Conference: Identifying AI Priorities for All K-12 Students

Artificial intelligence (AI) is generating transformational impact in the world and people's lives. It is imperative that all K-12 students develop a foundational understanding of computer science that includes AI. This will be necessary to support them in navigating their daily lives and preparing them for their future careers, regardless of industry, and will also enable the development of a diverse pipeline of students who choose to continue studying and working in AI after high school.

While the AI for K-12 Initiative (AI4K12) has published national guidelines for AI education, these learning outcomes are too numerous to be covered in existing K-12 computer science classes. This conference will address the urgent question of "What AI content should teachers prioritize for all students in each K-12 grade band?". The Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and AI4K12 will answer this question by convening a diverse group of experts representing educators, researchers, curriculum developers, and state education agencies.

Centered around a two-day workshop, conference participants will: (1) examine how current AI curricula align with the AI4K12 guidelines, (2) identify missing content from the AI4K12 guidelines, (3) select the most important instructional priorities for all students across grades K-12, regardless of their future career choices; and (4) identify priorities for future research on K-12 AI education. Project outcomes will provide timely and detailed information for the CSTA K-12 Standards writers, who will then transform suggestions into a set of widely adopted standards designed as universal learning outcomes with planned publication in summer 2026.

Outcomes will also be used to inform the revision of the AI4K12 guidelines to incorporate generative AI and to respond to feedback from conference participants. This conference project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts, and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.