Los Angeles Unified School District launches 'Ed' an AI-driven learning platform
The Los Angeles Unified School District, in collaboration with AllHere, has launched Ed, a learning acceleration platform to support student learning outside of classroom hours. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ed provides tailored action plans for each student, drawing from various educational resources.
Ed is being introduced to select schools within the District initially, with plans for a district-wide rollout.
Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho explained the initiative's goals: “This resource is a game changer. By leveraging the power of AI, we are creating a tool for all students that maximizes resources beyond the school day by individualizing their education and integrating information for accelerating learning at a level never before seen.
“Ed is accessible to students and families in multiple languages, shares information to support learning needs and helps students improve skills and pursue interests.”
"No matter your opinion about Artificial Intelligence, it's here to stay and will be an important part of our future," Board President Jackie Goldberg said. "So let's harness its power to help our students plot their own course of action toward meeting their education and life goals."
"While there is no substitute for the human connection – particularly the personal guidance of our teachers – our students deserve 21st century tools that prepare them for future life endeavors by balancing the responsible use of technology with the joy of learning in many different ways," Board Member Dr. Rocio Rivas said.
Ed is an educational adjunct that analyses district data to recommend tailored resources and programmes. Based on feedback from pilot testing within the district, it engages students and families with prompts aimed at supporting academic and social-emotional well-being.
Ed's platform offers several functionalities aimed at enhancing the educational experience:
Interoperability: Provides unified access to educational resources and communication tools within a single platform to facilitate learning acceleration.
Customised Learning Activities: Offers learning paths tailored to individual student profiles, including exercises in key academic areas such as reading, mathematics, and computer science, to address specific learning needs and interests.
Guidance Alerts: Delivers targeted alerts offering explicit instructions for students and families on actions to enhance learning outcomes, aiming to streamline the educational process.
Monitoring Academic Progress: Features updates on academic metrics such as grades, attendance, and readiness for graduation, offering insights into student performance.
Support Notifications: Sends timely information on available educational resources and support services to aid student development.
Language Support: Includes features for communication in multiple languages, making the platform accessible to families in their preferred language.
Learning Adaptation: Utilises adaptive AI technology to refine and personalise the learning experience over time based on user interaction.
Content Quality Assurance: Integrates content that has been vetted and approved by leading curriculum providers to ensure the quality of educational materials.
The development of Ed was a collaborative effort with AllHere, a company associated with Harvard Innovation Labs that specialises in AI-powered educational applications.
Joanna Smith-Griffin, Founder and CEO of AllHere, shared her perspective on the partnership's significance: “Looking at 2024 and beyond, we see a trajectory of growth for Ed that allows us to share our effective AI on an unprecedented scale and in unprecedented settings."
