Working together for the future of Boston public schools.
The public-private partnership
A partnership built on strong foundations
Boston Public AI brings together institutions from education, government, technology, and community - each playing a distinct role in service of one shared goal: ensuring every Boston Public Schools student graduates with the AI literacy they need to thrive in the world ahead.
Boston Public Schools sets the educational vision and leads implementation from inside the classroom. The City of Boston convenes the partnership and ensures it is anchored in equity and opportunity for all students. UMass Boston provides the academic infrastructure - co-developing curriculum, training teachers, and creating pathways from BPS high schools into university-level AI programs. Boston's tech industry, through the Industry Advisory Board, brings real-world perspective to shape what AI literacy actually looks like in practice. And a Community Advisory Board - currently being formed - ensures the voices of families, students, and educators are central to how the initiative grows.
Vision & Approach
A durable, district-wide approach grounded in equity
Boston Public Schools is committed to approaching artificial intelligence with the seriousness and care it deserves. This initiative reflects the district's belief that every student deserves the knowledge and judgment to understand what AI is, recognize its limits and risks, and make informed decisions about when and how to engage with it.
As AI continues to reshape the workforce our students are preparing to enter, that foundation has never been more important. BPS is building a durable, district-wide approach to AI literacy, grounded in equity and shaped in partnership with educators, industry leaders, community organizations, and families.
For Students: AI Literacy
Building the knowledge and judgment to understand what AI is, recognize its limits and risks, and make informed decisions about when and how to use it. Students who are not equipped to navigate AI critically and confidently risk being left behind in a world where these tools are already shaping access to opportunity, information, and economic mobility. When students choose to use AI, it should deepen their learning and strengthen the quality of their work and thinking - not replace it.
For Educators: AI-Enabled Practice
Asking AI Educator Ambassadors to develop and experiment with AI-enabled instructional practices that improve student learning, using AI as a tool to strengthen how they plan, differentiate, and deliver instruction. The animating question is practical: how can AI help us increase student learning and achievement? This initiative treats AI not as a trend to chase, but as a reality teachers and students are already navigating.
Only district-approved AI tools, vetted for privacy, data security, and age-appropriateness, are used with students and staff.
What We're Building Together
Across the partnership, teams are working together on the programs, infrastructure, and experiences that will make AI literacy real for Boston students - starting in 2026 and expanding districtwide from there.
Applied AI Curriculum
Co-developing industry-informed AI curriculum for BPS high schools, grounded in real-world applications and open-sourced for districts nationwide. The curriculum is designed to teach students how to think alongside AI - critically, ethically, and with a clear understanding of both its potential and its risks.
Teacher Training
Launching the inaugural Summer Professional Development Institute for AI Educator Ambassadors in August 2026, giving BPS educators the tools and confidence to bring AI literacy into their classrooms from day one. Teachers who complete the program become the district's AI literacy leads, guiding peers and shaping how AI is taught across their schools.
Student Engagement
Expanding opportunities for BPS students through hackathons, internships, mentorship, and career pathways into Boston's tech ecosystem. These experiences connect classroom learning to real industry work - giving students the confidence and context to pursue AI-enabled careers on their own terms.
The Team
Boston Public Schools
BPS Leadership
Setting the vision for what it means to graduate every BPS student AI-literate, overseeing curriculum adoption, and managing the cross-district partnerships that will make this initiative last.
City of Boston
Mayor's Office & City Leadership
Convening the partnership under Mayor Michelle Wu's commitment to equity and opportunity for every Boston student, and building the institutional infrastructure to move at the pace Boston's students deserve.
Academic Partners
UMass Boston & the Paul English Applied AI Institute
Boston's only public research university, co-developing curriculum with BPS, training teachers through the Summer Professional Development Institute, and creating direct pathways from BPS high schools into university-level AI programs.
Professor Wei Ding
Executive Director
Paul English Applied AI Institute, UMass Boston
Industry
Industry Advisory Board
Boston's technology leaders shape the curriculum and create real career pathways for BPS students - bringing industry perspective on what AI literacy means in practice and opening doors to internships, mentorship, and careers in tech. Nine founding members from AI, robotics, SaaS, and consumer tech, co-chaired by Ellen Rubin and Paul English. Learn more about the Industry Advisory Board →
Community
Community Advisory Board
A Community Advisory Board is being formed to ensure the initiative is shaped by the people it serves most directly. Representatives from families and caregivers, students, school leaders, educators, the Boston Teachers Union, and the Industry Advisory Board will advise on curriculum and career pathways, support the annual Hackathon, and help guide the vision for how the initiative expands across the district.
Competency in applied AI can be a great equalizer and provide real economic opportunity to any student, regardless of background.Chancellor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco - UMass Boston
Learn more and get involved
Interested in supporting AI literacy in Boston's public schools? We'd love to hear from you.
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