AI, Staffing, & Security: Top Challenges Schools Face in 2024
Recruiting and retaining educators, addressing cybersecurity threats, and scaling innovation across schools are the biggest challenges facing K-12 education, according to a new report by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). The report also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, with generative AI being a major topic of discussion.
Summary
- Recruiting and retaining educators: This is the top challenge for the third year in a row, due to factors such as social and emotional burnout, low pay compared to other sectors, and higher workloads.
- Cybersecurity: Schools are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks, making it critical to have strong cybersecurity measures in place.
- Scaling innovation: With the rise of new technologies like generative AI, schools need to find ways to scale innovation and ensure that all students have access to the latest learning tools.
- Generative AI: This type of AI can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. It is having a major impact on education, and schools need to be prepared for its potential benefits and challenges.
- Other challenges: The report also mentions other challenges facing schools, such as student academic achievement and the need for a more interconnected digital learning environment.
- Recommendations: The report recommends that districts leverage generative AI, adaptive technologies, and a more interconnected digital learning environment to better serve their students and staff. It also encourages educators to use the report as a starting point for conversations about where they are and where they want to go in terms of innovation.
- Examples: The Agua Fria district in Arizona is already working on a strategic plan to integrate AI into the district's culture, while the Highline district in Washington is preparing all staff to be able to use AI.