Could artificial intelligence improve special education?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Could artificial intelligence improve special education?"

Podcast: Consider This from NPR
Host: Scott Detrow
Date: May 20, 2026
Duration: ~9 minutes (excluding ads)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping special education in the U.S., focusing on its potential to reduce paperwork for teachers and give them more time to work directly with students. NPR reporter Jonaki Mehta interviews special education teachers and experts, discussing both the transformative opportunities and critical risks that come with AI’s introduction into special education processes—particularly in creating legally mandated individualized education programs (IEPs).

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Paperwork Burden in Special Education

• Teacher Shortage and Burnout:
  • Over eight million U.S. students qualify for special education, but schools struggle to retain enough teachers.
  • A principal reason for burnout is the “mountains of paperwork” required by law, especially when developing IEPs for each student.
• Quote (Paul Stone, 00:27 & 04:22):
  "This job is this year. It’s—I don’t want to say killing me, but it has put a huge stressor on my mental health. To be honest, it would be kind of nice if there were two jobs, like one paperwork job and one working with the kids."

AI Steps In: Real-World Experiences

• Mary Acebu’s Classroom (02:25–04:00):

  • Veteran special education teacher in Bay Point, California, serving primarily low-income students.
  • Used to work extremely long hours (6:30am to 5pm) until she began using AI tools to handle paperwork.
  • AI allows her more time to interact with students and build relationships.
  • Quote (Mary Acebu, 04:00):
    "I think I have more time to talk to the kiddos and really build those relationships instead of, like, sitting here in front of my computer anymore."

• Paul Stone’s Transformation (04:10–04:57):

  • Initially skeptical of AI.
  • After class sizes grew, he used a custom AI chatbot trained by Acebu to generate student reports from test results.
  • Tasks that previously took hours now take minutes.
  • Quote (Paul Stone, 04:42):
    "I did some testing with a student. I took the test. I took a template of a report, put them both in the AI, and it was able to produce the report for me... It would have taken me hours, and this took 10 minutes."

Nationwide Trends and Concerns (05:15–06:22)

• Stats from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT):
  • Over 50% of special educators nationwide used AI to help develop IEPs in the 2024–25 school year.
  • 15% reported using AI to entirely write these plans.
• Risks Highlighted by Researcher Ariana Abulafia (05:28–06:15):
  • Complete reliance on AI without human oversight endangers the “individualization” requirement of disability law and raises major privacy and accuracy concerns.
  • AI is susceptible to bias and mistakes.
  • Responsible use can sometimes produce IEP goals as good as or better than human-only plans.
  • Recommendations:
    • Teachers need thorough training.
    • Districts must secure privacy agreements with tech providers.
    • Teachers should always review and customize AI-generated content.
  • Quote (Ariana Abulafia, 05:30):
    "To build an IEP in full without human oversight poses really significant concerns with the individualization requirement of federal disability laws, but also with privacy requirements and then things like accuracy."

Demonstration of AI in Action (06:22–07:26)

• Acebu shows a real workflow:
  • Uses a privacy-compliant, customized chatbot (in partnership with tools like Magic School AI) to draft IEP goals.
  • Her expertise is still essential: she refines and personalizes AI suggestions to make them truly suitable for her students.
  • Time savings are remarkable: drafting goals that once took 30–45 minutes now takes under 10.
  • Quote (Mary Acebu, 07:26):
    "Oh gosh, at least 30, 45 minutes for three to four goals." (on former time commitment versus using AI)

Putting Paperwork to Work: Real Student Outcomes (07:31–08:55)

• Acebu highlights a student, King, who started seventh grade as a non-reader and now reads independently and participates in general education math.
• The AI-driven efficiency has given her more time for direct instruction, contributing to King’s progress.
• King shares his pride at reading and completing a science fair game he designed, reading the instructions aloud.
• Quote (King, 08:44):
  "It makes me feel very proud because it even feel like anything. It’s just natural now."
• Acebu is visibly moved by King’s progress and emphasizes that spending more time teaching, not on paperwork, is the real goal.
• Quote (Narrator, about Acebu & King, 08:51):
  "This, she says, is why she’ll try just about anything that lets her spend more time in the classroom teaching her students."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:27, 04:22 | Paul Stone | "This job is this year. It’s—I don’t want to say killing me, but it has put a huge stressor on my mental health..." | | 04:00 | Mary Acebu | "I think I have more time to talk to the kiddos and really build those relationships instead of, like, sitting here in front of my computer anymore." | | 04:42 | Paul Stone | "...It would have taken me hours, and this took 10 minutes." | | 05:30 | Ariana Abulafia (CDT) | "To build an IEP in full without human oversight poses really significant concerns with the individualization requirement..." | | 07:26 | Mary Acebu | "Oh gosh, at least 30, 45 minutes for three to four goals." (on time it used to take) | | 08:44 | King (student) | "It makes me feel very proud because it even feel like anything. It’s just natural now." | | 08:51 | Narrator (about Acebu) | "This, she says, is why she’ll try just about anything that lets her spend more time in the classroom teaching her students." |

