UCM education students design and lead AI workshops for working teachers through new SchoolAI internship

UCM education students design and lead AI workshops for working teachers, then track classroom impact, through the new SchoolAI Educator Enablement Internship.

Heidi Morton • Oct 30, 2026

Instructional Coaching & Professional Learning

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The semester-long program pairs UCM College of Education students with a SchoolAI mentor to train educators, then track what changes in their classrooms.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. October 30, 2026 The University of Central Missouri College of Education and SchoolAI have launched the SchoolAI Educator Enablement Internship. UCM students spend a semester learning to train practicing educators on AI. Then they find out what those educators actually did with it.

The internship builds on UCM's partnership with SchoolAI, an AI platform built for K-12 classrooms. UCM faculty already use SchoolAI in graduate AI coursework for educators. The internship gives students a chance to take that knowledge into the field and teach it to working teachers.

“Our students already know what teachers face, and what makes them close a laptop. This internship lets them put that knowledge to work. They design professional learning for working educators, and they hold themselves accountable for whether it changed anything."

What future educators gain

AI is already part of classroom instruction, but educator preparation hasn't kept pace. Only 20% of K-12 educators say they have received extensive AI training. Educators also name lack of training or professional development as the top barrier to supporting AI literacy, at 42%. Both figures come from a September 2026 IBM study conducted by Morning Consult.

Learning to use AI is one skill. Helping a room of busy, skeptical colleagues use it well is a harder one, and schools need people who can do it. UCM interns build that skill before they graduate, with real educators and real stakes.

By the end of the semester, each intern walks away with:

Experience leading adult learning. They design and deliver a workshop for practicing educators, built on what those educators said they needed.
Classroom-ready AI fluency, including SchoolAI certification and the ability to read the student data teachers use to decide who needs help.
Evidence of their impact. Two weeks after the workshop, they document what educators changed in their classrooms. That work becomes a portfolio aligned to the ISTE Standards for Coaches, ready to show future employers.

The step most training skips

Most professional learning ends with a satisfaction survey. The UCM interns treat that as the starting line. Their two-week follow-up asks what educators actually did, and why, or what stopped them.

"A room full of polite evaluations doesn't tell you much. These interns go back and ask teachers what happened next. That's the hardest evidence to get in professional learning, and it's the most useful for teachers and for us," said Heidi Morton, the SchoolAI education team member who mentors the interns.

That follow-up matters because SchoolAI helps teachers see what each student needs in the moment, so they can act on it. Interns learn how and when teachers decide to act on that information, and what slows them down.

Built for teacher preparation

The program is part of SchoolAI's work with colleges of education, where the next generation of teachers and coaches learn their craft. Two UCM students are taking part this semester. Interns work with educators. Any student-facing work follows district approval.

For colleges and universities

SchoolAI partners with colleges of education to bring AI into teacher preparation. Faculty use SchoolAI in their courses, and students graduate ready to use AI well in their own classrooms. Programs can also host the Educator Enablement Internship, giving students mentored practice leading AI training for working teachers. To learn more about partnering with SchoolAI, visit schoolai.com

About the University of Central Missouri

Founded in 1871, the University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a comprehensive state institution with its main campus in Warrensburg and academic opportunities at the UCM Lee’s Summit campus and online. UCM serves more than 12,000 students from Missouri, across the nation and around the world. Helping students “redefine what’s possible,” UCM offers affordable tuition, diverse academic programs and faculty members committed to student success. Through hands-on learning, career-focused preparation and support from mentors, advisors, counselors, classmates and professors, UCM prepares students to succeed in the workforce, contribute to their communities, and live its historic motto, “Education for Service.” Learn more at ucmo.edu.

About SchoolAI

SchoolAI helps teachers connect with every student. Teachers design learning experiences called Spaces. Students work through them with AI that guides their thinking without doing it for them. Mission Control shows teachers what each student is learning and who needs help right now. SchoolAI holds three ESSA Tier III "Promising Evidence" validations. SchoolAI is FERPA and COPPA compliant and SOC 2 certified. Learn more at schoolai.com.