What the AI ​​education plan of the White House must do well

The White House announced a scanning “IA education pledge“” On Monday, with more than 60 companies, including Microsoft, Openai, Google and McGraw Hill, committing to providing an AI program, professional development and tools to K -12 schools. This is a major change in policy, signaling the Trump administration's decision to the accelerated adoption of AI in class.

But an ad will not guarantee equity, preparation or confidence. With the administration now responsible for providing a complete AI action plan by mid-July, real work begins. The question is not whether the AI ​​will shape the future of learning, but how we deliberately prepare schools, educators and students to direct this future.

I spoke with many most respected education experts in the world on this subject – notably Andreas Schleicher of the organization of economic cooperation and development, Chris dede de Harvard, the American teachers Federation Randi Weingarten and the leader of Finnish -Australian thought Pasi Sahlberg. Their ideas offer a plan that the White House cannot afford to ignore.

1. Teacher training must pass first

New tools do not replace professional learning. As Weingarten stressed, the basic literacy of the AI ​​should be compulsory before teachers are supposed to integrate AI into teaching. This does not mean control of the code – it means understanding how the tools work, where they fail and when to use them. Teachers also need time, not just tools. Without space to explore and evaluate, even the best platforms will bring the dust together.

2. Students need more than devices

One of Edtech's most persistent myths is that access is equivalent to equity. But connectivity alone does not fill the learning gaps. Students – in particular those in subressource or disturbed environments – need support to use these tools with confidence and critically. Equity in AI means safe platforms, strong scaffolding and protections against harmful content and algorithmic biases.

3. The hybrid preparation is not negotiable

In the past year, more than 210 million students have missed school due to climatic shocks, illness or conflict. As Dede told me, the world is now irreversibly hybrid. The systems that insist on learning in person as the only “real” learning are lagging behind. The next emergency is not a hypothetical – it is inevitable. A national action plan should require that each district have a pre-approved hybrid preparation protocol which includes devices, Wi-Fi cartography, teacher training and student agency measures.

4. Educators must co-conception, not only comply with

Schleicher of the OECD reminded me that AI is “just an amplifier” – it will evolve both good and bad practice. What matters is not the tool, but how it is used. A powerful political lever since 2020? Engage educators as co-concerters of digital tools they will use, not just passive recipients. Edtech who is built with teachers, not only for them, is much more likely to be adopted – and to trust.

5. We must protect the human layer

Sahlberg's recall remains with me: learning has never stopped when schools closed during COVID -19 – it just changed shape. Many young people have created their own learning systems using digital tools and peer networks. But that does not mean that we have to give education to algorithms. The irreplaceable power of human relations – of the confidence of teachers -students – must remain central, especially since the AI ​​enters the classroom.

The bottom line

AI can personalize, support and extend learning. But he cannot replace values, relationships and educational wisdom at the heart of education. Any national action plan must balance innovation with integrity, scaling what works and the protection of what matters.

According to the commitment, companies have undertaken to provide a study program, professional development, free resources, financing and access to the safe platform – important stages. But the real impact will not come from alone. It will come from the ability of district, confidence at community level and national leadership which center teachers and students at each stage.

It is a rare moment: to shape a generation of learners not only commonly the AI, but authorized by it. Make sure that the action plan does not simply check a policy box – but builds a future where each child can prosper.