCR found that the college was inconsistent in addressing alleged harassment on social media and did not take adequate steps to assess how it could contribute to a hostile environment on campus. For the most part, it appeared the college did not address allegations of harassment on social media unless it considered the harassment to constitute a direct threat, the department said. The Education Department also said that the institution failed to recognize its Title VI obligation is “not limited to conduct that occurs on campus or outside social media.”   JOIN US ON 6/26 FOR A TALK ON AMERICA’S SUPPLY CHAIN: From the energy grid to defense factories, America’s critical sites and services are a national priority. Keeping them up and running means staying ahead of the threat and protecting the supply chains that feed into them. POLITICO will convene U.S. leaders from agencies, Congress and the industry on June 26 to discuss the latest challenges and solutions for protecting the supply lines into America’s critical infrastructure. REGISTER HERE.     Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories. Project 2025 Analysis CAP REVIEW: The Center for American Progress released an analysis this morning that takes a look at how a collection of conservative proposals would affect education policy if enacted. Project 2025 is a policy road map for the next presidential administration compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Its creators described it as an overhaul to “deconstruct the administrative state,” while Democrats voiced concerns that it would be a threat to democracy. The plan covers nearly all operations of the federal government, including education. SAVE Plan: Project 2025 proposes phasing out existing income-driven repayment (IDR) plans for student loan borrowers, which would include the Biden-Harris administration’s new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, and implement a new IDR plan. The SAVE plan has an income exemption of 225 percent of the poverty line, or about $34,000 for a single person. Policy 2025 says that the new IDR plan should have an income exemption equal to the poverty line, or about $15,000 for a single person. Most of those enrolled in the SAVE plan would see their monthly payments go up under the proposed Project 2025 IDR plan, according to the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Those who attended college but did not earn a degree or credential would see their monthly payments almost quadruple, while borrowers with associate degrees would see their payments more than triple, the analysis said. Typical borrowers of all education levels would shell out at least $2,700 — and as high as $4,000 — more per year in student loan payments on the proposed Project 2025 IDR plan relative to the SAVE plan, according to the analysis.   A message from Charter Schools Action Fund:   IN THE STATES THE CASE AGAINST CELLPHONE BANS: More school districts are moving to ban cellphones and social media in schools amid a growing backlash over their effect on students’ academic performance and mental health. Los Angeles Unified School District did it last week — and California Gov. Gavin Newsom told POLITICO he wants restrictions statewide. But what if the real problem is what students are taught, not what’s distracting them? That’s the argument Stanford education professor Antero Garcia makes on today’s POLITICO Tech podcast. And Garcia is not just an armchair academic — he taught high school for about seven years in LA public schools. “To just ban those outright is to ban the place where young people are learning, the places where they're making powerful civic connections with one another, and the places where they might be building up other kinds of identities that schools oftentimes don't value,” Garcia said. Listen to the full interview on POLITICO Tech, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or your preferred podcast player. OVER THE WEEKEND: California schools will not be able to lay off teachers and school support staff under a final budget deal reached Saturday, Blake Jones reports. School districts and charter schools in California will not be allowed to terminate additional staff members until 2025 under the agreement announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate leader Mike McGuire. This comes at a time where schools across the country face budget deficits and funding cliffs as federal funding from coronavirus relief dries up. The layoff freeze, outlined in newly amended legislation and first reported by POLITICO, will be on a fast track to passage during legislative votes expected next week. It’s part of a final budget deal between the state’s ruling Democrats.   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     Syllabus Trump floats idea to give foreign graduates in the U.S. a green card. Politico. After decades of lobbying by Christian conservative donors, school voucher legislation may finally have the votes. The Texas Tribune. Charges dropped against dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The Wall Street Journal.   A message from Charter Schools Action Fund: Members of both parties support the federal Charter Schools Program.  That’s because the Charter Schools Program supports high-quality options for public school students, especially students furthest from opportunity.   But funding for the bi-partisan program has not increased in 7 years—with inflation, that’s a more than 20% reduction.  Fully funding the Charter Schools Program means: More high-quality options for parents; More support for innovative instruction; and More opportunities for school leaders of color. Visit CharterAction.org.     Follow us on Twitter Delece Smith-Barrow @DeleceWrites Rebecca Carballo @Becca_Carballo Bianca Quilantan @biancaquilan Juan Perez Jr. @PerezJr Mackenzie Wilkes @macwilkes   Follow us

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