Generative AI is reshaping K–12 classrooms at remarkable speed, but education systems have not yet built the capacity to help teachers use it well. By the summer of 2025, most STEM teachers had tried GenAI for instructional tasks like generating lesson plans, writing feedback, and differentiating materials, but fewer than a quarter had received any formal professional learning on it. The result is fragmented adoption and sporadic training disconnected from the instructional priorities that drive school improvement.

This WestEd Perspectives brief draws on interviews with more than 60 educators to surface what teachers actually want from GenAI professional learning: sessions that connect to existing instructional priorities, are hands-on and grounded in classroom practice, meet a range of readiness levels, and unfold over time through collaboration. The brief translates these insights into concrete actions for state and district leaders.