Media literacy is top of mind for me this week. Why? Because we are at a crossroads, and as the new report from Media Literacy Now (which provides a state-by-state analyses of media literacy legislation in K — 12 education) suggests more than half of U.S. states are responding through policies, standards, and implementation efforts. The report highlights the increasing integration of AI literacy with media literacy. If you care about preparing students to critically evaluate information, navigate digital risks, and participate thoughtfully in civic life, this report provides both evidence and actionable pathways forward.
For what it’s worth I kind of wish we had an adult training mandate because honestly, they need this just as much as kids!
You can find the report online at https://medialiteracynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MLN_Policy_Impact_Report-1.2026.pdf
U.S. Department of Labor releases a national AI Literacy Framework
In other news this week we have another framework! Did you cheer or sigh? This one comes to us from the Department of Labor and is a voluntary guidance document. Meaning that it’s not required nor is implementation or use funded. At its core, the framework defines AI literacy not as deep technical mastery but as a baseline set of competencies enabling individuals to use, evaluate, and interact with AI technologies responsibly and effectively in workplace contexts. This is something to review and know exists. You can find the full document at https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEN/2025/TEN%2007-25/TEN%2007-25%20%28complete%20document%29.pdf
ETS publishes a new scenario-based assessment to surface teacher AI skill gaps
The field is moving from “Are teachers using AI?” to “Do teachers actually have the competencies to use AI responsibly and instructionally well?” That is a significant shift. For the past two years, most AI professional development has focused on exposure. Workshops. Tool demos. Prompt examples. What this assessment signals is a move toward defining AI literacy as a measurable, structured capability that includes ethics, bias awareness, prompt design, instructional alignment, and professional judgment. It will be interesting to see if AI literacy becomes part of professional standards and educator preparation standards more specifically in the year ahead.
From where I sit in this conversation, AI in education is maturing from tool curiosity to workforce expectation.
The next phase is not about whether teachers can use ChatGPT. It is about whether they can evaluate AI outputs, detect bias, align use to learning science, and protect student trust. You can read the full article at https://www.edweek.org/technology/do-teachers-have-the-skills-to-use-ai-new-test-aims-to-find-out/2026/02
The Debate Over AI Only Schools
A widely circulated explainer video was updated this week and frames Alpha School as a more extreme model where AI is positioned as the primary instructor/grader, with students spending about two hours on core academics and the rest on projects and life skills. There has been a lot of discussion around this model for quite a few years (heck, I wrote about it almost a decade ago!). What is interesting is that in a lot of forward-thinking conversations, this type of model is already old news. And the newer models that are emerging are making use of AI, expecting expertise from teachers, harness student engagement, move past current accountability models, all while leveraging place-based, project-based learning for students.
Whether or not the portrayal is fair, it is catalyzing the right questions for leaders: What is the human role in learning? What counts as teaching? What evidence would justify scaling, and for whom?
AI Bill of Rights’ reaches Florida’s K-12 schools
Florida’s Senate Bill 482, the proposed Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights, continues to advance and now carries direct implications for K–12 education. In addition to requiring transparency when individuals interact with AI systems and strengthening data privacy protections, the bill would mandate parental consent for minors using certain AI chatbot platforms. New amendments to the bill will allow parents to opt their children out of instructional uses of AI in classrooms.
While framed as consumer protection, the legislation is effectively shaping how AI could be governed in school settings.
Florida tends to have a footprint in national policy; it will be interesting to see how state-level AI policy moves from abstract rights language to concrete rules that will influence classroom practice. These “local governance builds” are becoming the real story of 2026, because they determine what teachers can safely do on Monday morning. Even at the district level — things are moving.
Read the Miami Herald Coverage at https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article314750912.html and see the Full Senate Bill at https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/482
Upcoming: Council for Exceptional Children Conference | Salt Lake City
I am really looking forward to being in Salt Lake City for the upcoming Council for Exceptional Children conference. It feels especially meaningful this year as we reflect on the 50th anniversary of IDEA and the progress, and unfinished work, in special education. I will be delivering a keynote and leading a session focused on how we can thoughtfully integrate AI in ways that actually make teachers’ lives easier and improve outcomes for students.
During my keynote, I will share examples of tools and systems I have been building that help teams reduce administrative burden while protecting professional judgment and moving towards an understanding of what high quality AI in education really looks like. No hype. No fear. Just grounded examples of how AI can support individualized learning, data informed decisions, and stronger collaboration.
In my breakout session, we will get practical. Playbooks, toolkits, tips, discussion guides, and more. All co-designed with teachers and leaders and are staged to support
If you will be at CEC, I would love to connect. The future of AI in special education will not be written by technology companies. It will be shaped by educators who care deeply about students and who are willing to build responsibly.
Remember that the future of education is being shaped now. We need informed, thoughtful voices to make meaningful choices. Subscribe to Jody’s newsletter for weekly updates as soon as they’re published at https://jodybritten.medium.com/subscribe
