Artificial Intelligence in Education

The ESU Coordinating Council’s work in artificial intelligence began before the public release of ChatGPT. Through participation in the ISTE and General Motors AI Explorations cohorts during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years, ESUCC helped build early AI understanding across Nebraska’s ESUs.

When generative AI tools became widely available in 2023, ESUCC was positioned to support districts with informed, instructional, and system-level guidance. Today, ESUCC serves as a trusted partner for Nebraska schools, offering professional learning and consultation that emphasize instructional integrity, educator judgment, and alignment with local context and long-term goals.

We believe AI can support teaching and learning when its use is intentional and grounded in sound practice. Our work is guided by the following principles:

• AI to support—not replace—educator judgment and student thinking.
  Instructional decisions remain human-centered.
   
• AI is a tool, not a shortcut.
  We do not advocate for uses that undermine learning, academic integrity, or meaningful assessment.
   
• AI literacy and transparency matter.
  Educators and leaders should understand how AI works, its limitations, and how it is being used.
   
• Implementation must align with high-quality instructional materials and best practices.
  I integration should strengthen, not distract from, effective instruction.

The education community in Nebraska must be intentional, proactive, and responsible when integrating AI into teaching and learning—and we are here to help.

The ESU Coordinating Council supports districts at varying stages of AI readiness, helping leaders move from exploration to informed implementation with clarity and instructional alignment.

AI Professional Learning & Consultation
Leadership briefings, workshops, keynotes, staff-facing half-day and full-day trainings, and ongoing consultation focused on practical, responsible AI use in schools.

Instructional & Systems-Level Guidance
Support for distinguishing frontier AI tools from AI-powered tools, addressing academic integrity and AI literacy, and aligning AI use with high-quality instructional materials and best practices. This work is informed by national frameworks, including the CoSN AI Maturity Tool.

Tools, Access, and Safeguards
Access to select AI-powered educational tools through ESUCC’s cooperative purchasing marketplace, with required data privacy agreements to support responsible use and protection of student and educator information—all at the lowest cost to districts at statewide purchasing pricing.

In addition to professional learning and consultation, the ESU Coordinating Council supports districts in making informed decisions about AI-enabled tools through system-level access and safeguards.

Through ESUCC’s cooperative purchasing marketplace, districts may access select AI-powered educational tools at statewide pricing. These tools are distinct from frontier large language models and are designed for specific instructional or educator support use cases.

As part of this process, participating vendors are required to sign data privacy agreements that establish clear expectations for responsible data use and the protection of student and educator information.

This creates a baseline level of transparency and accountability for districts exploring AI-enabled schools. This section allows district leaders to balance innovation with responsibility—supporting access, consistency, and data protections while maintaining local control over adoption and implementation decisions.

View Cooperative Purchasing Options and Access AI-powered educational tools through ESUCC’s marketplace

The ESU Coordinating Council advances AI innovation by engaging educators directly in exploration, design, and implementation—harnessing emerging technology to support instruction, integrity, and professional practice.

Writing & AI
ESUCC developed a practical resource to support educators in navigating how AI intersects with the writing process, academic integrity, and instructional design. This work emphasizes AI literacy, transparency, and maintaining student thinking at the center of instruction.

AI Pilot Partnerships
ESUCC is leading a Nebraska-based AI pilot in partnership with Greek Minds and Swivl. This effort explores how AI-enabled tools can support teachers between coaching cycles while remaining aligned to high-quality instructional materials and non-evaluative coaching practices. Educators participating in the pilot help shape the tools themselves.

Together, these efforts reflect ESUCC’s commitment to responsible experimentation and to positioning educators as collaborators in shaping the future of AI in education.