On July 22, 2025 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to school district and state leaders encouraging and guiding them on how to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in schools through existing federal grants.
The letter form U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that grantees may use federal funds to use AI to enhance high-quality curriculum tools, high-impact tutoring, and college and career pathway advising.
The USDE also outlined its principles for responsible AI use in schools. Those principles affirmed that AI K-12 initiatives should be educator-led, ethical, accessible for those with disabilities, transparent in the way new tools are rolled out, and in compliance with federal data privacy laws. The guidance was issued despite the March 2025 closure of the USDE’s Office of Educational Technology and the continued dismantling of the agency.
A day earlier, the USDE also published a proposed rule in the Federal Register regarding its priorities for using discretionary grant programs to support AI use in schools. The public comment period on the regulatory proposal is open until August 20, 2025.
Click here to access the DCL.
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