Excerpts from panel at the Network for Public Education Conference on the use of Artificial Intelligence in schools, held on Sept. 26 in Houston. The panel led by Leonie Haimson included Mary Burns, a lead author of the Brookings Institute report on AI, Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, which has just signed an agreement on AI safeguards with Microsoft, and Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay, who organized a letter from over 200 organizations and experts, calling for a two-year moratorium on AI use in schools.
Brookings Institution, A new direction for students in an AI world:, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-new-direction-for-students-in-an-ai-world-prosper-prepare-protect/
Brookings Institution one-pager on AI: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/A-New-Direction-for-Students-in-an-AI-World-ONE-PAGER.pdf
Randi Weingarten, Devices down, eyes up, hands-on: 10 points to boost teaching and learning in the AI era; https://www.aft.org/press/speeches/vision-public-education
American Federation of Teachers, Devices down, eyes up, hands-on, 10 points to boost student learning and success in the AI era; https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2026/10-point.pdf
National Academy for AI Instruction, Ai Safety & Privacy Standard For Schools Memorandum Of Agreement, https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2026/NAfAI-School\_AI\_Privacy\_Standards.pdf
Fairplay, Coalition of Organizations and Experts Letter calling for Pause on Generative AI in PreK-12 schools; https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Fairplay-AI-Moratorium-April-2026.pdf
Fairplay, Statement on AFT/UFT Deal with Microsoft; https://fairplayforkids.org/statement-on-aft-uft-deal-with-microsoft/