Key points:
The Los Angeles Unified School District has launched an innovative AI-fueled learning acceleration platform named Ed, a first-of-its-kind tool designed to provide the district’s 540,000 students and their families with the resources, support, and tools to fast-track student achievement beyond the school day.
The pioneering digital platform creates personalized action plans uniquely tailored to each student. Ed is currently available to students and families at select schools and will be phased into the remainder of the district.
“We understand that one size fits none when it comes to education,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “This resource is a game changer. By leveraging the power of AI, we are creating a tool for all students that maximizes resources beyond the school day by individualizing their education and integrating information for accelerating learning at a level never before seen. Ed is accessible to students and families in multiple languages, shares information to support learning needs and helps students improve skills and pursue interests.”
“Teachers are have been and will always be central to education,” Carvalho said. “Artificial intelligence will never replace the talent of a teacher. It is a social interaction that requires eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, mind-to-mind interaction that is not replaceable by any technology.”
Ed is designed to be an educational co-pilot, using AI to supplement the instruction and support provided by Los Angeles Unified educators and staff by analyzing district data, including grades, attendance and District offerings, and recommending resources, programs and at-home skill practice based on that analysis. The platform can safely, securely and proactively engage with students and families, offering reminders and prompts, including those for social-emotional well-being. Ed has undergone pilot testing with Los Angeles Unified students and families and has received positive feedback.
Key features include:
- Interoperability: Streamlined, personalized access to resources and communication to accelerate learning in a single platform.
- Personalized and Engaging Learning Activities: Interactive learning paths based on student data that includes reading, math, computer science and other academic skill practice exercises to meet their individual needs or interests beyond the school day.
- Targeted Alerts with Direct Guidance: Alerts provide clear direction on steps students and families can take to accelerate learning, removing the guesswork and simplifying how they navigate their educational experience.
- Progress Monitoring: Updates on grades, attendance, graduation readiness and more to inform of a child’s academic performance.
- Timely Support: Notifications about resources and support available to assist students in continuous improvement.
- Multilingual Capabilities: The ability to communicate in dozens of languages ensures families can access resources in their preferred language.
- Adaptive Intelligence: Ed is an intuitive and continuous learning platform that becomes smarter with each interaction, enhancing its ability to provide more tailored experiences.
- High-Quality Content Support: Pre-approved content from major curriculum providers.
“It is the power of artificial intelligence that will [give us] real-time understanding of where students are and where they need to go,” Carvalho said. “It is the power of this technology through Ed that we will meet every one of our students where they are and accelerate them academically and in terms of enrichment towards their full potential. No other technology can deliver real-time on this promise.”
LAUSD, the second-largest district in the nation, is the first to systematically leverage AI, opening access to students, families and teachers. To analyze the risks and benefits of this technology, the district formed a task force consisting of technology experts, educators, families and students, and created policies and training for its school community. In addition, the district has provided professional development for teachers to help students become thoughtful consumers and producers of content. Teachers also engage students in digital citizenship lessons throughout the year and other activities to promote the responsible use of technology, including AI.
LAUSD developed Ed through a public-private partnership with AllHere, a Harvard Innovation Labs venture and leading developer of AI-powered digital applications. AllHere’s award-winning solutions are built by educators and independently proven to positively impact stakeholder communication, family engagement and student success.
District and stakeholder comments included:
“No matter your opinion about Artificial Intelligence, it’s here to stay and will be an important part of our future,” Board President Jackie Goldberg said. “So let’s harness its power to help our students plot their own course of action toward meeting their education and life goals.”
“Technology is evolving faster than ever and with the release of Artificial Intelligence, it is important for our district to adapt to these changes,” Board Vice President Scott M. Schmerelson said. “I am looking forward to seeing how this works with students, teachers and administrators. AI can be a valuable tool in the education space, or it can be a threat to education. We must ensure that this proves to be a good tool for the enrichment of student achievement.”
“The launch of Ed hopes to leverage technology to give our students additional tools to help accelerate classroom success, while also connecting educators, students and parents,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said.
“While there is no substitute for the human connection – particularly the personal guidance of our teachers – our students deserve 21st century tools that prepare them for future life endeavors by balancing the responsible use of technology with the joy of learning in many different ways,” Board Member Dr. Rocio Rivas said.
“I appreciate the District’s investment in innovative strategies to connect with students and to share information with families about how to support their children in school. I look forward to the iterative development of Ed to coherently support the work of school leaders, educators and in classrooms,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said.
“Los Angeles Unified is dedicated to leveraging every available resource to support student success, including cutting-edge technologies,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “We are excited to see the ways that this innovative platform will meet students and families where they are to accelerate student learning.”
“As the nation’s second-largest school district, it is vital that we leverage technology to enhance our communication with families to support increased student outcomes,” Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said. “Ed will give us the opportunity to innovate utilizing AI, to improve the academic tools for student success and provide our families with valuable resources.”
“AllHere is honored to partner with Los Angeles Unified to deliver on the Superintendent’s vision of making ultra-personalized learning a reality for every student in this District,” Founder and CEO of AllHere Joanna Smith-Griffin said. “Looking at 2024 and beyond, we see a trajectory of growth for Ed that allows us to share our effective AI on an unprecedented scale and in unprecedented settings. This partnership with Los Angeles Unified, the second largest school district in the country, is an important step in providing an industry-leading and whole-child approach to AI that students, families and schools trust and districts need.”
“Los Angeles Unified is at the forefront of making public education accessible, equitable and innovative by leveraging the capabilities and technology of AI,” Executive Director of ASU Learning Transformation Studios and Center EDGE Alan Arkatov said. “I look forward to the ways ASU can partner with Los Angeles Unified in transforming the possibilities of education.”
Material from a press release was used in this report.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.