Introduction
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape education, teachers around the world are eager to harness its potential—but only if it truly meets classroom needs. A recent EdSurge survey and series of interviews gathered the insights of hundreds of K–12 teachers to build an “AI wish list.” Their requests go beyond flashy demos and chatbots: educators want practical features that save time, deepen learning, and preserve the human connection at the heart of teaching.
1. Survey and Methodology
In spring 2025, EdSurge invited more than 300 public and private school teachers in grades K–12 to share their experiences with AI tools and describe the capabilities they most desired. Participants represented elementary, middle and high schools across urban, suburban and rural districts. Feedback was collected via an online questionnaire, focus‐group discussions and one-on-one interviews with tech coaches and curriculum leads. Responses were then coded into core themes.
2. The AI Wish List from Teachers
2.1 Automate Routine Tasks
• Grading and Feedback: Teachers want AI to handle objective assessments—quizzes, worksheets, grammar corrections—and draft personalized feedback that can be fine-tuned. Automating these chores would free up hours each week.
• Attendance and Behavior Logs: An AI assistant that seamlessly records attendance, tardiness and behavior incidents—integrated with existing student information systems—would reduce teacher paperwork.
2.2 Personalize Learning
• Adaptive Instruction Paths: Educators asked for AI-driven learning trajectories that adjust in real time to individual student strengths, struggles and interests—complete with scaffolded hints and enrichment.
• Differentiated Materials: Teachers want the ability to input a lesson plan and receive versions at multiple reading levels, or with language supports for English-learners.
2.3 Generate Engaging Content
• Interactive Simulations and Visuals: Many teachers crave domain-specific resources—science simulations, historical timelines, math manipulatives—that can be generated on demand and embedded into lessons.
• Creative Prompts and Scenarios: AI-powered story starters, debate topics or design thinking challenges help sustain student interest and foster higher-order thinking.
2.4 Strengthen Data Insights
• Actionable Dashboards: Beyond raw scores, teachers asked for dashboards that translate performance data into clear recommendations: “Group these five students for a review session” or “Offer targeted vocabulary drills.”
• Early Warning Systems: AI that flags students at risk of falling behind—based on participation, progress and engagement metrics—would enable timely interventions.
2.5 Support Professional Development
• Lesson Recommendations: Just as streaming platforms suggest shows, teachers want AI to recommend new instructional strategies, classroom management techniques or digital tools based on their grade level, subject area and goals.
• Just-in-Time Coaching: On-demand micro-modules and cheat-sheets—generated by AI—could help teachers troubleshoot technology hiccups or refresh best practices during the school day.
2.6 Enhance Collaboration and Communication
• Automated Parent Updates: Generating weekly summaries for families in multiple languages—covering attendance, upcoming assignments and student highlights—would strengthen the home-school connection.
• Peer-to-Peer Sharing: AI could curate and share lesson ideas, rubrics and assessments from a teacher’s professional learning network, based on subject and standards alignment.
2.7 Ensure Seamless Integration
• One-Click Setup: Teachers stressed that AI features must plug into existing learning management systems (LMS), gradebooks and district platforms without complex IT support.
• Privacy and Security by Design: Data protection isn’t optional. Educators insisted on compliance with FERPA, COPPA and GDPR, strong encryption and transparent data-usage policies.
3. Challenges and Concerns
• Equity and Access: Many teachers worry that AI will widen the digital divide unless tools are affordable, work offline and support low-bandwidth settings.
• Algorithmic Bias: There is apprehension about perpetuating stereotypes or disadvantaging English-learners and students with disabilities if AI models are not trained on diverse data.
• Teacher Agency: Educators want to retain final say. They fear black-box systems that make instructional decisions without human oversight.
4. Next Steps for Developers and District Leaders
• Co-Design with Teachers: Recruit educators early in the product lifecycle to test prototypes, refine features and champion adoption.
• Pilot with Clear Metrics: Launch small-scale trials that track time saved, student engagement boosts and learning gains. Share results transparently.
• Invest in Training and Support: Allocate professional development time so teachers can learn how to integrate AI tools effectively, troubleshoot issues and adapt features to their context.
3 Key Takeaways
1. Teachers prioritize practical efficiency: Automating grading, attendance and parent communications could save educators 3–5 hours per week.
2. Personalization and engagement matter: AI that adapts lessons, scaffolds learning and generates interactive content aligns directly with day-to-day instructional goals.
3. Ethical, user-friendly design is nonnegotiable: Seamless integration, data privacy, bias mitigation and teacher control must be baked in from the start.
FAQ
Q1: How can teachers get involved in shaping AI tools?
A1: Sign up for pilot programs with edtech vendors, join focus groups through professional organizations, and provide feedback in online communities such as EdSurge or ISTE forums. Your real-world classroom insights will help developers build more effective solutions.
Q2: What are some AI platforms currently offering teacher-requested features?
A2: A growing roster of startups and established LMS providers now incorporate AI modules for grading, adaptive practice and content generation. When evaluating tools, look for transparent data policies, integration with your existing systems and references from fellow educators.
Q3: How can schools address data privacy concerns when adopting AI?
A3: Districts should require vendors to sign data-protection agreements, ensure FERPA/GDPR/COPPA compliance, conduct privacy impact assessments and provide teachers with clear guidelines on student data handling. A strong privacy framework builds trust and safeguards students.
