What’s new: The American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, launched a National Academy for AI Instruction. Backed by $23 million over five years, it aims to train 400 000 educators, offering free credentials and continuing‑education creditsedweek.orgabcnews.go.com.
Impact:
- Teacher‑led curriculum: The program stresses that teachers—not vendors—will design and deliver courses, ensuring AI complements instruction rather than replacing educatorsaft.org. Microsoft contributes $12.5 million, OpenAI $8 million plus $2 million in resources, and Anthropic $0.5 millionabcnews.go.com.
- Scaling AI literacy: Districts offering AI training jumped from 23 % in 2023 to 48 % in 2024, with plans for 75 % by fall 2025edweek.org. The academy’s goals include reaching 1.8 million AFT members and providing NEA micro‑credentials to 10 000 additional educatorsabcnews.go.com.
- Ethics and safety: Sessions will emphasise privacy, safety and responsible use, addressing fears of bias and hallucinationaft.org. Randi Weingarten stresses that human teachers must remain in control, and Brad Smith says teacher feedback will guide product developmentaft.org.
- Context & caution: The initiative aligns with a White House pledge involving 68 organisationsedweek.org. Some educators worry about relying on tech‑company funding and whether corporate influence might shape curriculaabcnews.go.com. The training hub aims to bridge such concerns by centring teacher voices.
Takeaway: This partnership represents a major investment in teacher capacity, signalling that AI literacy is becoming a core professional skill. Its success hinges on maintaining educator autonomy, addressing digital divides and ensuring that commercial interests do not dictate the future of classroom AI.
