Day of AI and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate Unveil Community Resource Guides to Bring Student-Led AI Policy Exercises to Schools Nationwide

 

Released on Election Day, these resources enable schools and communities to recreate historic National AI Student Senate experience

BOSTON, MA – Day of AI and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate today announced two new Community Resource Guides that will enable schools and communities across America to recreate the historic National AI Student Senate held this summer, giving students a direct voice in shaping the future of artificial intelligence in education.

 

Released on Election Day, the resources build on the STUDENTS FIRST Act of 2026, developed and approved by 98 students representing all 50 states at America’s Youth AI Festival in Boston and Cambridge earlier this summer. Working in a replica of the U.S. Senate Chamber at the EMK Institute, students debated and approved legislation addressing AI literacy, academic integrity, privacy, fairness, and human judgment in education.

 

Now, schools and communities anywhere in the country can undertake similar exercises, using the new guides to help students develop their own AI policy frameworks, through research, deliberation, debate, and voting, all part of Day of AI’s just-announced “Students First Tour.”

Bringing the Student Senate Experience to Schools and Communities

 

Developed jointly by Day of AI and the EMK Institute, the two guides offer complementary, age-appropriate approaches designed for students aged 12 and up, allowing schools and communities to adapt the Student Senate experience to their educational settings:

• The “Community AI Student Senate: Implementation Guide” provides a step-by-step framework for organizing a Student Senate involving multiple schools. Students develop policy proposals, deliberate in stakeholder subcommittees representing students, educators, administrators, and families, debate amendments, gather community feedback, and vote on a final bill.
• The “Student Senate in the Classroom” resource offers a structured instructional unit that allows teachers to recreate the legislative experience within their classrooms. Using guidance on topics including AI literacy, civic education, and policy development, students draft and debate AI policy recommendations before sharing their conclusions with their school communities.

 

These resources complement Day of AI’s free PreK-12 AI literacy curriculum, which provides educators with ready-to-use lessons and activities to help students understand how AI works, evaluate its impacts, and make informed decisions about its use, all without requiring students to use AI tools.

“Students from across America came together this summer to grapple with key questions facing education,” said Jeffrey Riley, Executive Director of Day of AI and former Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Now we’re giving schools and communities the tools to recreate that experience, empowering young people to debate the issues, develop their own recommendations, and shape the dialogue affecting their futures.”

“Democracy is strengthened when young people learn not only how to make their voices heard, but how to listen, deliberate, and work through differences,” said Sarah Yezzi, Chief Education Officer at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. “These resources bring that experience directly into schools and communities, giving students an opportunity to practice civic leadership while addressing an issue that will profoundly shape their futures.”

Building on the Students First Tour

The guides are key elements in Day of AI’s Students First Tour, a national initiative bringing student perspectives on AI and education to policymakers, educators, and communities across the country. Based on original work done with Dr. Daniella DiPaola at MIT RAISE, the tour builds on early engagements in Oregon, where students brought recommendations to state lawmakers; and Connecticut, where Student Senators presented to the State Board of Education.

By making the Student Senate experience accessible nationwide, Day of AI and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute hope to extend the impact of this summer’s landmark gathering and inspire a new generation of students to help shape the future of AI in their schools and communities.

The Community Resource Guides will be available at https://dayofai.org/units/ai-student-senate-classroom-community-guides and https://emkinstitute.org/civic_education/student-senate/.

 

About Day of AI: Founded in 2021 through MIT’s RAISE initiative, Day of AI helps K–12 students, families, and educators thrive in the age of artificial intelligence. An independent nonprofit since 2024, Day of AI provides free curriculum and resources to advance responsible AI literacy. Learn more at www.dayofai.org.

 

About the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate: Founded in 2015, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities. Home to the only full-scale replica of the United States Senate in the world, the Kennedy Institute also facilitates experiential civic education programs that has to date served nearly 200,000 students nationally. Learn more at emkinstitute.org.