The future of the public education system looks both uncertain and full of promise, depending on who you ask. Dwindling federal funding has challenged educators, learners, families, and many of us working to strengthen and improve public education. At the same time, AI technology is revolutionizing teaching and learning right before our eyes. The traditional research and development systems we’ve relied on for decades simply cannot keep up with the pace and scale of change. Rather than waiting for the old to adapt, now is the time to build, test, and invest in bold and collaborative infrastructures that match the speed of change with innovation.
Other sectors, like defense and healthcare, have relied on an agile and well-resourced R&D infrastructure to introduce groundbreaking innovations in only a few years — taking us to space and saving lives. Education deserves the same resources and investment to meet the moment we’re in.
If we want responsible AI in classrooms, we need modern R&D behind it.
In a new piece for the Center on Reinventing Public Education, AERDF CEO Auditi Chakravarty speaks to the urgency of this moment and how we are reimagining education R&D to enable innovation and speed while prioritizing safety, efficacy, and equity.
But without federal backing and cross-sector collaboration to build an education R&D infrastructure, we risk:
- Markets shaping education technology. The best-funded companies, not the most effective, will dominate classrooms.
- Leaving the future of AI in education up to chance. Properly designed, science-based AI tools can support personalization and free up teachers to guide, mentor, and motivate — but only if we shape those tools with research.
AERDF’s model is built to scale. Read the full article for Auditi’s recommendations on what it will take to build the robust education R&D infrastructure students deserve.
