What K12 Public School Leaders Think About Artificial Intelligence Education
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept but an essential skillset for future leaders. Schools around the world are embracing this shift, recognizing the importance of equipping students with the tools and knowledge to thrive in an AI-driven world. Inspirit AI is helping schools bridge this gap by offering project-based AI courses tailored for middle and high school students. These programs not only teach students to code in Python but also empower them to build real-world AI projects that ignite curiosity and innovation. We spoke with K12 public school leaders who have partnered with Inspirit AI to bring this cutting-edge education to their classrooms, sharing their insights on how AI is shaping the future of learning.
Inspirit AI partners with 100+ Leading K12 Schools Around the World
Bronxville High School, Bronxville Union Free School District
Bronxville High School, located in Westchester County, New York, is known for its commitment to academic excellence and community involvement. With a focus on innovation and critical thinking, the school is dedicated to preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century.
Inspirit AI has delivered a number of artificial intelligence programs for high schoolers at Bronxville, guiding students to build AI projects across domains. In the AI + astronomy project, students used data collected from NASA’s Kepler space telescope to train AI models to detect exoplanets. Throughout the project, student developed an understanding of exoplanet detection methods and exoplanet characterization methods. They also gained experience in training models with imbalanced classes of data—one category having a lot more data than the other.
Inspirit AI partnered with Ann Meyer, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and Former Bronxville High School Principal, at Bronxville Union Free School District who shared:
“The program was paced perfectly. We were able to get what we needed done in one day with a little time to spare, and we could ask questions, or find out what we needed to work on very easily.”
— Vincent D., 11th Grade, Bronxville High School
Tyler Poore, Columbia University
Tyler Poore pursued a Bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics at RPI and his trajectory took an unexpected turn when he decided to leave his PhD program in organic synthesis at Columbia University to embark on an entrepreneurial venture with one of his professors, examining the realm of natural language processing and the development of large language models. Currently, he holds a position at an investment bank, where he leverages his expertise to develop robust pipelines for analyzing text data.
Lynbrook Senior High School, Lynbrook Union Free School District
Located in Lynbrook, New York, Lynbrook Senior High School is celebrated for its diverse academic offerings and vibrant extracurricular activities. The school aims to foster a well-rounded education, providing students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in college and beyond. During summer 2024, Inspirit AI delivered 2-week artificial intelligence summer programs, guiding students to build AI projects at the intersection of AI + mobility and AI + finance.
Inspirit AI partnered with Chuck Vessalico, Science Department Instructional Leader, at Lynbrook Senior High School who shared:
“We believe that AI education will be vital to the future success of our students in college and most professions. Specifically, AI education will directly help our research students in designing and implementing independent research projects.”
— Chuck Vessalico, Science Department Instructional Leader, Lynbrook Senior High School
In the AI + finance project, students worked with and explore data from years of baseball games in order to identify which statistics best predict success. Once students learned the ins and outs of the game, students worked on looking at individual players in order to predict the most undervalued players according to their salaries. Students also did a clustering analysis to look at similarities among players. By the end, they were able to build the best team on a budget!
“It was educational as I was able to increase my knowledge in coding and AI. I enjoyed coming because it was a fun environment.”
— Student at Lynbrook Senior High School, Summer 2024
Yik Siu Chan, Brown University
Yik Siu Chan is a Research Master's student at Brown University in Machine Learning and AI. Yik Siu graduated from Wellesley College with degrees in Computer Science and Economics. Yik Siu is passionate about developing safer and ethical AI models, and has spent time at MIT working on generative AI research. When she is not reading research papers or programming, she enjoys biking and hiking, watching sitcoms, and reading sci-fi.
Union County Vocational-Technical Schools
Union County Magnet High School in New Jersey is a specialized public school offering a highly competitive STEM-focused curriculum. With a strong emphasis on engineering and technology, it prepares students for future careers in technical fields through hands-on, project-based learning. During summer 2024, Inspirit AI partnered with UCVTS to deliver artificial intelligence intensive programs to all UCVTS schools, including Union County Magnet High School, guiding students to build AI projects at the intersection of AI + astronomy and AI + music.
Inspirit AI partnered with Alice Mansfield-Smith, High School Principal, at Union County Magnet High School who shared:
“AI will be part of everything we do in society and students (our future) will have to learn all about it and how it can be used productively- it will control much of what we do. Our students will be the future of AI usage and innovations.”
— Alice Mansfield-Smith, High School Principal, Union County Magnet High School
In the AI + mobility project, students used computer vision to improve road safety by detecting distracted drivers. Students used a variety of machine learning techniques, including convolutional neural networks and transfer learning, to create and improve effective models. Finally, students extended their model through challenge exercises: analyzing when it succeeds and fails, creating saliency maps to make their model interpretable, or editing their dataset to preserve privacy.
“I really enjoyed this program, and I fell like I learned a lot of information that I usually wouldn't have learned. Working with friends on the project was another highlight of the program. I liked the collaboration aspect of the program, where I could work with friends, and I like the guided nature of the project.”
— Luis N., 11th Grade, Union County Vocational-Technical Schools
Imtisaal Mian, Harvard University
Imtisaal Mian was the Inspirit AI instructor for the program. Imtisaal studied Bioengineering and English at Harvard University. She is an award winning author, a clinical researcher, and a national nonprofit founder, currently serving as the Director of NOVA Foundation: Opportunities for Youth. She has also held clinical research positions at top ranked institutions like The Hospital for Sick Children and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Burlington High School, Burlington School District
Located in Burlington, Massachusetts, Burlington High School is dedicated to providing students with a well-rounded education that integrates technology and innovation. The school actively promotes project-based learning to help students apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems. During summer 2024, Inspirit AI delivered a 2-week artificial intelligence intensive program, guiding students to build AI projects at the intersection of AI + mobility and AI + finance.
