Promoting School-Level Accountability for the Responsible Deployment of AI and Related Systems in K-12 Education: Mitigating Bias and Increasing Transparency

Chloe Jefferson

🏆 1st place by peer review

This policy memorandum draws attention to the potential for bias and opaqueness in intelligent systems utilized in K–12 education, which can worsen inequality. The U.S. Department of Education is advised to put Title I and Title IV financing criteria into effect that require human oversight, AI training for teachers and students, and open communication with stakeholders. These steps are intended to encourage the responsible and transparent use of intelligent systems in education by enforcing accountability and taking reasonable action to prevent harm to students while research is conducted to identify industry best practices.

Reviewer's Comments

Reviewer's Comments

Arrow
Arrow
Arrow

Shana Douglass

This memorandum offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the potential risks associated with AI in K-12 education, particularly regarding bias and opaqueness. The proposal's focus on equity and transparency is commendable. The recommendation to leverage Title I and Title IV funding to promote human oversight, AI training, and stakeholder engagement is a practical and effective approach. By aligning these measures with existing federal funding mechanisms, the proposal offers a realistic and scalable solution to mitigate the risks of AI in education. However, a more detailed analysis of the potential costs and funding mechanisms associated with the implementation of these recommendations would further strengthen the proposal.

Jaye Nias

This policy memorandum provides a thoughtful and well-rounded examination of the potential risks associated with bias and opaqueness in intelligent systems used in K–12 education. The concerns about exacerbating inequality are both relevant and timely. The recommendation to incorporate Title I and Title IV financing criteria, which include human oversight, AI training for teachers and students, and open communication with stakeholders, is a strong and practical approach. These measures promote the responsible and transparent use of intelligent systems, while ensuring accountability and taking proactive steps to prevent harm to students.

One of the strengths of this memorandum is its clear presentation of the suggested mitigations, thoughtfully considering both their benefits and limitations. While linking these solutions to federal funding mechanisms may not be entirely new, it is a strategy that has historically been effective in driving equity-focused initiatives within education. The proposed approach, therefore, offers a realistic and impactful way to encourage the responsible use of AI in educational settings, with a focus on protecting students’ interests.

Cite this work

@misc {

title={

@misc {

},

author={

Chloe Jefferson

},

date={

11/21/24

},

organization={Apart Research},

note={Research submission to the research sprint hosted by Apart.},

howpublished={https://apartresearch.com}

}

May 20, 2025

EscalAtion: Assessing Multi-Agent Risks in Military Contexts

Our project investigates the potential risks and implications of integrating multiple autonomous AI agents within national defense strategies, exploring whether these agents tend to escalate or deescalate conflict situations. Through a simulation that models real-world international relations scenarios, our preliminary results indicate that AI models exhibit a tendency to escalate conflicts, posing a significant threat to maintaining peace and preventing uncontrollable military confrontations. The experiment and subsequent evaluations are designed to reflect established international relations theories and frameworks, aiming to understand the implications of autonomous decision-making in military contexts comprehensively and unbiasedly.

Read More

Apr 28, 2025

The Early Economic Impacts of Transformative AI: A Focus on Temporal Coherence

We investigate the economic potential of Transformative AI, focusing on "temporal coherence"—the ability to maintain goal-directed behavior over time—as a critical, yet underexplored, factor in task automation. We argue that temporal coherence represents a significant bottleneck distinct from computational complexity. Using a Large Language Model to estimate the 'effective time' (a proxy for temporal coherence) needed for humans to complete remote O*NET tasks, the study reveals a non-linear link between AI coherence and automation potential. A key finding is that an 8-hour coherence capability could potentially automate around 80-84\% of the analyzed remote tasks.

Read More

Mar 31, 2025

Model Models: Simulating a Trusted Monitor

We offer initial investigations into whether the untrusted model can 'simulate' the trusted monitor: is U able to successfully guess what suspicion score T will assign in the APPS setting? We also offer a clean, modular codebase which we hope can be used to streamline future research into this question.

