Microsoft's New AI in Education Report highlights widespread adoption and increasing demand for support
To close the gap, Microsoft is announcing new AI-powered tools and training to help educators and students use AI with confidence, clarity and impact
REDMOND, Wash., June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday unveiled the third edition of its annual AI in Education Report1 that reveals both the momentum behind AI adoption in education and the opportunity ahead: helping schools move from interest and experimentation to meaningful, responsible implementation. Microsoft also announced today a new wave of AI-powered teaching and learning experiences, available at no-additional cost ahead of ISTELive 26. Designed with educator feedback and grounded in learning science, the new tools are intended to better learning outcomes, support stronger student engagement and critical thinking, and build confidence in how AI is used in the classroom.
Introducing the 2026 AI in Education Report
The research reveals three immediate areas of focus for education leaders working to turn growing AI adoption into meaningful, responsible outcomes2:
- Adopt AI as a regular part of teaching and school operations. 92% of students and education leaders and 88% of educators have already used AI for school-related purposes. 58% of education leaders say their schools are already implementing or are scaling AI, and 78% of leaders, 76% of educators and 65% of students report that their AI use for school has increased over the past year.
- Close the AI skills gap with recurring, role-based training. 87% of educators and education leaders and 79% of students agree that knowing how to use AI effectively and responsibly is important for students' futures. Although 77% of students and 53% of educators say they have not received formal AI training, 66% of educators and 52% of students want their institution to provide AI training monthly or quarterly.
- Provide practical guardrails for responsible AI use in classroom. Academic integrity is a leading worry for both 41% of students and 42% of educators, reinforcing the need for clear, practical, classroom-level guidance about when and how AI should be used.
"Educators around the world are embracing AI as a classroom ally, and they're now asking not if, but how to make the most of it," said Matt Jubelirer, General Manager, Education Marketing, Microsoft. "For Microsoft, that means designing AI experiences grounded in learning science and shaped by educator feedback to support instruction while keeping teachers in control. It also means pairing those tools with training and support that fit the time constraints of the school year, so teachers can use AI with confidence and impact. We're approaching AI in education as a partner in learning, built to earn educators' trust and help every student build skills and think critically, rather than just an 'answer engine' doing the work for them."
Announcing new AI-powered teaching capabilities
Microsoft is expanding its AI capabilities for education — bringing new, educator-informed tools directly into the Microsoft 365 Education ecosystem and the Learning Management System platforms educators use every day.
- Unit Plans in Teach help educators move from idea to fully developed, standards-aligned plans in minutes — with global standards coverage, built-in structure and AI-powered refinement through the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
- Student AI Guidelines and Learning Groups in Assignments enable educators to set clear expectations for responsible AI use and tailor instruction to meet diverse student needs — making it easy to define how students should use AI and helping build trust and confidence in the classroom.
- Learning Zone introduces educator-paced, live classroom experiences with real-time visibility into student activity and full control over lesson progression. Educators can now seamlessly integrate Learning Zone lessons into Assignments, creating a more connected learning workflow. Learning Zone is now broadly accessible for trial on all Windows 11 devices for the next year.
AI as a coach for every student, built for critical thinking
Microsoft is expanding its AI capabilities to help students learn more effectively — introducing new experiences that support understanding, build independence and keep students at the center of the learning process.
- Copilot Notebooks is now available as part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app at no additional cost with Microsoft 365 Education. With Copilot Notebooks, students can focus their learning within an AI-powered workspace built around their own materials — turning class content into structured, interactive study guides that make review and self-testing more effective.
- The Study and Learn Agent brings research-based learning directly into Copilot Chat, guiding students through concepts with interactive practice and real-time feedback — without doing the work for them.
Across these experiences, students remain in control of their own learning with privacy protections built in to support responsible use.
Preparing educators and students for what's next
Training is the top form of support educators and institutions are asking for — and the stakes are clear: 87% of educators and education leaders, and 79% of students, agree that knowing how to use AI effectively and responsibly is important for students' futures.
To meet the need to provide AI skills and knowledge in schools today, the global Microsoft Elevate for Educators program offers community, credentials and capacity-building resources to help teachers and school leaders transform learning and teaching with AI. Microsoft has also introduced an AI Literacy for Educators credential pathway co-created with ISTE + ASCD and grounded in European Commission and the OECD AI Literacy Framework. The AI Literacy for Educators credential pathway, at no cost through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, will help equip educators with the knowledge and practices needed to navigate artificial intelligence in education with confidence, clarity and responsibility.
Microsoft is proud to champion teacher learning and community through the Microsoft Elevate for Educators program and to recognize teachers and school leaders who demonstrate a commitment to excellence with the Educator Expert and Showcase School designations. The advanced recognition application window for the 2026-2027 academic year will remain open through July 31, 2026. To apply and learn more visit Microsoft Elevate for Educators.
For more information about the 2026 AI in Education Special Report, new AI learning tools and Microsoft's commitment to responsible innovation in education, please visit the Microsoft Education blog or join us at the Microsoft booth during ISTELive 2026 in Orlando (June 28-July 1, 2026).
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates technology platforms and tools, powered by AI, to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of customers. The company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
1 The Microsoft AI in Education report is conducted by PSB Insights interviewing 3,345 respondents across K-12 and higher education in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
2 Additional information about the research can be found in the Microsoft AI in Education report.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.