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:03 — Host introduces issue of paperwork and shortage in special ed.
• 02:23–03:41 — Teacher Mary Acebu discusses IEP challenges and her background.
• 03:55–04:36 — Pace and quality of life change with AI, from her and Paul Stone’s perspectives.
• 04:42–04:57 — Practical example: how AI drafts reports rapidly.
• 05:15–06:22 — National stats, research-based risks, and expert recommendations.
• 06:22–07:26 — AI demo: process, refinement, and huge time savings.
• 07:31–08:55 — Real-life impact story: student King’s reading breakthrough.
• 08:53–09:07 — Closing remarks on the value of direct teaching time.

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Conclusion

The episode offers a candid, hopeful look at how AI, when used thoughtfully and ethically, can help alleviate a systemic pain point in special education—freeing up teachers' time so they can focus on nurturing students’ growth. However, the discussion is grounded in a realistic appraisal of data privacy, legal, and ethical risks, emphasizing that technology is no substitute for experienced human judgment and care.

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For listeners seeking to understand the intersection of technology and special education, this episode delivers insightful first-hand perspectives, practical demonstrations, and research-backed recommendations—all wrapped in stories of real classroom impact.

Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this, where every day we go deep on one big new story today, how AI is helping special education teachers. More and more students are qualifying for special education, more than 8 million students, but there aren't enough teachers serving them. Special education teachers have for years been in short supply all around the country and they say one reason they feel overworked is the paperwork. Here's special education teacher Paul Stone.

[Paul Stone]

This job is this year. It's, I don't want to say killing me, but it has put a huge stressor on my mental health. To be honest, it would be kind of nice if there were two jobs like one paperwork job and one working with the kids.

[Scott Detrow]

Now special education teachers are using AI to help them with the mountains of paperwork they are legally required to do. Consider this could artificial intelligence help special educators spend more time with their students? From npr, I'm Scott Detrow.

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[Scott Detrow]

It's Consider this from npr. Millions of students qualify for special education and they need qualified teachers to help them. But burnout for these teachers has caused many to leave the profession and one reason is the paperwork. Now a growing number of special educators are using AI to speed up that paperwork. And some research shows that despite the risks and it could help them spend more time with students. NPR's Jonaki Mehta spoke to special educators around the country using AI, including one California teacher.

[Mary Acebu]

Good morning, Princessita.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Hi.

Mary Acebu has been a special education

teacher at Riverview Middle School for a decade.

[Teacher or Staff Member]

Good morning, Jade.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

The school is in a small Bay Area town and largely serves low income students. Today, Acibu is talking to her seventh and eighth graders about pollution.

[Mary Acebu]

So, so what is one small problem in our school that you could help fix?

[Teacher or Staff Member]

Jade?

[King (Student)]

The trash.

[Teacher or Staff Member]

What about the trash? Talk to me.

[King (Student)]

The trash is like everywhere. So you can help Pick it up. Very good.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Every student in a CBU's class learns differently. To track how they learn and if they're meeting their goals, she creates a unique document for each student in special ed called an iep.

[Mary Acebu]

It's an individualized education program. So an IEP indicates the disability, the goals that they're working on, services that they need so they can become successful.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

IEPs require parent approval, and as those families know, these individualized documents are required by federal law to help these students

get a quality education.

[Mary Acebu]

And, you know, the key term is individualized. No two kids are the same.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

That means depending on the student's needs, a single IEP can be dozens of pages long, require hours of meeting, and a grasp of complex laws.

It's part of what leaves special ed

teachers feeling overworked and leaves schools around the country struggling to keep enough of them.

[Mary Acebu]

I used to come here to work 6:30, leave work at 5. I don't do that anymore.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

That's because Asibu started experimenting with AI a couple years ago.

