Using Surveys to Understand Staff AI Use

Overview

Before creating policies or launching professional development programs around artificial intelligence, it’s critical for school and system leaders to understand how educators are already engaging with these tools. AI adoption is happening in real time across classrooms, schools, and systems and without a clear picture of current use, efforts to support or scale innovation may fall flat.

Using well-designed staff surveys to capture how teachers and instructional staff are already using AI—and what they need next—can provide invaluable insights. These surveys can help surface emerging practices, identify areas of need, and ensure that future supports are grounded in the real instructional work happening. This starts with setting clear goals for the survey, defining how responses will be used, and communicating expectations transparently. Just as important as what’s asked is how it’s asked. Leaders must foster trust by clearly communicating that the goal is learning, not evaluation. Creating space for honest input requires building safety and transparency into the process from the start.

Rather than beginning with assumptions or top-down mandates, schools can start by listening and gathering actionable data that leads to more responsive and relevant AI strategy design.

Example from the School Teams AI Collaborative

At United Charter High School Humanities II, part of the United Charter Schools network in the Bronx in New York City, school leaders began their AI journey by surveying teachers to understand their current engagement with AI tools and their hopes for future instructional use. Before designing the survey, they clearly articulated their goals: to better understand baseline usage, identify needs, and guide professional learning. After returning from the Learning Forward AI conference, they shared a brief, anonymous survey with framing that this would inform a Professional Learning Cycle based upon the data. This helped create a sense of trust and openness among staff. Their implementation followed a clear and intentional sequence, starting with trust-building and needs identification and moving toward system-wide planning and support:

• Identifying the Right Questions: The school designed a survey to capture both current and aspirational AI use. Questions explored how staff was already using AI in planning or instruction, where they saw value, and what barriers they faced. As the initiative scaled, this was replicated across the network of schools.

• Synthesizing and Sharing Findings: After collecting responses, leaders analyzed the data to identify patterns and opportunities. The results were shared back with staff in a visual, accessible report to support transparency, spark conversation, and build buy-in for next steps.

• Using Insights to Inform Strategy: Rather than jumping straight into implementation, the school used the survey findings to shape their broader AI policy and support plans. This included identifying priority areas for professional development and highlighting emerging practices to be elevated across the network.

By treating the survey as a diagnostic tool, not an end in itself, United Charter High School Humanities II was able to build a more grounded, human-centered foundation for its broader AI strategy.

Applying This Strategy in Your Context

Schools and systems can follow a similar approach to better understand current educator engagement with AI and use these insights to design more meaningful support strategies. Consider the following steps:

1. Set Clear Goals and Protocols: Start by clarifying what you hope to learn from the survey. Are you trying to understand current AI use, identify areas for professional learning, or gather input to shape policy? Define how responses will be used, what confidentiality or anonymity protocols will be in place, and how findings will be shared. Establishing these expectations up front fosters trust and ensures the survey yields meaningful insights.

2. Design and Administer a Targeted Survey: Build questions that align to your goals. Ask how teachers are using AI tools (e.g., for planning, feedback, tutoring), what their aspirations are, and where they feel confident or need support. Include questions about perceived risks or benefits, and communicate clearly how the survey will be used to inform next steps. To get started, see TLA’s Research and Measurement and Data Advocacy Guide for example measurement tools and support in building your own. Consider piloting the survey with a small group before scaling across your school or system.

3. Analyze and Share What You Learn: Look for patterns in how AI is being used and where there are gaps or concerns. Where possible, disaggregate data by subgroups (e.g., grade-levels, teachers who serve multilingual learners, or students with learning differences) to uncover potential differences between groups’ experiences. Share high-level findings with staff to promote transparency and signal that feedback is shaping decision-making.

4. Use Findings to Guide Next Steps: Let the data shape your policy, professional learning, or implementation plans. If teachers are already using AI for lesson planning but need help with student use policies, focus there. If usage is low, design awareness and exploration opportunities first. Do not recreate the wheel, there are many great resources related to different aspects of AI integration and use. See TLA’s Starting Smart with AI Guide for Local Education Agency Leaders for suggested next steps based on your needs.

5. Revisit and Resurvey: Treat the survey as part of an ongoing improvement cycle. Re-administer it periodically to track changes in use and needs, and to adjust strategy over time.

By starting with insight, schools can ensure that AI efforts are responsive, grounded, and set up for impact.

This AI-enabled strategy was developed by a member of the School Teams AI Collaborative—a partnership between Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator (TLA). The Collaborative was developed to bring together innovative educators from schools across the country to share ideas and discover effective ways to use AI in the classroom.