Six Weeks a Year: How AI Gives Teachers Time Back

AI is helping teachers save time and be more adaptable, but untapped use remains.

A new survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation looks at how teachers bring AI into their classrooms and daily routines. It reveals how educators navigate this rapidly evolving technology — and what they see as its biggest benefits and challenges.

THE BIG PICTURE: As educators navigate an evolving world, many discover that AI tools can help them work more efficiently, adapt to student needs, and focus on what matters most in teaching. While questions about AI’s role in schools remain, its benefits for teachers show that, with healthy caution and clear guardrails, AI can boost efficiency and improve student outcomes.

Using AI empowers teachers to be more adaptable, save time, and instruct more creatively and effectively.

Teachers are more likely to teach themselves how to use AI than to receive training from their school or district (52% vs. 31%). 

• In the 2024-25 school year, most teachers (68%) did not receive training provided by their school or district on how to use AI or AI tools.
• Secondary, suburban, and higher-income school teachers are more likely to have access to formal AI training from their school or district. 
• In schools with AI policies, teachers save 26% more time per week. This suggests that structured support boosts both equity and efficiency. Yet, only about one in five teachers (19%) are employed at schools with an AI policy.

Teachers see the most potential in using AI to meet diverse learning needs and enable student success.

Teachers who use AI are more likely to recognize its value for supporting their work tasks and improving student outcomes. Among teachers who used AI tools during the 2024–25 school year: