Key Takeaways
- Lancaster County’s 17 school districts have adopted general AI policies over the past two years, following Pennsylvania School Boards Association guidance, and are providing professional development for teachers.
- Teachers use AI in markedly different ways: some streamline lesson‑planning and administrative tasks, while others integrate it directly into student‑focused activities such as simulated conversations with historical figures or AI‑assisted coding exercises.
- Professional‑learning sessions, led by consultants like Brian Booker of IU13, focus on AI basics, effective use, and necessary guardrails, helping educators move from apprehension to experimentation.
- In computer‑science classrooms, educators are shifting curricula toward process‑based learning, having students prompt AI, test its output, and debug the code—mirroring industry practices while guarding against overreliance.
- AI is praised for leveling the playing field: it can scaffold texts, translate materials, and customize practice for multilingual, special‑needs, and gifted learners, thereby promoting equitable access.
- Administrative efficiencies—such as AI‑generated newsletters or lesson‑plan drafts—free up teacher time for higher‑impact work like one‑on‑one instruction.
- Concerns persist about a “wild west” scenario without proper governance, the risk of AI‑generated work circulating unchecked, and the potential for technology to overwhelm educators already adapting post‑pandemic.
- Thought leaders advocate shifting assessment from product‑only evaluation to valuing the learning process, demanding transparency about AI use and fostering digital citizenship as a core competency.
Adoption of AI Policies in Lancaster County
Over the last two years, most of Lancaster County’s 17 school districts have implemented general AI policies as recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. These policies require schools to offer some level of professional AI development for teachers and to establish guidelines for student interaction with AI in an educational setting. As Brian Booker, a teaching and learning consultant with Lancaster‑Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, explained, the amount of AI resources teachers incorporate into daily instruction is largely self‑determined, leading to wide variation in how the technology is used from classroom to classroom.
Teachers’ Varying Uses of AI
AI’s role in Lancaster classrooms is not uniform. Some educators employ the technology solely to draft lesson plans more quickly, never exposing students to the tool. Others bring AI directly into learning experiences—using it to help students “have conversations with the Greek gods they are studying” or to format their own math games. Booker noted that AI is “placing more value into the art of teaching and the art of designing instruction, where students are interacting with one another and reflecting on the learning that they are doing, and it’s not focused on the final product anymore.” This divergence reflects both enthusiasm and caution as teachers navigate the new landscape.
Professional Development and Training
IU13 has been holding monthly meetings with its 22 school districts to craft a coordinated AI integration plan and has begun offering teacher training focused on the basics: “What is AI, how do you use it effectively and then what are the guardrails that we need to understand in order to use it productively,” Booker said. He emphasized that the goal is to make AI feel like a natural extension of existing practice rather than a flashy novelty. By modeling effective and safe AI use during sessions, trainers increase teachers’ willingness to experiment.
Curriculum Shifts in Computer Science
At Solanco High School, technology teacher Josh Fleming has redesigned his introductory computer science course to reflect industry trends. Students first learn to code traditionally, then move toward AI‑aided software design, feeding AI prompts for programs they wish to create, testing the generated code, and debugging when necessary. Fleming cautions against overreliance, insisting that in his AP cybersecurity exam students must rely solely on their own skill sets. He recently added an AI endorsement to his teaching certificate after completing four courses at Millersville University, underscoring the commitment to stay current.
Equity and Accessibility Benefits
AI’s potential to level the playing field is a recurring theme among educators. Booker highlighted how AI can scaffold texts and learning materials for multilingual learners and students with special needs, saying, “That is what, in a dream world, I would be pushing everyone to do. It’s how we can use AI as a partner to provide equitable access to the learning that is taking place.” Stephanie Herr, an English Language Arts teacher at Pequea Valley Secondary School, described using the AI tool Diffit to simplify “Lord of the Flies” to a fourth‑grade reading level and present it side‑by‑side with a Spanish translation, a practice that previously required scrambling with Google Translate during an influx of immigrant students.
Administrative Efficiency and Time Savings
Beyond direct instruction, many teachers find AI invaluable for reducing behind‑the‑scenes workload. Larisa Garpstas, a second‑grade teacher in Penn Manor School District, uses AI primarily to create classroom newsletters and brainstorm ideas, noting that it helps her “create so many more resources and brainstorm more ideas than she could have on her own.” Learning facilitator Dan Holler added that AI helps him reclaim time otherwise lost to extra planning, allowing him to meet the needs of high‑performing students within the same 45‑minute planning period.
Challenges and Concerns
Despite the optimism, significant worries persist. Josh Fleming warned that “without good governance and culture, it would be like the wild west that was once cellphones, where without intentional usage it will be just a wasteland.” Professor Oliver Dreon of Millersville University echoed this, describing the influx of AI as overwhelming for some educators: “I’ve heard them say it’s kind of like drinking from a firehose — it’s just so much stuff.” He noted that the technology is pushing some tenured professors and longtime teachers out of the profession, especially as they grapple with another major disruption after the pandemic.
Looking Ahead: Assessment and Digital Citizenship
A central recommendation from thought leaders is to shift assessment away from product‑only evaluation. Dreon advocated, “Rather than focusing just on the product … show me the process of what you’re doing… And if AI is allowed, be transparent about how it was used and where.” Booker framed the current moment as an “inflection point,” asking educators to reconsider the purpose of school and to design learning experiences that reflect real‑world outcomes. Emphasizing digital citizenship—teaching teachers and students to live and work responsibly in an AI‑transformed world—is seen as essential to ensuring that AI enhances, rather than undermines, the educational mission.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/educators-at-an-inflection-point-as-ai-prompts-changes-to-instruction-lesson-planning/article_3524e988-81fe-4f1e-9189-fd1fce03cb9f.html