SPARK: Building Statewide Coherence for Responsible AI in K–12 Districts

How can a state help districts move from isolated AI pilots to coherent, ethical and practical AI implementation? SPARK, Supporting Practical AI for Real K-12 Classrooms, is an 18-month statewide initiative led by Impact Florida in partnership with the University of Florida's CS for Everyone Center and in collaboration with Microsoft and Google. It brings together state, district, instructional and IT leaders, policy experts and industry partners to build shared language, readiness and responsible systems for AI use. This session shares how a district cadre model supports six participating districts, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace districts, as they assess readiness, identify local needs, strengthen policy and design instructional pilots. Explore how readiness assessment data, monthly coaching, convenings and professional learning communities create coherence while allowing flexibility for local context. Leave with a practical model for building cross-functional AI teams, identifying priority policy and pilot areas, establishing a coaching cadence and creating structured opportunities for districts to learn from one another.