The Parent Sized Hole in K-12 AI Literacy
Presentation featuring EdSafe Women in AI 2025 Capstone project research
By Jenna Hasenkampf
Who do you think should be�primarily responsible for�teaching kids about AI?
What This Presentation Covers:
1. The incomplete K-12 AI system we're currently designing for
2. A new framework for how we SHOULD think about K-12 AI literacy
3. What this means for your product roadmap, your implementation strategy, and your family
Hello, I'm Jenna Hasenkampf
AI Product Manager
Background Information
1. Quantitative national survey with 80 parents
2. Eight qualitative interviews
3. Additional research studies from CommonSense Media, Center for Democracy & Technology, and Gallop
This is how we're currently approaching K-12 AI:
EDUCATOR
STUDENT
We're leaving an entire stakeholder group - parents - out of the conversation while expecting them to somehow magically support what's happening in schools at home.
�
(CDT, 2025)
Stakeholder Lens 1:
School/Implementation�Perspective
The Communication Breakdown
In my research:
13%
of parents received�a clear AI policy�from their school
12%
got guidance on�looking out for�negative impacts
23%
of parents know�their kids use AI�for schoolwork
You're implementing in a vacuum.
Consequence 1
Parents Can't Partner
71% of parents say it's important for their kids to learn AI in the next 3 years.�They WANT to be partners. But without communication, they can't.
"Pick a subject. Whether it's math, history, English. Pick an assignment and show how they can use AI both appropriately and where that stops. Like this would be going too far. This is too little. This is the sweet spot. But a hands-on use case, a real life example."
- Male Parent, 4 or more kids under 5- over 18 years old, Rural, Tech worker
This is what parents are asking for - practical guidance to support teaching.�But most aren't getting it.
Consequence 2
Schools Accountable for Non-Academic AI
Consequence 3
More School AI → More Risky Personal Use
Students personally or have a friend who has used AI for:
School uses AI
for many reasons
School uses AI for
few to no reasons
Mental health support
63%
23%
Advice on relationships
61%
25%
Medical/telehealth
61%
19%
Friendship
60%
27%
To escape from real life
59%
25%
(CDT, October 2025)
Students who say they or a friend of theirs interacted with AI in this way in the past school year (2024-2025)
CDT 2025
What the Triangle Enables
Communication:
• Share AI policies in parent-accessible language�• Offer parent info sessions alongside teacher training�• Build critical trust with parents
Shared Responsibility:
• Schools focus on academic AI use and literacy�• Parents take on social-emotional AI guidance at home�• Consistent messaging between both contexts
Triangle helps redistribute:
Schools = academic�Parents = personal��Both = supported and informed
Stakeholder Lens 2:
Product�Perspective
The Opportunity You're Missing
53% of parents say helping their children would motivate them to learn more about AI
The Confidence Gap That Is Your Product Roadmap:
What Parents Need | Consider Important | Feel Confident | Confidence Gap |
Identifying AI-generated content | 57% | 29% | -28 |
Explaining privacy/safety concerns | 68% | 46% | -22 |
Understanding appropriate tools | 49% | 34% | -15 |
Setting rules/boundaries | 63% | 50% | -13 |
Helping use AI effectively | 44% | 37% | -8 |
What aspects of AI learning are most important for your children?�What are you most confident about guiding your children with AI?
Product Design for the Full Learning System
Parallel Training Materials
Educator version + parent version
Conversation Starters
Reinforce classroom learning at home
Clear Guidance
How a tool should be used academically vs. what crosses into concerning use
You become the AI education partner for the whole system, not just the classroom.
Your Turn
If you're building or using AI education products:�what's ONE asset or feature that�could be parent-facing?
Stakeholder Lens 3:
Parent�Perspective
The Perception Gap
Let’s Talk About It
31%
of parents haven't had ANY�conversations about AI with their kids
The communication crisis:
Only 19% feel 'very comfortable' discussing AI with kids
48% don't know if their children are using AI at school
Parents don't just lack knowledge –
they lack confidence to have these conversations.
