This initiative continues Google’s long-standing effort to empower U.S. educators with essential AI skills to improve instruction and reduce routine content-creation workload.

Google announces a three-year partnership with ISTE+ASCD to provide AI training to all six million K-12 teachers and higher education faculty in the United States, marking a major investment in AI education.

In collaboration with ISTE+ASCD, Google for Education will offer free, comprehensive Gemini AI training to every K-12 teacher and higher education faculty member in the country.

Participants will gain exposure to Google’s tools, while proponents advocate for a balanced approach that includes research components to assess learning outcomes and best practices for AI-enabled learning.

Industry context notes mixed federal leadership in AI education, with debates over the role of private tech companies versus public policy in guiding AI readiness in schools.

Google previously committed $25 million in 2024 through its philanthropic arm to fund ISTE+ASCD and other groups focused on enduring AI skills for underserved students and educators.

Rollout is imminent, with opportunities to express interest via a Google form in the coming months.

Observers welcome the ambition but warn that evidence for effective AI PD is limited and express concerns about private companies leading teacher training.

The broader debate includes national leadership gaps in AI education and comparisons to similar efforts from Microsoft and OpenAI in educator training.

The training program uses concise, bite-sized modules designed by educators, focusing on real-world classroom applications, with micro-credentials awarded upon completion.

Materials align with ISTE+ASCD’s AI Ready Graduate framework and faculty standards, covering personalized lessons from on-the-spot assessments, scalable study coaching, adapting materials for diverse learners, and using NotebookLM to create customized study aids.

The program emphasizes hands-on training with Gemini and NotebookLM, offers certificates and digital badges, and aims to build enduring AI skills beyond any single tool.