Since then, she's taken courses on how to use it responsibly and says it's changed the game.

[Mary Acebu]

I think I have more time to talk to the kiddos and really build those relationships instead of, like, sitting here in front of my computer anymore.

[Paul Stone]

So Mary is an amazing teacher.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

I mean, that's Paul Stone, another special educator at Riverview who's been here 22 years. And he was skeptical about AI, but this year, the number of students he's serving went through the roof.

[Paul Stone]

This job is this year. It's. I don't want to say killing me, but it has put a huge stressor on my mental health. To be honest, it would be kind of nice if there were two jobs, like one paperwork job and one working with the kids.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

So last month, Stone decided to try out a custom chatbot Mary Osebu trained for her school.

[Paul Stone]

Like, for instance, I did some testing with a student. I took the test. I took a template of a report, put them both in the AI, and it was able to produce the report for me. It put the numbers in the right spots. It would have taken me hours, and this took 10 minutes.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Stone says he still exercises his decades

of experience for quality control. But he and Asibu say AI could seriously, seriously help them avoid burnout. They aren't alone. The center for Democracy and Technology, a nonpartisan think tank, found over half of special educators they surveyed nationwide used AI

to help develop special ed plans in

the 2024, 25 school year. But the report lists a lot of risks, especially because 15% of the teachers they polled use AI to entirely write these plans.

Here's a researcher of that study.

[Ariana Abulafia]

Study Ariana Abulafia to build an IEP in full without human oversight poses really significant concerns with the individualization requirement of federal disability laws, but also with privacy requirements and then things like accuracy.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

She also says AI can be biased and sometimes just flat out wrong at the same time. Other studies have found when used responsibly, AI can help create IEP goals of equal or even higher quality than humans alone. Abolafia at CDT says risks or not, more and more teachers are using AI. So she has lots of recommendations for using it ethically, like districts giving teachers proper training, making sure teachers are closely checking their work.

[Ariana Abulafia]

And we recommended that teachers do not put personally identifiable information into any tool for which their school does not have an agreement.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Mary Cebu agrees with those recommendations and her district does have privacy agreements with companies like Google and a popular tool called Magic School AI Aseebu gave me a demo of the custom chatbot she built.

[Mary Acebu]

So Student a is an 8th grade student who has grade level strengths in math but struggles in decoding and reading fluency.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Cebu is describing this child's strengths and

struggles in detail without naming them to protect their privacy.

[Mary Acebu]

I need you to write three goals in the areas of reading.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

The AI spits out some IEP goals, but Asebu tells me one of them isn't quite right.

[Mary Acebu]

So here's the human touch, right? These are hard for the student, so I'm going to say can we narrow down the words into more common affixes?

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

After five minutes chatting with her Bot A, Cebu thinks she has three strong goals for her students. How long would something like this have taken you before AI?

[Mary Acebu]

Oh gosh, at least 30, 45 minutes for three to four goals.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Au says IEPs aren't just important because they're legally required to her, the point is to turn what's on paper into reality for her students. She tells me about one of her eighth graders, King, and we're only using his first name because he's a minor and we're discussing his learning disabilities.

[Mary Acebu]

He was a non reader beginning of seventh grade. He's reading now and that kid is in general ed math with no support. So you know that's the dream of every special ed teacher is to get the students where they need to be. But guess what? There's a lot of work that needs to go with that.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

As Cebu says, this last year she's had more time for that hard work. She walks over to King as he puts finishing touches on a project he's submitting to a science fair.

[Teacher or Staff Member]

What you got here?

[King (Student)]

All right. So this is my game, Turtle Catastrophe. So the pieces, I made all three of them by hand. They're turtle sculptures made out of clay.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

In King's game, turtles swim across the board, picking up trash in the ocean. Along the way, he reads aloud the rules he wrote.

[King (Student)]

The objective is to be the first player to reach the finish line.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

Reading aloud like that, he says that

wouldn't have been possible, possible a couple years ago.

[King (Student)]

It makes me feel very proud because it even feel like anything. It's just natural now.

[Narrator / Reporter (Jonaki Mehta)]

ACU clutches her chest as she hears

him say these words.

This, she says, is why she'll try

just about anything that lets her spend more time in the classroom teaching her students. Janaki Mehta, NPR News, Bay Point, California.

[Scott Detrow]

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Stephen Princess Drummond, Niravi Shah and Courtney Dorney. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

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