NPS Selected for National EDSAFE AI Spark Fund Grant

Norwalk Public Schools is proud to announce the district was selected as one of only ten education systems nationwide to receive a national EDSAFE AI Spark Fund grant.

The $23,000 grant pairs Norwalk Public Schools with national technical assistance experts to solve real-world challenges around artificial intelligence, focusing on student data privacy, AI literacy, and keeping human judgment at the center of classroom technology.

Out of a competitive national pool of applicants, Norwalk was chosen as a model for how school systems across the country should manage emerging technology.

NPS applied for the grant to modernize EdTech procurement and data privacy with active compliance tracking and parent transparency portals to keep families informed and student data secure. The district seeks to move away from buying software just for the sake of having technology and instead making sure every purchase has a clear intentional learning purpose.

“Norwalk Public Schools pursued this grant as part of our ongoing focus on developing a comprehensive EdTech and AI governance structure. This ensures that we lead our digital learning and operational work with purpose, driving the use of these tools while keeping our students and staff in a safe digital environment,” said Ralph Valenzisi, Assistant Superintendent of Digital Learning and Innovation.

Through outcomes-based contracting, NPS will get closer to assuring digital tools are held accountable to strict privacy standards and measurable student success before and after it enters the classroom. Training will help staff understand how to best use these tools for instruction and help students understand how to augment their learning.

“Furthermore, it helps our parents, administration and board understand that we strategically lead with purposeful technology choices,” Valenzisi said.

Norwalk Public Schools is committed to working with parents to support a safe and productive learning environment that uses technology to augment learning without replacing teachers in any way. In particular to AI, the district is moving from keeping a “human in the loop” to putting an “educator in the lead.” 

Click here for the full press release from the EDSAFE AI Alliance.