In July, the Trump administration released critical federal education funds covering everything from professional development and teacher training to after-school programs.
For educators preparing for back-to-school, this is more than a budgetary reprieve. These funds can accelerate learning and prepare learners for a rapidly shifting workforce by supporting AI-enabled learning acceleration — encompassing AI fluency, learning acceleration and career-connected learning — at the core of K–12 education.
But what are the chances that states, districts and schools will actually leverage those funds to plan more innovatively for the year ahead? According to the Education Commission of the States, by March 2025, only 28 states had published or adopted AI guidance for K–12 education. That means more than 20 states remain without even a baseline framework for how AI should be used — or regulated — in classrooms. At the district level, progress is even slower: Rand surveys show that the vast majority of school systems still lack clear policies or plans.
Meanwhile, students and teachers are racing ahead on their own, experimenting with AI tools daily for everything from homework to lesson planning. The result is a widening gap: innovation at the edges, but hesitation and inertia at the center. Unless states and districts move faster, the opportunity to use AI to close inequities and modernize learning will slip away.
AI’s double impact: Fewer jobs, higher barriers to entry
AI is fundamentally reshaping the employment landscape, creating unprecedented challenges for job seekers and new graduates, in particular. This year, applicants faced the toughest job market in over a decade. Unemployment for degree-holding 20- to 24-year-olds is 5.8% to 6.6% — the highest in nearly 35 years, excluding the pandemic, and well above the 4.2% national average.
Oxford Economics notes that entry-level roles are vanishing faster than expected due to the rise of AI. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei projects that half of all entry-level white-collar jobs could disappear within five years.
AI-powered tracking systems often filter and reject candidates before a human sees a resume. ZipRecruiter reports that while 82% of learners expect to land a job within three months, only 77% do, with about 5% searching far longer —submitting 100 to 200 applications each. (Five percent isn’t dramatic, given the 17% fall off in hiring.)
One Arizona State University graduate captured the frustration: “Out of 300 jobs I’ve applied to, just 4% resulted in interviews. … Everyone I know who is graduating right now is struggling.”
As our economy moves toward AI-driven transformations, college and career readiness must also evolve, specifically by ensuring that AI fluency isn’t treated as enrichment. Instead, it must be a core literacy — woven into how young people learn math, write persuasively, debate civic issues and explore careers.
What is AI fluency, and why does it matter now?
AI fluency encompasses the entire spectrum of usage from understanding how AI works to utilizing it responsibly and evaluating its outputs for bias and accuracy. Learners don’t need to be engineers, but they must develop the knowledge, durable skills and mindsets to thrive in an AI-driven world.
Like reading, writing and math, AI fluency should sit at the center of learning. It should be embedded into existing instruction, such as helping analyze and identify algorithms in math, creating prompts or ideas for argument while debating ethics in social studies, or for immediate feedback in crafting essays or learning grammar.
For schools, integrating AI isn’t about adding another program. It’s about creating instructional coherence: aligning curriculum, materials, interventions and assessments around shared grade-level expectations. When AI fluency is woven throughout the curriculum rather than siloed in computer classes, students develop the critical thinking and practical skills needed to leverage these tools effectively across all aspects of their academic and professional lives.
That coherence can’t just benefit students — it must also support the teachers driving learning forward.
TNTP’s newly released “Teachers’ Time Use: A Review of the Literature” highlights why this matters. Teachers already work far beyond their contract expectations, balancing administrative tasks, lesson planning, student support and, now, the complexity of new tech. Without thoughtful integration, AI could add more to their plates instead of lightening the load. For instance, teachers might find themselves double-checking AI-generated lesson plans for accuracy, troubleshooting glitches in AI grading tools during class or spending hours learning multiple platforms that don’t talk to each other. Worse, the extra time spent managing these systems could come at the expense of what matters most: building relationships and giving students the individualized attention they need.
If AI is going to help students thrive, it must also help educators manage their work and avoid burnout. When aligned to clear goals, AI can achieve both by personalizing learning, accelerating student growth and automating time-consuming tasks such as drafting lessons. But without structured training and consistent practices, these tools risk creating confusion and inequity.
Solutions for success
TNTP’s findings point to the solution: Pair AI with a coherent, teacher-centered strategy that strengthens instruction, streamlines workloads and delivers measurable results for students and teachers alike.
Coherence benefits teachers as much as students. TNTP’s review found educators see promise in AI for lesson planning, grading and communication. Early studies back this up: With guidance, tools like ChatGPT can help teachers cut lesson prep time by a third without sacrificing quality. But support remains uneven. Many educators report extra time spent checking AI’s output, a trade-off that hits hardest in high-needs schools, where time is already scarce.
Examples in some schools also show what’s possible. At Trousdale County Elementary in Tennessee, intervention blocks mirror core lessons, helping learners build mastery and confidence.
In Lexington, Ky., fifth-grade teacher Donnie Piercey uses ChatGPT as a writing partner, challenging learners to outwrite AI while discussing ethics. One learner said the tool helps students learn “how to properly summarize …capitalize words … use commas. It’s helpful in the sense that it gives you a starting point. It’s a good idea generator.” Piercey added, “This is the future. … As educators, we haven’t yet figured out the best way to use artificial intelligence. But it’s coming, whether we want it to or not.”
At Haileybury School in Melbourne, Australia, AI skills are embedded in coursework, with lessons on prompts, bias and fact-checking. Michelle Dennis, head of digital, said, “We needed to have a policy before the school year started … teach learners how to write prompts for generative AI … and emphasize bias, citing sources and validating data.”
Schools can learn from these early models by:
- Co-designing educator competencies and AI-specific supports based on teacher needs, and helping them leverage AI for planning, grading and communication while avoiding added workload. Strategies for alignment between curriculum, materials, interventions and assessments are outlined in TNTP’s “Action Guide for Educators on Coherence” and “Teachers’ Time Use.”
- Making professional learning coherent by aligning AI strategies with core content training.
- Using continuous improvement metrics to track mastery, durable skills and career readiness — highlighted in TNTP’s “Paths of Opportunity” report, which connects academics, social capital and career pathways.
- Aligning AI learning to career pathways so learners see relevance as early as grade 5.
These strategies build a culture where AI accelerates learning and prepares learners for the future. They deliver measurable results: fewer remediation needs, more substantial workforce alignment and more equitable career access.
In short, AI fluency and coherence must advance together or risk failing both the learners and the professionals guiding them.
How states can scale and sustain AI fluency
States can scale AI fluency by creating the right conditions for widespread adoption and effective implementation across their educational systems. Rather than leaving individual districts or schools to navigate AI integration alone, states are uniquely positioned to provide the coordination, resources and strategic framework needed to ensure equitable access and meaningful skill development. This requires a comprehensive approach that recognizes that successful AI fluency initiatives depend on multiple interconnected factors working together systematically:
- Establishing cross-sector task forces to guide AI integration.
- Embedding AI concepts into standards and curricula.
- Funding educator development and leadership pipelines.
- Closing access gaps with devices, connectivity and equitable opportunities.
- Building mobility metrics to track mastery, credentials, career exposure and durable skills.
States can also track graduate employment rates in AI-enabled fields, starting salaries for learners with AI and durable skills, and reductions in remediation and retraining costs. Treating metrics as ongoing feedback — not just evaluation — helps target resources and prove return on investment.
As noted above, at least 28 states and Washington, D.C., have issued guidance on AI for K–12 schools, outlining ethical, equitable and practical uses. In terms of implementation, this year, Connecticut launched a seven-district AI Pilot Program, introducing vetted AI tools for grades 7–12 and providing professional development for educators.
Similarly, last year, the Indiana Department of Education launched the AI-Powered Platform Pilot Grant, which provided one year of funding to cover subscription fees and professional development, facilitating high-dosage tutoring for learners while reducing teacher workload through an AI platform. Of the participating teachers, 53% reported that their experience was positive or very positive. The Indiana Department of Education led this program by utilizing $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for the competitive grant awards. Although this funding has dried up, some schools have continued their programs through the state’s Digital Learning Grant.
Don’t leave social capital behind
While AI fluency is vital, schools must prioritize learners’ relationships and networks. As AI transforms how we work and learn, the human connections that foster collaboration, mentorship and career opportunities become even more valuable. Students need both technical skills and strong social capital to navigate an AI-enhanced world — the relationships with peers, educators and community members that provide support, open doors and create pathways to success.
The most effective approach to preparing students for the future isn’t choosing between AI fluency and social development, but rather ensuring that technology enhances rather than replaces meaningful human interaction. Schools that master this balance will produce graduates who can leverage AI tools while building the trust, communication skills and professional networks essential for long-term career success.
The call to act for learners’ futures
The unfreezing of federal funds creates a window for bold action. If these dollars only patch holes, this moment will pass with little to show for it. But if they’re used to embed AI fluency, accelerate learning through coherent instruction and build both skills and networks, they can set a new trajectory for millions of learners.
The choice facing educators and policymakers is stark: Treat AI fluency as an optional, add-on and risk deepening inequities or embed it as a fundamental liiteracy across teaching, learning and human connection. Schools and states that choose comprehensive integration will prepare students not merely to survive in an AI-driven economy, but to shape and lead it.
The dollars are here. The research is clear. The future won’t wait — our learners shouldn’t have to either.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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