AI Can Save Teachers Time. But Can It Make Them Feel More Valued?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing education. From lesson planning and differentiated instruction to assessment design and administrative tasks, AI is helping educators work more efficiently. Yet as schools increasingly embrace these technologies, I believe we need to ask a more important question:

Are we using AI simply to make teachers more productive, or are we using it to make teaching more meaningful?

New research suggests this distinction deserves our attention.

What the Latest Research Tells Us

On October 14, 2026, Gallup released new findings from a survey conducted with the Walton Family Foundation and The Mattering Institute. The study included 1,952 U.S. K–12 educators.

The results offer both encouragement and a warning.

According to the research, 59% of educators used AI tools during the 2025–2026 school year. Among those who used AI, 64% reported that these technologies gave them more time for the parts of their work they consider most meaningful.

That is encouraging news. Technology is beginning to deliver on one of its most important promises: reducing routine work so educators can concentrate on teaching.

However, the same research revealed something concerning: only 35% of educators reported feeling that they matter a great deal at their schools.

This does not mean AI is responsible for educators feeling undervalued. Rather, the findings highlight two realities that deserve our attention: technology is creating opportunities for greater efficiency, while many educators still lack a strong sense of being valued within their institutions.

It raises an important leadership question: What good is greater efficiency if the people doing the work do not feel that their contributions matter?

The Human Side of Teaching Cannot Be Automated

Having spent more than two decades in educational administration, I have come to believe that the most meaningful moments in education rarely involve paperwork, reports, or administrative processes.

They happen when a struggling student finally understands a difficult concept. When a teacher recognizes potential that a student has not yet discovered. When an educator helps a young person navigate disappointment, develop confidence, or make a better decision.

Interestingly, the Gallup findings reinforce this perspective.

An overwhelming 85% of educators reported that helping a student through something difficult makes them feel they matter a great deal. Similarly, 74% identified seeing students perform well academically as a powerful source of meaning.

These findings remind us that the heart of education has not changed, even as the tools surrounding it evolve.

Students need more than information. They need relationships, encouragement, guidance, and opportunities to grow.

AI can generate lesson plans, provide feedback, and suggest instructional strategies. But creating a classroom culture built on trust, empathy, curiosity, and belonging remains fundamentally a human responsibility.

The Real Opportunity: Giving Teachers More Time to Teach

A separate 2025 Gallup–Walton Family Foundation study found that teachers who used AI at least weekly reported saving an average of 5.9 hours per week.

Consider what this could mean for a school.

More time to provide meaningful individual feedback. More opportunities to mentor students. Greater capacity to personalize instruction. More thoughtful communication with families. And perhaps just as importantly, more time for teachers to reflect, collaborate, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

But there is an important caution.

If school leaders respond to every hour saved through AI by assigning additional responsibilities, we may unintentionally eliminate the very benefits these technologies promise.

Saving time should not automatically mean increasing expectations.

Throughout my leadership experience, I have learned that an efficient school is not necessarily a healthy school. Organizational effectiveness matters, but so do trust, professional fulfillment, and a shared sense of purpose.

Instead of asking only how AI can help educators accomplish more, we should ask how it can help them accomplish what matters most.

What School Leaders Should Do Differently

I believe schools should consider five priorities as they develop their AI strategies.

1. Measure meaningful impact, not simply efficiency.

Instead of asking only how many hours AI saves, we should also examine whether it improves instructional quality, teacher satisfaction, student engagement, and relationships.

2. Involve teachers in AI decisions.

Teachers should help determine which tools genuinely support their work and which introduce unnecessary complexity. Their professional judgment must remain central to implementation.

3. Protect time for human connection.

Schools should intentionally create opportunities for mentoring, collaboration, student support, and professional reflection. AI-generated efficiencies should strengthen these experiences rather than crowd them out.

4. Build a culture where educators feel valued.

Technology cannot compensate for weak leadership or an unhealthy organizational culture.

Teachers need to feel heard, respected, supported, and recognized. Meaningful professional learning, constructive feedback, reasonable expectations, and authentic appreciation remain essential.

5. Provide clear guidance for responsible AI use.

Schools must help educators understand both the opportunities and limitations of AI, including accuracy, student privacy, ethical use, and the importance of human oversight.

In fact, Gallup research published in May 2026 found that only 18% of U.S. public K–12 teachers reported receiving formal guidance from school administrators about using AI at work.

Clearly, schools have an opportunity to provide stronger leadership and support.

The Future of Education Must Be Both Technological and Human

As we prepare students for an increasingly AI-driven world, we must remember that education is not simply about transferring knowledge or improving efficiency.

It is about developing capable, ethical, compassionate, and confident human beings.

The same principle should guide how we support educators.

We should embrace emerging technologies while strengthening the relationships and professional environments that make excellent teaching possible.

The future of education will certainly involve more artificial intelligence. But I hope it will also involve teachers who feel more empowered, appreciated, and inspired.

The ultimate measure of AI's success in education should not be how much work it helps teachers complete, but how much more meaningful it helps their work become.

Perhaps every school leader should begin with a simple question:

If AI gives our teachers five more hours each week, how will we ensure those hours make teaching—and learning—better?

That is a conversation worth having in every school.