New research analyzing teacher-designed SchoolAI ‘Spaces’ shows AI is most often used to promote reasoning, analysis, and evaluation rather than answer-getting
New research published by SchoolAI, a comprehensive classroom AI platform, provides educators, school leaders, and policymakers with rare, large-scale evidence of how AI is actually being used in classrooms. Rather than replacing student thinking, the study finds that when teachers design and guide AI experiences, the technology is most often used to deepen critical thinking and strengthen instruction.
The research, titled AI isn’t replacing thinking, Teachers are using SchoolAI to deepen it and boost engagement, analyzed more than 23,000 teacher-created SchoolAI ‘Spaces’ used during the 2024–25 school year. These Spaces span English language arts, math, science, and social studies across elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. To answer the question of AI’s impact on student learning, we must first understand how it’s being used in the classroom. This study examined what teachers built and how students were asked to think when AI was involved.
Across subjects and grade levels, the data shows that higher-order thinking appears far more often than simple recall. Seventy-three percent of lessons require conceptual understanding, while 59% ask students to analyze information, and 58% ask them to evaluate ideas or make judgments. More than 75% of AI-supported lessons remain grounded in core academic curriculum, showing that teachers are extending familiar instruction rather than replacing it.
“There has been a lot of speculation about what AI might do to learning,” said Caleb Hicks, founder and CEO of SchoolAI. “This research gives educators, leaders, and policymakers something far more useful: evidence of what teachers are actually doing. When teachers design the experience and set clear expectations, AI becomes a way to push students toward deeper reasoning, analysis, and judgment. It supports rigorous thinking rather than replacing it, which is why AI can be a valuable tool for classroom learning.”
The study also highlights how teachers are using AI to create interactive, engaging learning experiences at scale while maintaining academic rigor. In science classrooms, roughly 25% of Spaces encourage open-ended investigation, while role-play and simulation appear in 18-20% of reading and social studies lessons. At the same time, teachers recognize the importance of boundaries in responsible AI use. SchoolAI continues to keep teachers in the driver’s seat. Unlike general purpose LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini, SchoolAI is built to never give away answers, and teachers reinforce this by designing experiences that push students toward deeper reasoning, not shortcuts.
“This study was designed to look at practice, not predictions,” said Cynthia Chiong, principal research scientist at SchoolAI. “We wanted to understand the kinds of thinking teachers are intentionally asking for when AI is involved. The findings offer concrete evidence of how teacher-led design shapes meaningful and responsible use of AI in real classrooms.”
Together, the findings challenge common fears about AI undermining learning. The research shows that when teachers lead the design, AI can strengthen critical thinking, increase engagement, and support responsible instruction across classrooms.
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