Inspirit AI partnered with Shereen Tyrrell, Computer Science Teacher, at Burlington High School who shared:
“[It is] important to prepare students will skills relevant in today's job market. [We partnered with Inspirit because of] the project based approach, and professionalism of the team.”
— Shereen Tyrrell, Computer Science Teacher, Burlington High School
In the AI + astronomy project, students used data collected from NASA’s Kepler space telescope to train AI models to detect exoplanets. Throughout the project, student developed an understanding of exoplanet detection methods and exoplanet characterization methods. They also gained experience in training models with imbalanced classes of data—one category having a lot more data than the other.
“It was a great opportunity, I think I learned a lot of things not only about coding but about applications of it. I enjoyed working with my peers to create projects and I hope to do more programs like this in the future. I liked the group projects we had where we allowed to work with friends and have support from our mentors if we reach a problem. I also liked that we were allowed to do our own project if we wanted to.”
— Rishitha R., 12th Grade, Burlington High School
Abigail Romero, Harvard University
Abigail Romero studied Applied Math and Economics at Harvard, with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, Rights, and a certificate in Latin American Studies. She is very passionate about the intersection of these fields, using data to drive problem-solving, strategy, and diversity, especially within business. She also has a strong background in computer science and AI, and is looking forward to meeting students very soon!
Novi High School, Novi Community School District
Novi High School in Michigan is known for its academic excellence and a robust STEM program. With a focus on cultivating critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the school encourages students to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During summer 2024, Inspirit AI delivered a 2-week artificial intelligence bootcamp for 8th-12th graders, guiding students to build AI projects at the intersection of AI + music and AI + finance.
Inspirit AI partnered with Nicole Carter, Principal, at Novi High School who shared:
“AI education is critically important to ensure our students and staff are aware of the dangers and benefits of AI. It isn’t going away so we need to learn how to use it as a tool to support us in lifelong learning. Our students are using AI daily and our staff are in the beginning stages of learning more about it. It is my responsibility as the lead learner to bring awareness and education around AI.”
— Nicole Carter, Principal, Novi High School
In the AI + music project, students work with and explore Spotify music data. Students get to review logistic regression to predict which songs will become top hits based on different song metrics. Then, students work on a system to recommend new songs to listeners (using popular songs and similar songs to ones they’ve listened to). Finally, students return to predicting top hits, but this time by using the raw music audio!
“The mentors were really knowledgeable and were able to help whenever I was stuck as well as elaborate on the slides. The material was also really well prepared and useful.”
— Adit V., 10th Grade, Novi High School
Raghu Arghal, University of Pennsylvania
Raghu Arghal is currently a Doctoral student at University of Pennsylvania with Master's and Bachelor's degrees from University of Michigan in Electrical Engineering. Raghu is an experienced computer science and AI researcher and former intern at Apple.
Learn more about the Inspirit AI partnership at Novi High School from Detroit News.
Grayslake North High School, Grayslake Community High School District
Grayslake North High School, located in Illinois, offers students a diverse curriculum with a strong emphasis on preparing them for college and careers. The school places a special focus on innovation and hands-on learning, especially in the areas of science and technology. During summer 2024, Inspirit AI delivered a 2-week artificial intelligence summer program, guiding students to build AI projects at the intersection of AI + music and AI + medicine.
Inspirit AI partnered with Tracey Landry, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, at Grayslake Community High School District who shared:
“It is clear that we are only at the beginning of how AI will transform how we work and how we learn. It is imperative that the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow are learning how to understand and harness its potential. We appreciate the expertise your organization brings to the topic and we really liked that your experts would travel to our campus, making this a more accessible opportunity for our students. We also had a great recommendation from one of the other school's with whom you have worked.”
— Tracey Landry, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, Grayslake Community High School District
In the AI + medicine project, students created a computer vision system to help diagnose pneumonia from chest X-rays. Students reviewed neural networks and create convolutional neural networks in Keras to process medical images. Then students improved their models using transfer learning: adapting from expert models. Students also evaluated their model on field data, and learned to create artificial data using image transformations so that their model performs well on real-life data. Students even deployed their model to an app!
“I was in the program for 2 weeks and I learned a lot about computer programming. Going in to the class I had little to no knowledge about computer programming and what it entails. But after this class I feel like I understand the basics. I enjoyed the notebooks that we were given, because instead of allowing free reign, they were able to guide us through the process. I also enjoyed the project, because it allowed us to implement what we learned.”
— Nandana V., 12th Grade, Grayslake North High School
Mekhi Jones, Stanford University
Mekhi Jones is the Technical Co-Founder at Expanse, a startup that is building the productivity interface for working with Large Language Models (LLMs). Previously, Mekhi received a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Stanford University, and also has worked as a software engineer.
Perspectives from K12 Public School Leaders on AI Education
As schools continue to explore the future of education, the integration of AI into the curriculum is becoming a powerful way to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. The experiences shared by K12 public school leaders partnering with Inspirit AI highlight the transformative impact of project-based AI courses in fostering innovation, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving skills. By equipping students with the tools to create AI-driven projects and learn to code in Python, Inspirit AI is helping schools empower the next generation of leaders, ensuring they are ready to thrive in an AI-driven world.