A private school in Palo Alto uses AI to help students while also making sure to take the technology away.
Alpha School is located right in the heart of Palo Alto and is one of the 40 Alpha Schools throughout the country. For this school, AI is on the agenda every morning, even for young kids.
The school uses AI to guide students in the right direction. Each student’s lesson plan is shaped by AI to be as efficient as possible, the opposite of students packed into a classroom with one teacher.
Kids study math and science for two hours a day before moving on to other social skills.
“Our kids being able to get all of their academics done in the morning enables them to spend the rest of the school day building on the skills that allow for, what I would consider, true human flourishing,” Alpha School co-founder Mackenzie Price said.
There’re not chatbots, just enough AI in the background to help each student on their individual learning path.
“AI is there, we’re using it as a tool to optimize learning, to support and enhance and individuate learning, to serve the child, to serve the student,” dean of parents Emma Ludwick said.
Even if, at a cost of $75,000 a year in tuition, that path might not lead them to a tech company.
Alpha admits it’s really expensive to attend and that its idea of using ai and dividing up the day’s learning is not for everyone, but those who run the schools said they do give out financial aid and are working with public schools to share ideas.
