The Numbers Don't Lie

Nearly 74% of K-12 teachers — almost 3-in-4 — believe artificial intelligence will have a bigger impact on education than the internet or personal computers, according to an NPR/Ipsos poll published June 5, 2026.

The survey was nationally representative, polling 545 K-12 teachers. It paints a complicated picture — one that most coverage has overlooked.

Teachers Are Already Using It

6-in-10 teachers say they've used AI themselves to help with work tasks. Lesson planning, generating materials, cutting administrative time.

These are professionals who see the tool's value and its risks simultaneously.

The Critical Thinking Problem Is Real

A majority of teachers told NPR/Ipsos they believe AI is making it harder for students to learn to think for themselves.

If a student can prompt ChatGPT to write an essay, solve a math problem, or summarize a book — and they do, consistently, without engaging their own brain — they aren't learning. They're outsourcing cognition to a machine.

Mallory Newall, Senior Vice President at Ipsos, told NPR: "They have serious concerns about AI's impact on how they relate to their students and how students relate to each other."

It's a social problem, not just an academic one.

What's Actually Happening in Classrooms

More than half of teachers say students are NOT using AI in class at all. About 2-in-5 say students use it in class at least once a week.

Michele Naber, a veteran biology teacher at El Toro High School in Orange County, California, has students ask ChatGPT to describe an animal's physical characteristics and habitat — then verify the output against reliable sources. The lesson: AI gets things wrong. Students need to know that.

The 80% Consensus Nobody's Acting On

Nearly 8-in-10 teachers say schools should be teaching responsible AI use.

Yet there is NO federal curriculum standard for AI literacy. No consistent state-level framework. No national guidance from the Department of Education.

Congress holds hearings about TikTok. Legislative fights erupt over social media. A technology that teachers say will eclipse the internet in educational impact? Nothing from Washington.

What the Coverage Is Getting Wrong

Most mainstream coverage of this poll leads with teacher anxiety. "Teachers worried." "Concerns about critical thinking."

What's being minimized: teachers aren't asking for a ban. They're asking for a plan. 8-in-10 want schools to teach responsible use. That's not a call to lock AI out of classrooms. That's a call for curriculum, guidance, and adult supervision.

The Real Stakes for Parents

If your child's school has NO AI policy — no guidance, no curriculum, no plan — your child is either using these tools unsupervised or being kept in the dark about technology that will define their professional life.

Parents have every right to ask their school board one question: What is your AI policy? If the answer is a blank stare, that needs fixing before September, not five years from now.

The teachers already know what's coming. The question is whether anyone in charge is listening.

Bottom Line

74% of teachers say this is bigger than the internet. 80% say schools need to teach responsible use. Right now, most schools have zero coherent plan to do either.