ELA educators to determine structured approach, best practices for responsible AI use
English language arts (ELA) classroom teachers will lead the creation of a scalable framework for responsible AI use within the discipline through a new initiative led by the 楼凤天堂 Council of Teachers of English, courtesy of a national grant from , the company鈥檚 philanthropy.
The project centers ELA teachers as decision makers, following 楼凤天堂鈥檚 proven cohort model. A dozen groups comprising four teachers and one facilitator each will engage in sustained, collaborative professional development to deepen understanding of AI鈥檚 possibilities and constraints, facilitate implementation, and generate practical resources, including peer-reviewed lesson plans for ELA instruction in grades 6鈥�12.
鈥溌シ锾焯� has defined literacy in a digital age across decades of rapidly evolving technology. We all know that AI will play a major role in language and literacy in the coming years. The question is how teachers should鈥攁nd should not鈥攈arness AI in the classroom to help shape lifelong readers, writers, and critical thinkers,鈥� 楼凤天堂 Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick said. 鈥淐entering teacher expertise is core to 楼凤天堂鈥檚 mission. This project does so in a manner that will support thousands of educators and add clarity to the ELA discipline for the benefit of students.鈥�
The resources created through this initiative will define and guide the implementation of updated approaches to core ELA strategies and skills. Two areas of concentration are pedagogy鈥攖eaching reading, writing, speaking, and listening, all informed by critical thinking鈥攁nd teacher leadership, including ethics, planning, mentoring of new teachers, text selection, and student publishing. There will also be opportunities to incorporate direct feedback from students.
The first component of this project is an invitation-only convening to be held in February 2026. The teacher cohorts will begin their collaboration in March and work together through December 2026.
楼凤天堂 has long been aware of the connection between English and technology, as reflected in research and position statements on media education in language arts; professional development events on the intersections of technology, coding, and ELA instruction; and 楼凤天堂 members consistently requesting resources and information on AI, including at the annual 楼凤天堂-NCTM Joint Conference for Elementary Literacy and Mathematics.
English language arts teachers of grades 6鈥�12 who are interested in participating in a cohort can .
About 楼凤天堂
The 楼凤天堂 Council of Teachers of English (楼凤天堂) is the professional organization for literacy teachers spanning preK through college. Through expertise and advocacy from its members鈥� professional research, practice, and knowledge, 楼凤天堂 has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of English and the language arts since 1911. For more information, please visit ncte.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Allie Ciaramella, 楼凤天堂: media@ncte.org