Collaborative research: eager: districts helping districts: expanding & amplifying network support for k-12 AI integration

The National Science Foundation Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded Digital Promise Global $174,636 on June 1, 2026, under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070) to develop and test a district-wide model for integrating generative artificial intelligence into K-12 instruction.

The 16-month project, completing September 30, 2027, extends Broward County Public Schools' existing K-12 computational thinking pathway to ground AI adoption in established competencies: pattern recognition, computational modeling, algorithmic thinking, and data practices. Digital Promise will develop and pilot grade-banded, AI-enhanced lessons; revise the district's curriculum maps to reflect cumulative learning across grade levels; and prepare teachers to help students understand how AI tools function, not merely how to use them. The work is performed in Washington, DC and aligns with NSF's goals stated in Dear Colleague Letter NSF 25-035 regarding advancing AI education for American youth. The project builds on an ongoing collaboration between Digital Promise and Broward County Public Schools, aiming to support more coherent and sustainable approaches to district-wide AI literacy that can be integrated systematically across subject areas.

Abstract

Districts helping districts: expanding and amplifying network support for k-12 AI integration is a 16-month project that extends broward county public schools? Existing k-12 computational thinking pathway to support the coherent use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. As AI systems are rapidly introduced into classrooms, districts face the challenge of moving beyond basic tool use to ensure that students understand the computational ideas that underpin these technologies. This project builds on an ongoing collaboration between digital promise and broward county public schools to align AI integration to four core computational competencies already embedded across grades k-12. The project will develop and test AI-enhanced lessons, revise district curriculum maps, and prepare teachers to help students understand not only how to use AI tools, but how those tools function. By grounding AI adoption in an established computational thinking pathway, the project aims to support more coherent and sustainable approaches to district-wide AI literacy that can be integrated systematically across grade levels and subject areas. Accordingly, this project contributes to the goals stated in the dear colleague letter NSF 25-035 regarding advancing AI education for the american youth. This project will extend broward county public schools? Existing k-12 computational thinking pathway to design and study a district-wide model for integrating generative AI in conceptually grounded ways. Guided by three research questions, the project will align AI integration to four core computational competencies (pattern recognition, computational modeling, algorithmic thinking, data practices) while developing and piloting grade-banded, AI-enhanced lessons and revising the district?s curriculum maps to reflect cumulative learning across grade levels. The work will unfold over three stages: 1) collaborative curriculum design and pathway annotation, 2) classroom piloting with a cohort of teachers, and 3) iterative refinement leading to a revised k-12 integrated computational thinking + AI pathway. Using design-based implementation research, the project will collect and analyze survey, interview, observation, and student artifact data to examine teacher learning, developmental progression, and consistency of implementation. The project will contribute a scalable model for aligning AI literacy with established computational thinking pathways at the district level. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.