(NewsNation) — One Texas private school is using software powered by artificial intelligence to teach students core subjects in as little as two hours a day.
Alpha School’s Brownsville campus, which serves students from Pre-K through 8th grade, has adopted an AI-driven learning model aimed at accelerating academic progress while allowing more freedom to learn life skills such as public speaking, leadership and financial literacy
Students learn the core curriculum through an AI-assisted learning platform, while teachers focus on mentoring, emotional support and teaching practical life skills. In addition to the “three R’s”: Reading, writing and arithmetic, leaders emphasize what they call the “four C’s:” Creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.
On “Morning in America,” Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price explained, “We’re using artificial intelligence to raise human intelligence. Our students receive highly personalized learning, and they’re able to complete their core curriculum in just two hours.”
With core academics finished by lunchtime, the rest of the school day is dedicated to real-world learning. This includes activities like storytelling, teamwork, and exploring technology tools like AI. For example, kindergartners use an AI program called ChatABC! to learn.
“They’re getting to learn how to use AI tools to do things like research animals, and then they build dioramas, and they’re learning how to do prompt exercises for AI by writing instructions for their guide or their teacher to be able to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for example,” Price explained.
Addressing concerns from parents who worry their child might fall behind in an AI-based system, Price said that each student effectively has a personal tutor.
“So, that fifth grade student who might come to us maybe missing some gaps from fourth or third grade, we can go and fill those gaps in, and then that fifth grade student who is farther ahead and should be doing sixth or seventh grade work, they can do that,” she explained.