Professional AI literacy ≠ Parenting AI literacy
55%
of parents are LESS confident in guiding their children's AI use than they are in their own understanding of AI
Real Story: Tech leader mom, uses Copilot daily, writes prompts. Talked to daughter about AI, felt on same page. Later discovered daughter using AI to review boyfriend's messages - AI interpreted gaslighting positively, encouraged relationship.
"It was definitely an 'oh my god, where did we go wrong?' that she doesn't have more awareness, critical thinking around AI. I think it's very similar to being skeptical about things you see on Instagram and other social media, but she actually kind of is on those, it didn't translate to AI products.”
Parent: Female, 1 kid 13-15 years old, Urban/City, Tech worker
Why This Is Hard
Kids Know More Than Parents
Fear
Adding to a Full Plate
Uncomfortable Dynamics
"We are probably the worst teachers to introduce them to AI and other tools like that because we're so scared of it."
Male Parent, 3 kids 5-12 years old, urban/city, Works in “other” field
"A lot of people just have no idea how to talk to their kids about anything, but especially technology because every generation is better at the technology than the one before."
Female Parent, 2 Kids 13-15 years old, Rural, Work in “other” field
"AI for me is like an emerging concern. How do I rank it? Right now my son's friends are all older friends, they're driving. So number one: car I have the immediate what I've experienced as a kid, people having car accidents, they're so young and they're impulsive.”
Parent: Female, 1 Kid 13-15 years old, Rural, Works in “other” field
“I saw a video the other day and my husband was like, ‘Is this real?’ And I was like, ‘I don't know if it's real, but it looks it looks like it, right?’ So, we showed it to my son and he's like, ‘That says Sora on the corner. It's AI.’"
Female Parent, 1 kid 13-15 years old, Urban/City, Tech worker
What Parents Need
Parents aren't asking to become AI experts or for AI-101.
They're asking for:
✓
Clear information about what kids are learning and using in school
✓
Practical guidance on age-appropriate conversations
✓
Tools to recognize risks and talk about them
✓
Partnership with schools
They want to be part of the triangle. We just need to include them.
What This Means for Your Work
Think about one barrier in your role:
Building Products
What's one barrier to including parents?
Implementing in Schools
What's one barrier to parent partnership?
You're a Parent
What's one barrier to supporting kids' AI use?
If you're in EdTech Product Development:
✅ Audit your current AI materials: Is there a parent version? Can parents find it?��✅ Interview parents in your user research (not just teachers/students - remember MANY educators are also parents)��✅ Create at least ONE AI parent-facing resource for your flagship product, and not a generalized one-sheeter summary, make it actionable
If you're in Education:
✅ Review your last AI rollout: Did parents know it was happening?��✅ Create a parent FAQ for your current AI tools - plain language��✅ Schedule a parent info session in the next 60 days��✅ Include a parent overview for any classroom AI use so it can be reinforced at home
If you're a Parent:
✅ Ask your school: 'What AI tools are my kids using and how should I support that at home?'��✅ Start one conversation with your kid about their AI use - be curious, not judgmental��✅ Connect with other parents - you're not alone in figuring this out
Q&A
Let's discuss
The Parent Reality
"This wasn't even on my radar a year ago and it feels so, everything in life feels so overwhelming that this feels like it's something on top of."
Male Parent: 3 kids 5-12 years old, Suburban, Tech worker
30-Day Challenge
One feature.�One communication.�One conversation.
In the next 30 days, do ONE thing to bring parents�into the AI literacy loop.
Let's Collaborate
If you want to go deeper:
• Build parent AI literacy resources together�• Pilot the triangle model in your district�• Bring this research to your org
I want to hear from you.
📧 Jennacp@gmail.com��💼 linkedin.com/in/jhasenkampf/��👥 Substack: https://notanotherai.substack.com/
References