Arizona Charter School Utilizing AI in Education

A new Arizona charter school that aims to utilize AI in education is open for enrollment, but the idea is not without controversy. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports. Arizona's Board of Charter Schools has approved an AI charter school for the state. School officials say learning for core academics is "just 2 to 2.5 hours a day." AI in education is not without controversy, however.

Unbound Academy: Teaching with AI

At a December 2024 meeting for the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, members approved Unbound Academy, an online charter school that teaches with AI. Ivy Xu with the school mentioned, "Our teachers still do a lot of the teaching role, but they don’t do the actual teaching of academic concepts because we know that that’s something that AI can do really well." Xu said they have tested the teaching method on hundreds of students in Texas, and the school day is short because AI is so effective at tailoring teaching to each student.

"Because everything is personalized to the student, learning for core academics is just 2 to 2.5 hours a day," said Xu. After the two-hour school day, kids will be immersed in a life skills program that is all about what the kid wants to learn. Kristin Mann mentioned, "Gave the kids an opportunity to learn things that typically, people don’t get a chance to try and learn until they’re working, once they’ve graduated."

Class sizes, according to Xu, will be equivalent to public schools. For now, the school is only for 4th to 8th grade. Enrollment is capped at a couple of hundred kids for the next school year.

Controversy Surrounding AI Teaching

AI teaching has been a rather controversial matter. Officials with the country's largest teachers union have said that AI can enhance education. However, they are concerned with where the tech stands currently, adding that humans "must always be the center of the teaching and learning experience and play a significant role."

Xu was asked if there will be teachers involved in this type of learning. Xu clarified, "There will be teachers, and we’re hiring for Arizona certified teachers, as well as equivalently certified teachers around."

Members of the Board for Charter Schools also asked officials with the new charter school about student data privacy. "How do you keep that safe?" a board member asked. "What's your safety component for each student?" A school official replied, "We obviously make sure we meet all Federal mandates, in terms of FERPA and privacy."

Future Plans

Officials with the school have also launched a separate AI school that will be dual-language. Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Steve Nielsen.