Abstract
In this month’s PDK Connection, CEO James F. Lane highlights a visit to a new Educators Rising site in Pennsylvania by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Lane also addresses AI in the classroom and promotes new lesson assessments for Education Rising Curriculum users. Elsewhere in this regular department, PDK members share the one change they’d like to see in today’s schools and recount this summer’s trip to Vietnam with the PDK International Travel Program.
This fall has been exciting, with some national exposure for our Educators Rising program in Pennsylvania.
Thanks are due to the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which has taken the lead to address the teacher shortage in the state by establishing more Grow Your Own programs in districts, using Educators Rising. A three-year $750,000 grant from the National Education Association is helping to establish new chapters across the commonwealth.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stopped in Pennsylvania to help inaugurate a new Educators Rising chapter at Keystone Oaks High School in Pittsburgh. He performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the state secretary of education, Khalid Mumin, and U.S. Rep. Chris DeLuzio. All four of our Educators Rising national student officers went to Pittsburgh to participate in this ceremony. The district invited our national vice president of service, Char’Tayvious Edwards, to introduce Secretary Cardona. He used the opportunity to talk about how he came to Educators Rising and the program’s ability to develop his leadership capacity. His message resonated with everyone, including the secretary!
The story in Keystone Oaks is like many we hear, as communities look for solutions in addressing the reality that teaching is hard work that is too often undervalued. The 2024 PDK Poll told us as much, when we asked if parents would support their children going into the field. A majority (60%) said they would not, citing inadequate pay and benefits (33%) and lack of student discipline (27%) as the leading reasons. Despite this, our program is infused with positivity and optimism around what’s possible when you become an instructional leader in a classroom.
Our poll this year also asked Americans about their support for artificial intelligence (AI) use in education. We followed up on this by issuing a rapid response survey to our teacher audience. Some of you may have responded! With every major technology vendor planning and implementing integration of Al capabilities into their new phones and computer products, we know this phenomenon is not going away. Our PDK Poll of the general public saw mild support for the use of AI in educational settings, with 62% or more supporting its use for tutoring, practicing for standardized tests, and helping teachers design lessons. Support decreased to just 43% for helping students prepare homework.
Our rapid response survey echoed support for many AI uses. General support for AI use was similar to our 2024 PDK Poll, with 67% of teachers supporting its use of tutoring scenarios, 63% supporting it for practicing for standardized tests, and nearly 69% supporting it for helping them develop lesson plans. Teachers’ attitudes about the use of AI for homework preparation was 2.6% higher than the PDK Poll figure. The interesting part, however, was that “very strong” support for AI use was much higher among teachers, ranging from 24% to 28% for applications outside of homework versus 12% to 13% for the general American public.
Of our surveyed teachers, 1.6% self-reported being an expert at the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, 12% had significant experience and comfort with these tools, and 28.8% had no experience or comfort with these tools. And 28% reported having received or planning to receive professional development around using AI this school year. Finally, we asked teachers about policies regarding AI use in their schools: 30.4% of teachers reported having either formal or informal policies in place, 27.2% had no policies in place, and 42.4% reported being unsure about whether policies were in place or noted that the question did not apply to them, as they had left the classroom.
AI will continue to impact the ways we all work. We see opportunities to help provide our Educators Rising students and teacher leaders best practices in this space. While this technology is cutting edge, it is also very new and under continuous development. But it’s clear that at least some educators are seeing benefits around its use in planning and its integration into next-generation software applications with students.
Finally, I wanted to congratulate our programs team at PDK for launching a new lesson assessments product this year for our Educators Rising Curriculum users. Under development for more than two years, the product provides participating schools an online assessment platform aligned with our standards-based curriculum. The team is also introducing a new interactive student guidebook for our curriculum clients, providing a time-saving resource that students can use alongside our five units of lessons. ■
We talk to and gain insights from PDK’s Emerging Leaders, Distinguished Educators, scholarship recipients, and Educators Rising student leaders. We asked several questions on issues of importance to education and the teaching profession.
"I would make lunch free for every student and staff member. I strongly believe that the stress of paying for lunch every day weighs heavily on parents and students. If that stress was eliminated, students would have one less thing to worry about at school. At the end of the day, the last thing they should be worried about is if they can afford a $3.50 burger at lunchtime."
"If I could make a change in education right now, it would be to increase the focus on individualized learning. Implementing personalized learning plans for students to cater to their unique strengths, interests, and learning styles can have a profound impact on their educational experience. By tailoring education to each student’s specific needs, we can help maximize their potential and foster a genuine love for learning. This approach not only enhances academic achievement but also supports the holistic development of students, preparing them to thrive in an ever-evolving world."
"If I could change one thing, it would be to implement practical life skills into the state or district curriculum. This is one of the most important issues because it prepares students for real-world challenges after high school graduation. By focusing on this, we can help students become better equipped to face the challenges of tomorrow’s world."
"I think there are two changes that would have positive impacts. One would be intentional bridging of research and practice. Working between academia and PK-12 education, I have seen a gap between the work of researchers who are no longer practitioners and practitioners who lean solely on personal experiences for making decisions. To me, both approaches can be myopic. Theoretical research is not necessarily effective in the real world. On the flip side, personal experiences can be biased and need to be placed within theoretical and research-based contexts. I am an advocate for practitioner research in education."
The second, but related, change is that we should stop chasing silver bullets. This country has a unique context. Education cannot look the same in different and diverse communities with varied talents and needs. If we apply one-size-fits-all approaches, national data will tell us that we will see general increases and decreases in achievement from year to year. Disaggregate data, however, shows we have persistent gaps. We need to co-create education with our communities, by recognizing community assets, valuing knowledge outside the mainstream, and sustaining reforms long enough to see positive results."
This summer, 13 PDK International members embarked on an unforgettable journey to Vietnam, spending almost two weeks exploring the vibrant regions of Da Nang,
The PDK International Travel Program started in 1961, when Gerald H. Read began leading international travel seminars for members. Since then, the program has evolved into a yearly adventure that includes both educational visits and culturally enriching experiences. Recent itineraries have included Spain and South Africa. This year’s Vietnam trip marks the first visit to Asia in the past decade.
This year’s travelers dove headfirst into Vietnam’s rich history, visiting the Vietnam War Museum and the tunnels in South Vietnam, where they gained a deeper understanding of the war from a new perspective. Members explored ancient temples, marveled at the stunning architecture, and enjoyed breathtaking views during boat tours along the Mekong and Saigon rivers.
The journey was also an opportunity to connect with the local people and their daily lives, enhanced through a local guide. “We were fortunate to have a wonderful tour guide. Long Nguyen made us feel at home and very comfortable in his country, a highlight from my perspective,” said Harold Farkas, a PDK member since 1978.
The group engaged with farmers and small business owners and even had the privilege of visiting the Bee House School, a preschool in Ho Chi Minh City.
“I enjoy visiting the schools,” said Marti Little, an Educators Rising teacher leader since 2022 and a new PDK member this year. “We had the opportunity to visit schools in Vietnam and get to know the teachers and the students.”
Visit