San Francisco’s new artificial intelligence school — Alpha School — opened its doors to K-8 students this fall with a learning model that entails just two hours of focused academic work per day, according to an article in The Guardian. The private school says thanks to AI, students can learn twice as fast as traditional school students.
AI is at the core of Alpha’s learning philosophy, brand and impact on students. Alpha is a network of schools with campuses in Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington DC – more than a dozen metropolitan areas in total. Alpha School tuition ranges from $40,000 upwards, excluding subsidized tuition in the Brownsville, TX location. Most schools are K-5, K-8 or K-9.
Alpha School’s website suggests a futuristic learning model: AI tools enable students to spend only two hours a day on traditional subjects such as history and math. This is achieved individually, on screens, using software that adapts to students’ unique paces and learning styles. The rest of the day is dedicated to learning life skills through creative activities such as designing, permitting, and operating a food truck. This creative learning emphasizes teamwork, social skills and financial literacy. Students do not receive instruction from teachers but are supervised by coaching “guides” in a self-directed process.
Some of the software Alpha uses has been widely adopted in public and private educational settings for years to create personalized learning pathways, says Chris Agnew, director of Stanford University’s Generative AI for Education Hub. This includes programs from IXL and Math Academy, Khan Academy and Duolingo.
Alpha says it is developing and deploying new software through the network’s affiliated brand, 2 Hour Learning. More than half of students’ app-based learning is done via proprietary software that tracks all student learning and delivers students lessons at the right pace and correct grade levels, the school says. Lessons are customized to individual needs — correcting learning gaps, going slower on some materials and faster on others or tailoring the learning materials towards children’s interests.
Alpha School’s AI application is not a completely novel approach, experts say. Take the number of hours devoted to traditional schoolwork. Between working on group projects, socializing, and taking breaks, students at traditional schools spend on average the same amount of time devoted to traditional schoolwork, explains Ying Xu, assistant professor of education at Harvard University.
Also, self-directed learning models that are adaptive, customizable and independence-fostering have been used for years. “A lot of schools have been using this kind of strategy,” Xu says.
AI is primarily used to help Alpha’s coaching guides understand how – and how quickly – students are learning, so the material they are given is at the appropriate level. “AI is brought in as a layer that helps understand the students’ pacing and then make suggestions on what might be best next,” Agnew explains. “Most of the learning AI is not student-facing.”
“It’s not exactly a non-stop conversation with a personalized ChatGPT bot,” says Victor Lee, associate professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education. Alpha confirmed that chatbots play no role in their method and practice of teaching.
Alpha’s use of technology is mirrored in many elementary schools. Screens are used, but not constantly; apps are assigned, but not without supervision. A qualified adult is present in every classroom, providing a level of interpersonal learning. Agnew says a human presence is essential to the school experience. Here’s the difference: teachers have historically been considered subject-matter experts who lecture; at Alpha, they are coaches in classroom. “There are still adults in the room who know the kids,” says an expert.
Is the AI component of Alpha School is being deliberately played up to attract parents and students who fear missing the AI boat – and to generate profit? “They’re leading with AI because they’re riding the wave, and it’s drawing lots of attention,” says Agnew.
The school has the highest tuition of any private school in San Franciso.
Alpha students consistently score in the top 1-2% nationally and 90% of Alpha students love going to school, according to The 2 Hour Learning website. Alpha’s demographics could skewer these numbers. Students come from unusually affluent backgrounds and are likely to have access to other resources that set them up for achievement. And parents paying for Alpha’s high tuition may have a higher level of involvement with their children’s education –another indicator for achievement.
Alpha says its model has the potential to improve academic achievement for all students.
AI is inevitably going to be part of necessary improvements to the current K-12 education ecosystem, says Agnew. The challenge: cut through the hype to ensure AI’s benefits in the classroom outweigh its risks.
“With the barrage of products being sold … it’s really hard to make decisions grounded in what’s right for kids and what’s good for learning,” Agnew says. “But it’s not an option for schools to ignore AI.”
The Guardian
