A comprehensive collection of academic research on generative AI in preK12 education organized into three categories:
- Descriptive - Research that describes how generative AI is being used in classrooms, schools, or districts or how products are designed and built.
- Impact (includes RCT + Quasi-Experimental) - Studies that test how well something works including but not limited to randomly dividing people into groups and comparing the results.
- Review - Studies that combine and summarize all the research on a specific genAI topic to find patterns and answers.
We aim to include all research in the above categories on generative AI in preK12 education in the US. As research diverges from genAI for preK12 in the US - such as machine learning, education systems beyond preK12, or studies conducted outside the US - inclusion in the repository is based on relevance to our target audiences:
- Superintendents, state, and federal K12 leaders
- Education support organizations (unions, parent groups, etc.)
- Leadership and product teams at technology companies
- Academic researchers
- Global education leaders
The Research Repository includes pre-published works but does not include journalism on AI for education.
What is the Application? (How will genAI be used?)
- Teaching - Instructional Materials: Includes use cases such as lesson plan generation, explanation generation, and multimodal instruction.
- Teaching - Assessment and Feedback: Includes use cases such as AI-assisted grading, feedback on student work, and student progress tracking.
- Teaching - Professional Learning: Includes use cases such as instructional coaching, background knowledge refresh, and classroom management simulations.
- Learning - Student Support: Includes use cases such as tutoring, homework help, neurodivergence and special needs, etc.
- Communicating / Social Tools: Includes use cases such as peer tutoring, small group facilitation, and communicating with families/care providers.
- Organizing: Includes use cases such as support to free teacher/administrator time, building school schedules/bus routes, etc.
- Analyzing: Includes use cases such as analysis of student data, financials, and operational systems.
Who is the User? (What is the role of the person interfacing with the genAI?)
- Student: The learner is engaging directly with genAI technology.
- Parent/Caregiver: Parents, families, or caregivers are interacting directly with the genAI technology.
- Educator: The educator, teacher, para, etc. is the user of the genAI technology.
- School Leader: A principal, superintendent, instructional leader, etc. is the user of the genAI technology.
- Others: Any other roles within education not included in the list above.
Which age? ( Different from the user, which developmental stage is the use of the genAI intended to help?)
Why use AI? (What is the goal in incorporating genAI?)
- Efficiency: GenAI saving time and/or streamlining systems.
- Outcomes - Literacy: GenAI improving learning in reading and writing.
- Outcomes – Numeracy: GenAI improving learning in math.
- Outcomes - Other Academic: GenAI improving learning in Science, Language, Social Studies, etc.
- Outcomes – Differentiation: GenAI improving learning through better differentiation and personalization.
- Outcomes - Social Emotional: GenAI improving skills like self-awareness, empathy, and self-regulation.
- Outcomes - Durable skills: GenAI improving skills like critical thinking, time management, and teamwork.
- Reimagined Schooling: GenAI as a tool to enable a new vision for K12 schooling.
- Other: Other reasons to incorporate genAI not included in the above.
Study Design
- Descriptive - Implementation and Use: Research that describes how generative AI is being used in classrooms, schools, or districts.
- Descriptive - Product Development: Research that explains how generative AI tools are designed and built for education.
- Impact - Randomized Controlled Trial: A study that tests how well something works by randomly dividing people into two groups and comparing results. START HERE for the most rigorous research on efficacy and impact.
- Impact - Quasi-Experimental: Studies that review the effects of something without randomly assigning people to different groups.
- Systematic Review: A study that combines and summarizes all the research on a specific genAI topic to find patterns and answers.
