A strategic response to AI in WA schools

This priority is underpinned by an evidence-based approach to AI in education, using AI to advance best practice teaching and strategies for driving school improvement. Specifically, we aim to build AI literacy skills among K-12 teachers, school leaders & pre-service teachers. This includes work with partners such as Day of AI Australia to deliver PD to educators across the state, tailored to WA’s curriculum and context. These initiatives will prioritise equity, ensuring that WA’s public schools are empowered with the knowledge, resources and support to respond to AI ethically and responsibly.

The Fogarty Foundation is excited to partner with Day of AI Australia to bring meaningful AI education and teacher training to Western Australia. Together, we are working to ensure that students and educators across the state have access to AI literacy that is informed, contextually appropriate, and co-designed with WA schools to respond to their unique needs.

This partnership will deliver a range of professional development opportunities for WA teachers including in-person and online PD delivery in regional and metropolitan areas. Professional development will be tailored to the needs of classroom teachers who are leveraging the benefits of new technologies as well as mitigating possible negative impacts on learning and student wellbeing, and of school leaders who are navigating an increasingly complex teaching and governance landscape.

This priority recognises that the evidence-base for AI in education is in its infancy, and that there is a need to communicate knowledge about the impact of AI on K-12 education between key stakeholders, and translate learnings into practice and policy, at local, national and global levels. In 2026, we will host a Distinguished Visiting Researcher in collaboration with the Forrest Research Foundation to support this goal. This visit will bring together key stakeholders across the sector to inform WA's approach to AI in education, connecting WA leaders with global research and best practice.

The residency will focus on building AI literacy in pre-service teachers, facilitating cross-sector collaboration, and translating global research into practical strategies for schools. Key activities during the week will include media engagement, roundtables with policymakers and sector leaders, workshops for teachers and pre-service teachers, and events for parents and school communities. The residency will culminate in a cross-institutional event for WA teaching students, building capability in AI pedagogy and connecting global research with local practice. Preparatory work, including a policy-focused think tank, will ensure the visit delivers meaningful outcomes.

This priority concentrates on creating opportunities for young people to build foundational AI literacy skills, to give them agency to shape decisions about how the technology is used, and use AI to develop enterprising ventures and responses to global challenges. We will be working with youth advocates and leaders in this domain, to centre youth voices and perspectives. We believe that it is critical that the generation who will be living and working in an AI enabled world have the opportunity to be instrumental in shaping this transition and the technology’s trajectory.