AI adoption continues to expand across K–12 classrooms.
Today, 6 in 10 teachers working in public K-12 schools report using AI tools in their work, with many seeing meaningful time savings.
However, some say the problem is that time savings do not automatically translate into better classrooms.
Data revealed that most teachers are still using AI primarily for administrative and productivity tasks, such as lesson planning, worksheets, and grading, rather than for instructional support or student engagement.
Meghan Freeman, a veteran educator and Co-CEO of Illuminate XR, studies how AI-enabled, immersive learning environments can help teachers better understand how students think, engage, and respond, providing visibility into learning behaviors that traditional tools often miss.
Freeman has been addressing the issue of why current AI adoption may be falling short and what it would take to use AI in ways that actually improve both student engagement and teacher well-being.
Others, like Freeman, say saving teachers’ time is valuable, but if AI does not help them adapt instruction, differentiate support, or keep students engaged, it does not address the classroom pressures driving burnout or the learning gaps students experience.
At the same time, student engagement has become one of the biggest challenges in post-pandemic classrooms, with many educators struggling to keep students focused, motivated, and actively participating in learning.
Only 47% of U.S. K-12 students feel engaged in school, according to the Gallup Student Poll
If AI is going to meaningfully impact both student outcomes and teacher well-being, the focus must shift from productivity to pedagogy, using AI to help teachers respond to students in real time, understand how they are learning, and adjust instruction accordingly.
