The Future of AI Policy in Education

Over the past year, Congress has considered a growing number of bipartisan proposals related to artificial intelligence in education. While “AI” is an expansive category that includes everything from classroom learning tools to back-office administrative systems, policymakers seem to be beginning to converge on a set of priorities. Rather than only focusing on whether AI belongs in schools, they’re increasingly emphasizing the guardrails and supports needed to help schools use these technologies responsibly.

Two recent proposals in particular offer a useful window into where federal education policy may be heading.

The first proposal centers on protecting children’s privacy, including in educational settings. It’s the Children’s and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as COPPA 2.0. The outcome of this proposal would modernize federal children’s privacy protections by:

• Extending existing safeguards to teens under 17, since they currently only apply to those 13 and under
• Strengthening data minimization, which limits the collection of personal information, and deletion requirements
• Expanding parents’ rights to access and correct information, and
• Limiting targeted advertising to minors.

Importantly for education, the legislation also clarifies how schools may provide consent for companies’ data collection at school while requiring written agreements that limit student data use to educational purposes.

Relatedly, the Senate and House Commerce Committees also recently approved measures designed to protect the youngest users of AI Chat Bots. The Youth AI Privacy Act and the CHATBOT Act would establish new protections for minors interacting with AI, including providing limits on data collection and targeted advertising, chatbot disclosure and memory safeguards, and parental controls over use time and notifications.

These are thoughtful updates that reflect reality: students are interacting with increasingly sophisticated digital tools, including AI-powered applications, that collect and process information in ways lawmakers could not have anticipated when COPPA was originally enacted in 1998. Students deserve modern privacy protections that give families confidence while preserving the schools’ ability to use technology for legitimate educational purposes. Thus, as educational technology continues to evolve, so too must the policies that protect students’ privacy.

That said, protecting student data is also only part of the equation. The second trend emerging in Congress focuses on preparing educators to use AI effectively.

Several bipartisan proposals, including the Literacy in Future Technologies Artificial Intelligence (LIFT AI) Act and provisions within the American Leadership in AI Act, would invest in AI literacy through educator professional development, curriculum development, instructional materials, evaluation tools, workforce development, and research. The House Education and Workforce Committee also recently approved the K–12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act of 2026 to make clear that funding authorized by Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act may be used for AI literacy and professional development.

Equally important, these proposals recognize that responsible AI adoption isn’t just about the technology, but also depends upon the people who are using it. Equipping educators with knowledge, professional learning, and high-quality instructional resources will be essential if schools are going to realize AI’s potential while avoiding its risks. Only then can teachers thoughtfully integrate these tools into instruction in ways that enhance learning while maintaining sound instructional practice.

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education reinforces this emerging approach. In a Dear Colleague letter, the Department encouraged states and districts to evaluate education technology based on its demonstrated learning outcomes and instructional value, incorporate evidence of effectiveness into procurement decisions, and support professional learning that helps educators integrate technology effectively. The letter also reiterated that AI tools should protect student data. Alongside the bipartisan proposals advancing in Congress, the guidance signals a growing policy focus not just on innovation itself, but on responsible implementation and measurable, meaningful benefits for students.

These proposals represent an encouraging step toward a more balanced federal approach to AI in education. Rather than treating innovation and student protections as competing priorities, they recognize that both are essential. Strong privacy safeguards, intentional educator preparation, and continued investment in high-quality instructional resources all can help ensure AI actually improves teaching and learning while earning the trust of educators, families, and students alike.

Of course, it remains to be seen which of these proposals will ultimately become law. But the bipartisan and bicameral interest behind them suggests that federal AI policy in education is entering a new phase that places as much emphasis on responsible implementation as it does on innovation.

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