AI Technologies and Political Literacy in K–12 Democratic Schooling

• In Event: Constructing New Visions of Educational Leadership through Political Literacy

Abstract

This paper investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be thoughtfully integrated into K–12 schooling to advance democratic participation and political literacy. It critically examines the role of school leaders—especially principals—in leveraging AI to facilitate student voice, shared governance, and justice-oriented decision-making. The paper is informed by three intersecting theoretical frameworks: democratic education (Fielding, 2021; Cook-Sather, 2020), critical educational technology studies (Selwyn, 2021; Williamson & Eynon, 2020), and political literacy in educational leadership (Winton & Tuters, 2021). It draws from these literatures to argue that equity-oriented schooling requires participatory governance, and that AI tools, when ethically designed and democratically deployed, can enable new forms of civic agency, both for students and school leaders. As a theoretical and design-based conceptual paper, the researcher uses critical inquiry and scenario analysis. It synthesizes research and practice-based illustrations to examine the promise and peril of AI in educational contexts, focusing on its use for leadership development, student civic engagement, and collaborative school governance. The analysis concludes that when AI technologies are implemented with attention to autonomy, transparency, and democratic process, they can help transform hierarchical leadership structures and elevate student agency. For example, intelligent dashboards and AI-powered policy simulations can support principals in inclusive decision-making while modeling democratic leadership for students. However, if applied without ethical and political awareness, these tools risk deepening exclusion and technocratic control. Thus, political literacy and AI literacy are essential competencies for future-ready educational leaders. By repositioning AI as a tool for democratic learning rather than institutional control, the paper proposes a future in which school communities are co-creators of inclusive, participatory, and just educational environments.

Author

• Koksal Banoglu, The Education University of Hong Kong