Learn how Wichita Public Schools’ early adoption of Copilot showcases the possibilities of AI in education to enhance learning and improve efficiency.

With AI becoming more integrated into education, schools are realizing the power and opportunity to transform learning, engagement, administration, and operations. These advancements are paving the way for innovative practices and improved outcomes. As you build your own AI initiative, it’s valuable to look at real-world examples and gain insight around the use of AI in education.

Wichita Public Schools (WPS), an early adopter of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, has thoughtfully integrated AI into their district. Through this ongoing journey, they’ve uncovered practical ways that AI can support accessibility, personalize instruction, and help reduce administrative workload. Their experiences highlight both the potential, and the planning required—from aligning tools with instructional goals to helping ensure educators feel supported and prepared. In May 2025, WPS was honored with the ISTE+ASCD Distinguished District Award—a testament to the district’s ongoing leadership and innovation in education.

As you explore your own AI journey, WPS offers a valuable example of how sustained, intentional AI adoption can create meaningful impact. Try Copilot Chat today and discover the impact AI can have on your school.

Driving innovation through AI

Educators at WPS began their journey with Copilot Chat in 2023, using it in a variety of ways to support teaching and learning. This included creating instructional materials tailored to their students’ needs and translating content to support inclusive learning across the over 100 languages spoken by their diverse student body. This foundational work paved the way for a broader integration of AI throughout the district. 

Building on their early efforts, WPS has started using more advanced AI tools. That includes Microsoft 365 Copilot, which brings AI into apps like Word, Excel, and Microsoft Teams to help amplify creativity and boost productivity for educators, staff, and leaders alike. In addition, the district has developed custom agents tailored to meet specific needs across departments. 

The district also welcomed its first AI specialist, Katelyn Schoenhofer, whose role includes training staff, supporting AI policy development and responsible use, maintaining data integrity. She also helps district leaders, educators, and students understand the role of AI in the future of education. Her work helps ensure that AI is introduced with clarity, consistency, and accountability—and that it’s aligned with the district’s goals. 

Discover the potential of AI to help enhance learning, equip students for the future, boost efficiency and cybersecurity, and free up time for what matters most. 

Intentional AI integration

At WPS, AI adoption is not about chasing trends. It’s a deliberate strategy grounded in human-centered design and professional learning. For WPS, human-centered means prioritizing the needs, values, and well-being of students and educators throughout the process of AI integration, helping to ensure technology enhances—not replaces—human connection and judgment. Staff receive role-specific training before gaining access to Copilot Chat, supporting safe, responsible, and effective use. 

We just wanted to have that human approach. We want to make sure that it’s human centered, with human oversight.

Katelyn Schoenhofer, AI specialist, Wichita Public Schools, United States

When a school adopts Copilot Chat, educators and staff begin with practical training before gradually progressing to more advanced uses—a phased approach shaped by early experiences. This structured rollout helps to build confidence and encourages experimentation, especially in areas like special education and academic resource development. 

WPS’s intentional approach to AI literacy and professional development strategy helps empower educators and administrators to use tools like Copilot Chat confidently to improve instruction, streamline operational processes, and enhance student outcomes.

AI is going to enhance our lives. It’s going to change our lives. And so how do we make sure that we understand that and be methodical, and you know, just intentional about it?

Katelyn Schoenhofer, AI specialist, Wichita Public Schools, United States

To help your team build competency with Copilot, explore the AI for educators learning path. It provides guidance on how to use AI tools responsibly and effectively in educational settings.

Practical AI use cases in education

Lesson planning and instructional support

Educators in WPS have embraced Copilot Chat for the assistance it provides in efficient lesson planning and increasing student engagement. Copilot Chat supports differentiated instruction, facilitates creative brainstorming, and helps adapt content to student interests, supporting accessible learning. WPS educators are using Copilot Chat to customize lessons based on student interests—for example, using pop culture themes to make math concepts like ratios more relatable.

The WPS AI team has extended this even further by developing a collection of custom agents—AI assistants designed to help with specific tasks. These agents assist educators in innovating further by enhancing brainstorming and fostering dialogue to generate meaningful instructional ideas. They identified special education as an area of opportunity for innovation. Special education teams now use a custom agent to help Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) meet both legal requirements and each student’s unique needs.

In practice: Special education teams also use the custom agent to translate IEP accommodation justifications into plain language that educators can use to help parents and caregivers understand complex concepts—a game changer for supporting student success.

Explore more possibilities with the Copilot Scenario Library for education, a collection of real-world examples that demonstrate how educators and leaders can easily use AI to assist with everyday tasks.

