Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Teachers’ Union and Tech Giants Launch $23 Million AI Academy for K-12 Educators

Industry-backed workshops, online courses, hands-on training launch this fall from a Manhattan hub to equip teachers with practical, ethical AI skills.

Image
As schools and teachers scramble to figure out whether and how to implement AI in the classroom, three leading tech companies are investing in a new training program for educators.
AI leaders funnel $23 million into new labor-backed training program for teachers.
Image

Overview

  • The American Federation of Teachers has secured $23 million in funding—$12.5 million from Microsoft, $10 million from OpenAI (including $2 million in technical resources) and $500,000 from Anthropic—to back the National Academy for AI Instruction.
  • Hands-on workshops begin this fall at the United Federation of TeachersManhattan headquarters alongside an online curriculum designed to train over 400,000 K-12 educators across five years.
  • Training content emphasizes responsible integration of AI by teaching ethical use, student data privacy protections and bias mitigation strategies.
  • The academy responds to recent White House calls and UNESCO guidance by targeting disparities in AI training access, especially in high-poverty school districts.
  • Union leaders view the program as a model for public-private collaboration that puts teachers at the center of AI adoption through ongoing dialogue with technology developers.