Read More

May 20, 2025

EscalAtion: Assessing Multi-Agent Risks in Military Contexts

Our project investigates the potential risks and implications of integrating multiple autonomous AI agents within national defense strategies, exploring whether these agents tend to escalate or deescalate conflict situations. Through a simulation that models real-world international relations scenarios, our preliminary results indicate that AI models exhibit a tendency to escalate conflicts, posing a significant threat to maintaining peace and preventing uncontrollable military confrontations. The experiment and subsequent evaluations are designed to reflect established international relations theories and frameworks, aiming to understand the implications of autonomous decision-making in military contexts comprehensively and unbiasedly.

Read More

Apr 28, 2025

The Early Economic Impacts of Transformative AI: A Focus on Temporal Coherence

We investigate the economic potential of Transformative AI, focusing on "temporal coherence"—the ability to maintain goal-directed behavior over time—as a critical, yet underexplored, factor in task automation. We argue that temporal coherence represents a significant bottleneck distinct from computational complexity. Using a Large Language Model to estimate the 'effective time' (a proxy for temporal coherence) needed for humans to complete remote O*NET tasks, the study reveals a non-linear link between AI coherence and automation potential. A key finding is that an 8-hour coherence capability could potentially automate around 80-84\% of the analyzed remote tasks.

Read More

May 20, 2025

EscalAtion: Assessing Multi-Agent Risks in Military Contexts

Our project investigates the potential risks and implications of integrating multiple autonomous AI agents within national defense strategies, exploring whether these agents tend to escalate or deescalate conflict situations. Through a simulation that models real-world international relations scenarios, our preliminary results indicate that AI models exhibit a tendency to escalate conflicts, posing a significant threat to maintaining peace and preventing uncontrollable military confrontations. The experiment and subsequent evaluations are designed to reflect established international relations theories and frameworks, aiming to understand the implications of autonomous decision-making in military contexts comprehensively and unbiasedly.

Read More

Apr 28, 2025

The Early Economic Impacts of Transformative AI: A Focus on Temporal Coherence

We investigate the economic potential of Transformative AI, focusing on "temporal coherence"—the ability to maintain goal-directed behavior over time—as a critical, yet underexplored, factor in task automation. We argue that temporal coherence represents a significant bottleneck distinct from computational complexity. Using a Large Language Model to estimate the 'effective time' (a proxy for temporal coherence) needed for humans to complete remote O*NET tasks, the study reveals a non-linear link between AI coherence and automation potential. A key finding is that an 8-hour coherence capability could potentially automate around 80-84\% of the analyzed remote tasks.

Read More

May 20, 2025

EscalAtion: Assessing Multi-Agent Risks in Military Contexts

Our project investigates the potential risks and implications of integrating multiple autonomous AI agents within national defense strategies, exploring whether these agents tend to escalate or deescalate conflict situations. Through a simulation that models real-world international relations scenarios, our preliminary results indicate that AI models exhibit a tendency to escalate conflicts, posing a significant threat to maintaining peace and preventing uncontrollable military confrontations. The experiment and subsequent evaluations are designed to reflect established international relations theories and frameworks, aiming to understand the implications of autonomous decision-making in military contexts comprehensively and unbiasedly.

Read More

Apr 28, 2025

The Early Economic Impacts of Transformative AI: A Focus on Temporal Coherence

We investigate the economic potential of Transformative AI, focusing on "temporal coherence"—the ability to maintain goal-directed behavior over time—as a critical, yet underexplored, factor in task automation. We argue that temporal coherence represents a significant bottleneck distinct from computational complexity. Using a Large Language Model to estimate the 'effective time' (a proxy for temporal coherence) needed for humans to complete remote O*NET tasks, the study reveals a non-linear link between AI coherence and automation potential. A key finding is that an 8-hour coherence capability could potentially automate around 80-84\% of the analyzed remote tasks.

Read More

This work was done during one weekend by research workshop participants and does not represent the work of Apart Research.
This work was done during one weekend by research workshop participants and does not represent the work of Apart Research.