On May 29, members of the SREB Commission on AI in Education gathered virtually for a productive two-hour session focused on advancing practical tools and recommendations for schools, educators and policymakers.

Representatives from across the South contributed insights on procurement guidance, professional development frameworks and a proposed companion to our K-12 pillars tailored for postsecondary institutions.

Procurement Takes Center Stage

The commission unanimously approved the next policy recommendation, which will cover AI procurement — an urgent and timely topic as schools navigate a crowded marketplace of AI tools.

Developed by the policy subcommittee, the new recommendation outlines how states can support districts and institutions with clearer procurement processes.

Members were asked to review and share feedback by mid-June to help finalize the tool ahead of a full July rollout.

In the meantime, make sure you view the first seven recommendations the policy subcommittee has released.

Spotlighting the New Procurement Checklist

Along with the upcoming policy recommendation on procurement, the commission also reviewed our newly published K-12 Procurement Checklist.

This tool gives schools and districts an actionable way to evaluate AI products before purchasing, including a list of questions to give potential vendors.

This checklist is a companion piece to the K-12 report, “Guidance on the Use of AI in the K-12 Classroom.”

A Roadmap for Teacher PD on AI

The K-12 instruction subcommittee, led by SREB’s Leslie Eaves, Jason Adair and Bob Stokes, walked the group through early drafts of their next big project: a professional development framework that builds teacher capacity for AI use over time.

Members participated in an interactive “sandbox” activity to offer input on:

• A phased approach from awareness to classroom integration
• Best practices in adult learning (ongoing, embedded, job-aligned)
• Supporting ethical and responsible use for both teachers and students

The team will use this feedback to refine this resource, which they will discuss in more depth at the July in-person meeting.

Building Blocks for Higher Ed

In the postsecondary instruction subcommittee presentation, Tiffany Harrison, SREB’s Doctoral Scholarship Program specialist and head of the postsecondary committee, previewed a framework that her subcommittee is beginning to prepare: a guide for postsecondary institutions and faculty that will contain insights into how AI can best be integrated into the postsecondary classroom.

The document is a proposed companion piece to the K-12 pillars report that the commission recently released and will reflect unique challenges and opportunities that colleges and universities face.

The postsecondary subcommittee came to the meeting with a draft of what their  pillars would be, and they gave the full commission time to review them and offer constructive criticism.

The postsecondary team will revise the framework over the next month, aiming to present more of their progress at the July in-person meeting.

AI Skills Framework

The last subcommittee to present was the workforce skills subcommittee, who shared the skills report they revised based on the commission’s feedback in February . We are happy to report that the commission officially voted to approve the skills development report for publication.

This report will be released in the coming weeks as part of our growing library of AI in Education resources.

Final Thoughts

Our May meeting reminded us of the urgency and complexity of AI’s impact on education — and of the value of thoughtful, collaborative policymaking. From procurement to PD to postsecondary planning, SREB is laying the groundwork for schools and states to lead with clarity and confidence.

Keep an eye out for the next set of finalized tools and reports, and as always, we welcome your ongoing feedback as we shape this work together.

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