Facilitating School Community Conversations About AI Accountability

Image

As a new school year begins, educators, students, and families face critical questions about if, when, and how to utilize AI technologies in their school communities. The various predictive, generative, and surveillance tools marketed to schools impact everything from budgets to classroom curriculum and parent communication. On Saturday, August 29, the Pulitzer Center will host a learning symposium for educators to explore the ways AI Accountability journalism can inform their ongoing conversations about the function and impact of AI technologies in education.

The symposium, "Facilitating School Community Conversations About AI Accountability," will consist of an opening keynote from journalist and Pulitzer Center AI Accountability Fellow Sofia Schurig, as well as a series of presentations from the Pulitzer Center’s 2026 AI Teacher Advisory Council. AI Council Members will present about the project-based approaches they took to leading critical conversations about AI Accountability in their school communities this past spring.

The 2026 AI Advisory Teacher Council includes classroom teachers, librarians, and technology directors working in seven different school communities across the Northeast, South, Midwest, and Southwest regions. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the journalism, instructional tools, and other resources Council Members developed to successfully engage their unique communities in important conversations about the responsibility teachers, students, and families share in holding AI accountable.

Learn more about the 2026 AI Teacher Council and the critical questions they explored in their communities here. 

Opening Keynote: Maintaining Student Safety and Privacy

August 29th | 1:00pm-1:30pm EDT

This opening keynote highlights the importance of AI Accountability work through the exploration of an issue relevant to all school communities. AI Accountability Fellow, Sofia Schurig, will discuss her project, AI’s Role in Child Exploitation, which investigated the epidemic of AI-generated child sexual abuse material on the internet. This session will help educators develop an understanding of how image-generating technologies work, the threat they pose to children and other vulnerable populations, and the key takeaways within Sofia’s reporting for school communities dedicated to student safety and privacy.

Speaker:

• Sofia Schurig is a Brazilian investigative reporter and researcher who focuses on the intersection of human rights and technology, particularly in the areas of cybercrimes and online child safety.

Moderator:

• Donnalie Jamnah is a Senior Education Program Manager on the Pulitzer Center United States Engagement and Outreach Team.

Panel 1: Understanding and Defining AI Risks

August 29th | 1:35pm-2:35pm EDT

This panel is a conversation between Council Members who centered student needs and marginalization in their projects. These Council Members asked questions about the risks and impacts of AI technologies used in elementary education, in special education, and within Indigenous communities. They will share models for engaging students, educators, and families in conversations about what would be required for transparent, safe, and equitable AI use that honors their community’s values.

Speaker:

• Andre Pineda is a dedicated STEM educator and special education professional with a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive teaching.
• Ming Jin is an elementary educator and AI Task Force Co-Lead at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, a public IB Primary Years Programme Mandarin immersion charter school in Washington, D.C.
• Rachel Lugo is a middle school educator, researcher, and founder of Futurise-Edu, specializing in concept-based and inquiry-driven learning.

Moderator:

• Donnalie Jamnah is a Senior Education Program Manager on the Pulitzer Center United States Engagement and Outreach Team.

Panel 2: Empowering Students to be Informed Decision Makers

August 29th | 2:55pm-3:55pm EDT

This panel is a conversation between Council Members who centered student questions and concerns about AI in their projects. These Council Members asked questions about tech literacy, school transparency, and student rights. They will share models for empowering students to engage in conversations about AI use and policy through a lens of information and accountability.

Speaker:

• Cecelia Gillam is a high school science teacher and ISTE Certified Educator at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, LA.
• Danielle Jo White‑Yelito is an educator and professional development presenter based in the Greater Boston area, licensed in general science, biology, music, and Sheltered English Immersion.
• Margo Fisher-Bellman is an educator who, fueled by a passion for information literacy, transitioned to the library after 20 years of teaching 7-12th grade English.

Moderator:

• Donnalie Jamnah is a Senior Education Program Manager on the Pulitzer Center United States Engagement and Outreach Team.

Closing Address: Managing AI Literacy and Accountability

August 29th | 4:00pm-4:30pm EDT

This closing addresses the dual responsibility many school community members feel to develop student understanding of emerging technologies and maintain their standards of ethics and safety, minimizing harm to their students and wider community. Technology Directors Lucia Hassell-Lee and Troy Gordon will present on the work they’ve done to increase their school community’s understanding of how AI technologies work and what their larger impacts are “beyond the click.” Attendees will leave with new models for facilitating conversations about how schools can be both knowledgeable about and accountable for AI use and implementation.

Speaker:

• Lucia Hassell-Lee is an educator who champions meaningful technology integration for teaching and learning by providing support to educational professionals and students both inside and outside the classroom.
• Troy Gordon is an educational technologist who draws from over 20 years of local and international teaching experience to reimagine effective technology integration.

Moderator:

• Donnalie Jamnah is a Senior Education Program Manager on the Pulitzer Center United States Engagement and Outreach Team.