“NCTE and our members have been at the forefront of connecting English and technology for decades. We are now at a pivotal moment for English language arts education,” NCTE Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick said. “This is our moment to center teachers in discussions and decisions around where and how AI can be used responsibly, and how best to prepare students to succeed as critical thinkers in today’s world.”

The framework was conceived by three dozen ELA thought leaders spanning classroom teachers, teacher educators, and researchers during a weekend of collaborative inquiry hosted by NCTE in Los Angeles in February 2026.

“NCTE’s leadership in this space is not only timely and necessary, it continues a century-long legacy of advancing literacy education by providing actionable resources for all teachers,” said NCTE President Antero Garcia, who participated in the Los Angeles event and is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. “As just one of millions who have benefited during my career, I feel honored to help guide our field through this new era.”

The working document is now being applied by 12 cohorts comprising 60 classroom teachers who were selected through a competitive application process to create specific, thematic materials and additional frameworks for both pedagogy and teacher leadership.

“AI is no longer a futuristic possibility but a ubiquitous reality; it is not an 'either/or' proposition for our schools or our students, but a permanent shift in how we navigate information and how it will affect instruction,” said Bill Bass, a cohort leader who serves as innovation coordinator in the Parkway School District in St. Louis. “This framework provides much-needed guidance for teachers while prioritizing human voice and intellectual rigor, ensuring that AI serves as a partner in inquiry rather than a substitute for thought.”

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