How to Discuss Your School’s Approach to AI with Current and Future Families
The power and reach of AI are undeniable.
It’s opened up an exciting new world of possibilities for school marketers, administrators, educators, students and their families. But with that excitement and opportunity comes plenty of uncertainty.
The result is that parents are asking more questions than ever about how a school integrates AI into their programming and experiences.
This isn’t a conversation private school marketing teams should shy away from. In fact, with 69% of parents saying they’re optimistic that AI has the potential to significantly advance education and learning, this conversation is not just welcome but important. Think of it as your chance to instill confidence that your school is conscientious, responsible, forward-thinking and working in the best interests of students and families.
In this article, we examine how and why you should develop a comprehensive policy that addresses AI’s role in your school, and how to present and discuss that policy with parents.
Because how you use and talk about this emerging technology can have an impact on whether or not families choose to attend or remain at your school.
POLICY FIRST: GET SPECIFIC
Probably the first question parents need answered is how your school is using — and governing the use of — AI.
Being as specific as possible will show them that you are detail-oriented, cautious and diligent. It also gives you a chance to highlight how the way you’re using AI can benefit them and their children.
A few common examples you might want to build policies around include:
- Lesson personalization: AI can help educators tailor lessons or content to individual student needs and learning styles. Emphasizing this can give parents confidence that their child is seen and supported.
- Research and collaboration: AI’s ability to generate quick answers, summarize and brainstorm can make it a powerful partner for teachers who are interested in innovating new ways to engage today’s students.
- Administrative work: Showing parents how you leverage AI for basic tasks — like identifying seasonal attendance trends or creating streamlined, personalized schedules — can lead to conversations about how it frees up teachers’ time to connect more meaningfully with students while maintaining strong principles of privacy and identity protection.
- Professional development: Show that your teachers are lifelong students, too! Demonstrate your commitment to today’s best practices and the valuable role AI can play in providing personalized opportunities for educators’ growth.
- Virtual assistants: Quick, prompt service matters to everyone — especially busy parents. Let them know if you use an AI chatbot to answer simple questions outside of office hours.
Remember, 88% of families believe that knowledge of AI will be crucial in their child’s future education and career, so seeing the multiple ways you’ve harnessed this technology — and the guardrails you’ve put in place to protect students, faculty and their data — will give them confidence in your transparency and ability to prepare their child for real-world success.
MEET THE CHALLENGES HEAD ON
70% of parents believe it’s essential to have guidelines for AI education. Addressing the more unpredictable and contentious elements of AI intentionally and responsibly will show parents that you’re putting their family’s safety, development and ethical growth at the forefront.
Some top concerns include:
- Risk of misinformation: Be sure to reinforce your school’s commitment to fact checking and vetting.
- Bias in learning materials: Some AI algorithms have been known to play into stereotypes and assumptions or struggle to identify with underrepresented communities. Assure parents this is something your staff are trained to identify and weed out.
- Over-reliance on technology: Make sure your families know that critical thinking and healthy skepticism aren’t going anywhere. Focus on how your approach uses AI to boost your team’s research abilities, creativity, efficiency and openness — rather than to wholly take over in these tasks.
- Loss of personal touch in learning: Social-emotional learning is highly valued by many parents. Communicate how AI frees up time to allow for more meaningful interpersonal conversations and connections.
- Data and privacy sharing or leaks: You can’t talk too much about the safeguards and protective framework of your AI policy. Focus on them, elaborate on them, and show parents exactly how you’re protecting their children’s identities, personal information and intellectual property.
- Academic misconduct: Having guidelines in place to check for and address any rule violations will show parents you take integrity seriously.
All families want to feel good about the way their children are exposed to AI-generated knowledge, and the best way to present them with that information and offer comfort is to address them directly and openly.
SHARING IS CARING
91% of parents feel they should be fully informed about the use of AI in their child’s school. However, 81% are unsure if AI is even part of their children’s curriculum.
This means it’s absolutely essential to communicate your school’s approach to AI — as well as the benefits experienced by faculty, staff and students — proactively, personally and accessibly.
There are a number of ways this can be accomplished:
- Meetings: Include AI as a topic during regularly scheduled events — parent-teacher meetings, tours, open houses — or schedule a dedicated time slot to introduce and discuss your policy.
- Email: Distribute your policy to your mailing list of enrolled families and include a regular feature for AI updates, statistics, or information in your scheduled newsletters.
- Handouts: Make sure every family has access to a take-home, personal copy of the policy, whether that’s a digital download or a physical printout.
- Web: Place your AI policy in a prominent (or, at least, readily accessible) position on your website or landing pages.
In addition to the nuts and bolts of your AI policy, it can be beneficial to touch on the following key points:
- You’re making it a point to stay up to date on advancements.
- You’re engaging industry experts for insight and guidance.
- You’re having regular meetings to audit practices and review your policy.
- You’re taking a completely human-first approach.
And remember, it’s not just what you say — it’s how you say it. The following communication tips are important to keep in mind, regardless of whether you’re drafting an email or preparing for a one-on-one meeting:
- Be proactive: Initiating the conversation shows you have nothing to hide and that you’re making it a priority to address complex issues.
- Listen : Parents may rely on your expertise, but they are in charge of their child’s growth, so let them voice concerns, ask questions or offer input.
- Be transparent: If there have been issues, talk about them. If you aren’t sure of how to answer a question, say so and make a plan to address. This builds trust.
- Solicit feedback: In addition to listening, offering to work with families on specific policy issues can keep AI discussion collaborative and productive.
- Combine humanity and data: Emotion and science both have a place in AI discussions — show parents any research or numbers you have and talk about them candidly.
Communication really essential to any strong, lasting relationship. That includes between you and your school’s families.
IT’LL ALL WORK OUT
The right approach to AI really can lead to short- and long-term benefits for your school and the people you serve.
Create a plan, communicate that plan and work with a partner who knows the industry, audiences and market inside and out.
Everyone at Metric is standing by and ready to help you navigate this brave new world.
Let’s talk.
At Metric Marketing, we develop measurable and practical strategies to help private and independent schools like yours to make the most of your marketing efforts. We’d love to discuss your private school’s marketing requirements with you. Contact us today to speak with our marketing professionals or use the form below to sign up and receive more marketing tips in your inbox.
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