Posted in Case Study

What happens when communities, not corporations, shape the future of AI in schools? This case study illustrates how IISC facilitated a cross-sector collaboration to build a bold, equity-centered AI framework rooted in equity, ethics, and human engagement in education. The work centers on the belief that how we come together determines what becomes possible and that those closest to the problem hold critical wisdom for the solution.

The Big Picture

AI is transforming classrooms, influencing everything from instruction and assessments to mental health monitoring. But while AI holds promise, it also carries serious risks: amplifying bias, eroding privacy, and deepening educational inequities, especially for Black, Brown, and low-income students.

AI tools are appearing in schools quickly and often without anyone checking how they’re used. Companies are selling directly to teachers, skipping over school districts, parents, and community voices. That means decisions are being made behind the scenes, with little clarity or accountability. Without clear guardrails, AI risks doing more harm than good.

A Community-Led Response

In response to these urgent challenges, a collaboration of national organizations, led by the NAACP, National Black Child Development Institute, and the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and facilitated by the Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC), co-designed a collaborative process to guide the ethical and equitable integration of AI in public education. This case study captures that effort and explores how community-led design and racial equity principles can inform the future of education technology.

This initiative emerged from the recognition that most school districts and communities lack the tools, knowledge, and infrastructure to meaningfully shape AI policy. The current landscape allows for ad hoc AI adoption without community input and accountability, risking harm and undermining trust. To protect students and promote equity, it is essential to center human engagement, community wisdom, and ethical guardrails in the development and deployment of AI technologies.

Dr. John H. Jackson, President and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, emphasized,

“We wanted to ensure that there’s a democratic process by which parents, educators, and students are engaged in the integration of AI in their lives.”

IISC’s Role: Holding the Space for Transformative Collaboration

At IISC, facilitation is at the heart of our work – we teach it, practice it, and refine it every day. Our “special sauce” lies in designing meetings, experiences, and networks that are inclusive, equity-based processes that build a bigger we, rooted in the simple conviction that:

• Together, we know much more than we know individually, and people closest to a problem have important wisdom about the solutions.
• True buy-in is built through invitation and inclusion. Successful processes require not just engaging individuals, but intentionally designing the right level of involvement, ranging from consultation to co-creation to shared leadership.

In this project, IISC created a six-month journey grounded in those values. Our facilitation helped our partners:

• Build a shared language around AI
• Name and honor fears, tensions, and power dynamics
• Surface both the threats and the possibilities of AI
• Move from uncertainty and skepticism to strategy and collective action

As Dr. John H. Jackson, President and CEO of Schott, reflected: “It was a journey – moving from the threat space to imagining the opportunities.”

Many came to the table with different levels of tech literacy, policy experience, and emotional readiness. IISC’s role was to meet each of them where they were, not to force consensus, but to cultivate connection. Through careful design and deliberate facilitation, we helped shift the tone from caution to courage.

“Through intentional facilitation, this collaborative journey honored where people began, nurtured curiosity, and guided partners in shifting toward shared possibilities and collective action.” – Amy Casso, IISC Co-Facilitator on the project

“Schott Foundation and the other partners were brave and forward-thinking for hosting these conversations and community.” Kelly Frances Bates, IISC Co-Facilitator on the project

The Framework

Together with significant support from HR&A, the group created an AI Equity Framework designed to help educators, parents, and communities:

• Ask the right questions when AI is introduced
• Push for transparency, consent, and ethical use
• Ensure decisions are made at the district and community level, not just by vendors

The framework is accessible and actionable. It includes decision trees, guiding questions, and language that empowers non-technical stakeholders to speak with clarity and confidence.

Why This Work Goes Beyond the Classroom

Beyond schools, the framework offers a model for philanthropy, tech accountability, and community-led governance. Dr. Jackson noted that many funders are either engaging tech companies without equity guardrails or sitting out entirely.

The implications reach far beyond pedagogy. As AI tools like chatbots shape youth relationships, decision-making, and mental health, the urgency to center human connection and community wisdom becomes undeniable.

Where the Movement Is Headed

With the framework now in distribution, partners are gearing up to support its implementation through technical assistance, storytelling campaigns, and sector-specific adaptations. The goal is to ensure educators, parents, and communities can meaningfully apply the framework, not just in schools, but in adjacent fields like healthcare and housing.

“It’s not just about learning outcomes. It’s about human development.” – Dr. John H. Jackson

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