The 250th anniversary of the United States is prompting a national reflection on educational history, particularly regarding the long-standing struggle against segregation and substandard structures in schools for Black students. The author, a member of the first free-born generation of Black people, notes that the nation has never been fully great for all, but has been on a steady march toward a more perfect union.
Historical context includes nineteenth-century anti-literacy laws that made it illegal for Black people to learn to read and write, a legacy that continues to influence contemporary education in cities like Atlanta and Brooklyn. Today, American public education comprises nearly fifty-five million students, teachers, staff, and district leaders, yet less than 40 percent of twelfth graders are proficient in basic literacy, with chronic racial disparities persisting.
While previous technologies like calculators, tablets, and laptops were touted as catalytic for learning, they have not materially changed educational outcomes. Now, AI-enabled tools are transforming what is taught and how, with whole schools emerging that are AI-based and virtual tutors allegedly personalizing instruction. Students are using these tools to complete tasks with mere prompts and less direct instruction.
However, the application of AI in profoundly segregated schools raises critical questions about its impact on the correlation between race and academic achievement. For instance, the efficiency of an AI-enabled school in a state that has banned Advanced Placement African American Studies is called into question. The author argues that the enthusiasm for AI may serve as a veil for the neglect of core justice issues in education.
The rise of Big Tech and companies like Nvidia has made computer science and computing education among the most popular subjects in American higher education. This shift has reconfigured the imagination of young people, but the collision of AI adoption with regressive racial animus makes for a precarious time in STEM education.