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While teachers and administrators have qualms about artificial intelligence and its impact on the nation鈥檚 classrooms, communications professionals are finding ways to embrace the technology as they work to be more efficient in an always 鈥渙n鈥� world.
The approach of Dirk Tedmon, executive director of marketing and communications for Minnesota鈥檚 Eden Prairie Schools, is to 鈥渓et AI do what it does well,鈥� which is to help generate ideas that can be refined and personalized. He is using the technology to help synthesize and analyze large pieces of data and help in 鈥渇irst drafts鈥� of communications to principals, staff, and parents in his 9,000-student suburban district.
鈥淭he key,鈥� Tedmon says, 鈥渋s to make sure you鈥檙e using it for idea generation and not your only method of communication.鈥�
ChatGPT and other AI tools have 鈥渆ndless uses鈥� for school communicators and educators, says Barbara Hunter, executive director of the National School Public Relations Association. Among them: Writing polite rejection emails, early drafts for speeches, brainstorming domain names and interview questions, and summarizing meeting notes.
鈥淯sing a tool like ChatGPT saves so much time and can really help spark the creative process,鈥� she says, noting the tools can help draft and refine policies and write job descriptions, among other functions. 鈥淏oards need to understand the power it holds for staff functions like communications. It can allow you to reapportion time and remove the grunt work that sometimes prevents us from spending thoughtful time on larger projects.鈥�
鈥業nteresting challenges鈥�
While communications staff have largely embraced AI tools such as ChatGPT, the districts they work for have been slower to develop policies around their use for students and staff, according to a recent survey by NSPRA. More than 60% of communications staff surveyed see the value of the tools, with 45% saying they use them daily or weekly in their work. However, only 19% of those surveyed reported their district has or is working on a formal AI policy.
鈥淥ne of the things that鈥檚 fascinating is this far-reaching technology has landed, and yet there are not a lot of policies or guardrails around its use,鈥� Hunter says. 鈥淎nd you have to think that will be the next step, because AI is almost like the internet was in its infancy, when you knew it would eventually be used in classrooms, offices, and all sorts of function areas, but the majority of schools didn鈥檛 have a policy on how to use it.鈥�
After Chat GPT launched in late 2022, Tedmon says his district formed an AI task force to study how it can be used to provide 鈥渁uthentic learning for students.鈥� Eden Prairie, located southwest of the Twin Cities, was one of the first districts in the state to move to one-to-one devices and operates an online school that opened before the pandemic.
鈥淲hen ChatGPT came out, there was a lot of excitement and fear and wondering, 鈥榃hat does this mean for us?鈥欌�� Tedmon says. 鈥淲e knew we were not going to ban it outright, but we could see where it could create a lot of interesting challenges in our schools and classrooms.鈥�
The district has since developed detailed guidelines about the use of AI tools that were included in the 2024-25 school handbooks. And Eden Prairie also has developed a simple mantra when it comes to its approach to the tools.
鈥淎rtificial assessment leads to artificial intelligence,鈥� Tedmon says. 鈥淎uthentic assessment leads to authentic learning.鈥�
鈥楢I can鈥檛 check itself鈥�
Tedmon鈥檚 department is constantly looking for best practices and providing advice to staff and the board. But he has been hesitant to use the technology for issues that are 鈥渕ore tricky, nuanced or sensitive.
鈥淓motional intelligence comes into play when you want to connect with someone,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 look at it this way: AI is a tool. If incorrect facts are input, then the output will not provide factual or correct information because AI can鈥檛 check itself.鈥�
Where he sees AI as most effective is in the district鈥檚 new website, which has a question-and-answer structure that lends itself to automated responses that are current and relevant.
鈥淎I can be very helpful when people ask questions like, 鈥榃hat is for lunch today?鈥� And I think it will eventually be very helpful in guiding parents through the enrollment process,鈥� he says, noting that will be extremely helpful in an open enrollment state.
In the end, he believes AI will help improve the 鈥渃ustomer experience,鈥� which he says has been a 鈥渨eird thing鈥� for school districts to think about.
鈥淕enerally speaking, in the past, we were not thinking of an experience in which everyone interacts with you,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut as we think of AI in that realm, there are many ways it can be so helpful, and that鈥檚 why we have to think about how we can use it in different ways. For those of us in communications, the 鈥榟ow might we鈥� question is so critical, because this tool is so powerful.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sticking around,鈥� Tedmon says of the technology. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be a fad. We need to constantly look at how it will influence our work.鈥�
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Glenn Cook (glenncook117@gmail.com), a contributing editor to American School Board Journal, is a freelance writer and photographer in Northern Virginia. He also spent five years as a communications director for a North Carolina school district.
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