Vol 34 - It's Really About a Mindset - AI and Education

AI in education — what's working, what's risky, and what charter schools should do next. Jed Wallace and Andy Rotherham are joined by Bellwether's Mary Wells and Marisa Mission for a wide-ranging conversation.They dig into how AI tools are actually being used day to day, why "human in the loop" means more than just a review step, and what cognitive science tells us about the real danger of students offloading hard thinking to technology. The conversation also covers the evolving role of teachers, the economic ripple effects of AI, and why the charter school mindset of curiosity and rigor matters more than ever.In this episode:How Bellwether's team is personally using AI tools like Claude Skills and Gemini CanvasWhat cognitive offloading means and why it threatens real learningThe "ambidextrous adoption" approach to AI in schoolsWhere pockets of innovation are emerging — and the equity concerns that come with themDream Charter School's AI readiness curriculumThe bimodal classroom: AI-encouraged assignments alongside blue books and pen-and-paperWhy teacher support and family engagement are critical gaps right nowThe White House AI Policy Framework and state-level responsesWill AI cause a white-collar job apocalypse — or fuel entrepreneurship?What charter schools should be doing right nowShow Notes & Resources:Bellwether AI workThe Leading Indicator: AI in Education newsletter (Marisa Mission & Alex Spurrier)Productive Struggle (Bellwether)Built for Learning case studies (Bellwether)Robin Lake / CRPE on AI in EducationDan Meyer on AI and mathAFT & Moms for Liberty on screensBlue Rose Research – AI public opinionWhite House AI Policy FrameworkDOL AI Literacy FrameworkJulia Freeland FisherChad AldermanMarguerite Roza / Edunomics LabGuests: Mary Wells (Co-Founder, Bellwether) and Marisa Mission (Bellwether)Hosts: Jed Wallace (CharterFolk) and Andy Rotherham (Co-Founder & Senior Partner, Bellwether)Watch the full video on YouTube.WonkyFolk is produced by CharterFolk.