🛝 AI Education in Kindergarten, STEM Reboot, Students Reject Edtech

Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what's next.

This week's reality check: While 60% of schools still have no AI guidance, education experts say we should be teaching AI concepts starting in kindergarten. Meanwhile, students are telling us exactly what they want from edtech products, and it's not what most companies are building.

💎 Data Gem

A new Harvard/UCSF study found that by the ninth month following school reopenings, children's probability of a mental health diagnosis (anxiety, depression, ADHD) reduced by 43% compared to the closure period. The research highlights the significant role schools play in student mental health beyond academics.

When Should Students Begin Learning About AI?

The answer, according to the Computer Science Teachers Association: kindergarten.

Jake Baskin, CSTA's executive director, points out that kindergartners are already recognizing patterns, which is exactly what AI does. By first grade, students investigate how people use patterns. By fifth grade, they can understand how facial recognition identifies some people better than others based on built-in biases.

Code.org is still figuring out just how early to start, but chief product officer Karim Meghji is clear about one thing: students need to learn how AI works, not just how to use it.

"AI is primarily mathematics and algorithms with data," he said. "We're demystifying it: AI is not magic, it's operating in a very deterministic way."

The K-12 Dive article emphasizes that without understanding how AI works, students won't know why it makes errors or how to evaluate its responses. By middle and high school, they should be grappling with bias, misinformation, and societal impacts.

CSTA's "AI Learning Priorities" report lays out a progression: pattern recognition in early elementary, understanding algorithmic bias by upper elementary, and actually building AI models by high school.

Most schools have no AI curriculum at all, let alone age-appropriate materials that build from kindergarten through high school. Development of AI literacy tools should focus on foundational understanding rather than just teaching students to prompt chatbots. 

The education market needs a curriculum that demystifies how the technology actually works.

STEM Classrooms Are Boring Students. Here's What Actually Works.

Math and science scores remain below pre-pandemic levels, but the real problem shows up in what students are saying: they're bored during math lessons and want more real-world problems.

And there's another disconnect happening - inquiry-based activities correlate with higher science scores, yet fewer students are participating in them. 

Schools know what works but aren't implementing it.

The research points to approaches that can change this. Take the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). It connects concepts with prior knowledge and lets students apply learning to new contexts. Physical and virtual manipulatives let students experiment and visualize rather than just memorize.

Play matters too. Digital games, card games, and activities like math bingo help students build fluency while reducing anxiety.

When learning feels less like pressure and more like play, students take risks and view challenges as growth opportunities.

Storytelling brings another dimension: instead of isolated facts and formulas, narratives create emotional connection. Frame a STEM concept as helping a character save their coastal town from rising sea levels, and suddenly students have purpose and context.

But here's the catch: teachers say there's not enough time in the workday to accomplish all their tasks. 

They can't spend hours searching for resources or building lessons from scratch.

This isn't just about better STEM content. Educators need complete instructional packages that combine engaging activities, ready-made exploration kits, lesson plans, and materials that save teachers time while making STEM feel relevant. Products that deliver both the "what works" research and the practical implementation support teachers actually need.

Students Want Simple, Intuitive Edtech. We Keep Building the Opposite?

A new ISTE+ASCD study funded by the Gates Foundation asked high school students directly about their edtech experiences. The findings reveal a disconnect between what product teams build and what students actually need.

Above all else, students wanted products that are easy to use with clean design and smooth functionality. 

The most important feature? Easily finding information about assignments and due dates.

That sounds basic, but the research confirms it's not always executed well.

Students liked gamification only when meaningfully connected to learning. They wanted mobile compatibility specifically for checking assignments and due dates, not for completing all schoolwork. They appreciated accessibility tools but wanted them available by choice, not imposed by default.

Here's the interesting fact: students want control over user interface elements like calendars and notifications, but they prefer sequential learning paths over personalized ones. 

They wanted guidance for navigating the learning experience, not algorithms deciding what they should learn next.

Students aren't asking for flashy features or complex personalization. They want clarity, meaningful engagement, and control over their experience.

ISTE+ASCD will release a formal student usability framework in 2026 with guidance for product developers and edtech buyers. For now, the message is simple: students are end users, not an afterthought. 

EdTech companies that actually center student voices in design decisions will have a significant advantage in an oversaturated market.

⚡️More Quick Hits

This week in education:

• 60% of schools lack AI guidance — Milken Institute report finds lack of guidelines and expertise proving challenging for AI use in schools

• Antifragility post-ChatGPT — Opinion piece argues schools need systems that grow stronger from AI disruption rather than just adapting to it

• Finance tops superintendent concerns — New survey shows budget management has become the primary worry for district leaders this year

• Child care funding shifts — As federal pandemic relief expires, states explore dedicated funding streams to stabilize early childhood programs

📚 Weekend Reads

Monthly roundup of resources you might like:

• Academic Recovery Still Elusive — Data showing students need 4.8 additional months in reading and 4.3 months in math to reach pre-pandemic levels.

• Current Term Enrollment Estimates — Spring 2025 undergraduate enrollment up 3.5% to 15.3 million students, with community colleges leading the resurgence at 5.4% growth

• Educator Pay Rankings 2024-25 — State-by-state analysis showing average teacher salary reached $74,177, yet inflation has teachers earning 5% less than a decade ago

• Public Confidence in Schools — Record-low public approval with only 13% giving schools an A or B grade, and 59% of parents preferring private school options with public funds

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