Craft Category: Strategies

Lynwood High School developed a custom AI chatbot to support multilingual learners in accessing academic content. Designed by teacher Jacqueline Oropeza, the English Language Support Assistant (ELSA) helps students summarize texts, define vocabulary, and generate study questions using class materials. This tool enables more equitable access to grade-level learning by building language skills and content understanding in tandem.

This strategy highlights how schools can lay the groundwork for effective, equity-driven AI integration by building on existing strengths in professional learning, data use, and continuous improvement. By rooting AI in instructional culture and aligning it to real student needs, schools can explore new tools with clarity, purpose, and long-term sustainability.

Learn how school systems can drive student success by tying tutoring investments to measurable outcomes using tools and strategies from the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting.

Launching an AI Ambassador program empowers teachers to lead context-specific, sustainable AI integration efforts across schools. By centering educator leadership, collaborative visioning, and instructional practice, schools can build dynamic, site-based networks that drive deeper, more meaningful use of AI to transform teaching and learning.

This strategy highlights how Agua Fria Union High School District used AI to support interdisciplinary curriculum development through their Academy-Based Learning (ABL) model. By building a custom chatbot to help teachers generate activities connecting academic content to CTE pathway skills, the district made it easier to create relevant, career-connected learning experiences. The approach streamlines collaboration while maintaining a strong focus on instructional quality and real-world application.

In a time of shrinking budgets and shifting priorities, edtech products and education programs face growing challenges when trying to scale. Storytelling offers a powerful way to bridge the gap between innovation and adoption—by centering real-world impact, elevating practitioner voices, and forging the trust needed for sustainable growth. Learn how intentional storytelling can help mission-driven solutions scale, even in times of uncertainty.

A theory of change is a visual representation of a defined set of activities, outputs, and outcomes based on an evidence-based framework or theory. This collaborative tool helps state, system, and school communities identify not just actions and results but also the underlying causes behind learning outcomes they expect to see.

This strategy highlights how Denver Online High School integrates a custom AI chatbot into coursework to support remote learners. By embedding just-in-time, course-specific assistance within their LMS, students can develop self-direction skills while accessing immediate academic support while educators gain insights to refine instruction.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, students need opportunities to examine its ethical implications critically. This resource explores how educators can use workshops to help students reflect on AI’s biases, environmental impact, and role in society through interactive discussions, role-playing exercises, and ethical dilemmas. By engaging with diverse perspectives and real-world scenarios, students develop a deeper understanding of AI’s complexities and learn to make informed, ethical decisions about its use.

Project-based learning empowers students to take ownership of their education by engaging in meaningful, real-world challenges. AI can enhance this process by acting as a thought partner, helping students generate ideas, refine their work, and navigate complex projects. Explore how AI can be thoughtfully integrated into project-based learning, ensuring it supports rather than replaces human-driven learning.