On Thursday, April 30, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle C. Reid and Chief Information Technology Officer Gautam Sethi met with student journalists from each school in the county to discuss education in the age of AI. Each student journalist got to ask a question pertaining to the potential use of AI technology in educational settings. AI in the classroom was discussed alongside what AI use will look like in the workforce and whether or not proficiency in AI technology will become an essential skill.
“To be able to get jobs in the future, we have to know how to harness the tools in a human way,” Reid said.
According to the FCPS website, FCPS has partnered with Open AI and will be the first county in the US to try to shape how generative AI can be used as a tool for everyday learning. The use of AI in educational settings has many potential benefits including personalized learning, increased accessibility to learning tools, assistance with administrative tasks, and preparation for an AI dominated future.
“When funding isn’t as strong, we’re going to have to keep finding ways to do things and keep our resources supporting classrooms and theaters and music and athletics,” Reid said.
While FCPS has partnered with Open AI, the county has no concrete plans of incorporating AI into the curriculum and AI sites are currently blocked across all FCPS students’ devices. However, Reid is interested in how FCPS could possibly integrate this technology into education in order to benefit students’ learning.
“We don’t want to cognitively offload our thinking to AI, we want to shape and use it in ways that humans stay at the center and are the architect of that work,” Reid said.
The idea of outsourcing administrative duties and personalizing learning with AI is very alluring, but many ethical questions have still arisen. Many students, parents, and teachers worry that AI use will undermine cognitive functions, replace learning, and encourage cheating. It will be necessary to create new guidelines and policies for AI use in order to make sure it’s being used in a responsible manner. During the roundtable discussion, Reid acknowledged some of these questions.
“What would a division this size with 40,000 staff and 180,000 students do? What would be our impact if we used AI for this amount of time? And would we want to make a commitment to minimizing that?” Reid said.
The questions Reid posed are issues they would need to factor into their research before making any major decisions. AI requires fresh water and produces massive amounts of waste. It’s essential for FCPS to assess its environmental footprint before jumping into a curriculum reliant on AI assistance.
The incorporation of AI also brings up concerns about learning inequality. According to the 2024-2025 class sizing report, schools such as Lewis and Justice only have an average of 19 students and Falls Church only has an average of 20 per classroom, while larger schools have 25 or more. These schools typically receive less funding due to a smaller student population. In the past, this has resulted in fewer resources, electives, sports, and arts and entertainment for students. Many worry this pattern will continue with the incorporation of AI into educational spaces. FCPS’ goal is to ensure all teachers and students have the same access to AI tools regardless of school funding or size. This prepares all schools to improve learning with the incorporation of AI technology.
“Our partnership with Open AI is for every staff member. It’s not just this region or these teachers of this subject. We want to make it accessible across the entire division right from the get go,” Reid said.
The prospect of AI in education brings about a number of exciting benefits, but is accompanied by many risks and concerns. FCPS plans to continue looking into how AI can be incorporated to benefit students and determine the best course of action.