Operational and administrative benefits

Outside of the classroom, administrators have also integrated Microsoft 365 Copilot into their workflow to help improve everything from daily tasks to communication to marketing. Leaders and staff throughout the district use Copilot for a range of tasks to help increase their creativity and efficiency—a more recent and evolving use case that extends AI’s impact beyond instruction. Here are some common ways that WPS administrators use Copilot: 

• Marketing material – Improve branding and storytelling for district marketing materials like press releases and flyers, while honing communication and marketing skills.
• Communication efficiency – Analyze emails and provide a list of prioritized action items.
• Data insights – Streamline online enrollment by merging different enrollments into one system, with finance and student information collaboration.
• IT efficiency – Accelerate development timelines for WPS app developers.

I’m seeing that principals love the fact that Microsoft 365 Copilot will read their email and give them action items. That alone, they are saying, wait, this is going to be so much easier.

Dyane Smokorowski, Coordinator of Digital Literacy, Wichita Public Schools, United States

In practice: Dickson, CIO, created a custom agent that drafts detailed Board of Education agendas by uploading simple notes or outlines, streamlining the process and ensuring that all important topics are covered efficiently. What seemed like a small innovation has led to enhanced time savings and eased the burden of this required, repetitive task for Dickson.

Community and family engagement

WPS is using Microsoft Education’s AI tools, including Copilot, to help deepen family and community connections by enhancing communication and collaboration. At one school, a principal used Copilot to brainstorm creative ways for educators to participate in a school talent show. Copilot worked across her institution’s Microsoft 365 environment and pulled together information from OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and more to provide contextually relevant assistance.

A group of educators at another school used Copilot Chat to help brainstorm and plan engaging activities for an upcoming family engagement event. These are some of the newest ways WPS educators and leaders are exploring AI’s potential—using Copilot as a thought partner to generate ideas tailored to their needs and circumstances, while saving precious time and energy.

Additionally, the district AI leadership team is developing an agent that will help answer parent and caregiver questions around AI and its role in learning. They’re also exploring the use of custom agents to support enrollment, event planning, and policy questions—making it easier for families to stay informed and engaged.

In practice: Copilot Chat can help your team plan events, too. Use Copilot Chat to help brainstorm concepts, draft agendas, develop communication strategies, and design social media flyers for your event. 

Embracing the use of AI in education

At WPS, AI is more than a tool—it’s a catalyst to help improve educational, administrative, and operational processes. With a strong foundation in AI literacy and professional learning, WPS is enhancing staff communication and creating more personalized learning experiences. Their roadmap includes building custom AI tools to deepen insights into student learning, boost digital literacy, and improve accessibility for all students.

The district’s AI leadership team shares their practical tips to guide your own AI journey:

Start with the sticking points. Every school or district has unique challenges—identifying where breakdowns occur helps clarify where AI can make the greatest impact. “Look at the sticking points that you struggle with the most,” says Smokorowski, “Where’s the breakdown?” She encourages teams to focus on real, everyday challenges. “Addressing those sticking points gives the why on what we’re doing.”  

Build collective expertise. AI can play a pivotal role in helping teams build the skills and perspectives needed to tackle complex projects. Solving challenges around data, privacy, and analytics requires shared knowledge across your team. “When you can have a higher level of expertise for every person who works around you,” says Dickson, “[imagine] how much better we can make any organization.” Upskilling your team with AI can lead to meaningful improvements across your school or district.

I think what AI gives you is a perspective that you didn’t know before… and so you can constantly fail. I can ask questions that I might think are stupid, but AI is never going to tell me I’m stupid.

Rob Dickson, Chief Information Officer, Wichita Public Schools, United States

Recognize both the simplicity and significance. For any district exploring AI, it’s important to balance the ease of use with a thoughtful understanding of its deeper, long-term impact. “There’s a simplicity to the use of AI,” suggests Schoenhofer, “but that doesn’t mean the impacts are simple—they’re astounding, and we’re only beginning to understand them.” She recommends educators not to view AI as an “easy button,” but as a powerful tool with far-reaching potential in education and beyond.

Find joy in the journey. No matter the technology, education is ultimately about people—finding joy in helping students succeed makes every challenge worth it. “Find joy in the work,” says Smokorowski “Education is hard, but it’s rewarding. We get into this job so we can see young people exceed their own expectations. This tool helps me design [for] that.” 

AI is already making a difference in educational settings like Wichita Public Schools—enhancing learning, boosting efficiency, and supporting inclusive education. Start your journey with Copilot Chat today to uncover how AI can transform teaching and learning in your school.