Over the past two years, TRAIN has partnered with more than 200 U.S. high schools to bring students an introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. In March 2024, we set out on a U.S. road trip to hear what some of these students and their teachers had to say about their course experience and the importance of AI education.
In the span of a week, TCS’ Media Manager, Trent Peltz, traveled between New York, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas to conduct student and teacher interviews at six different high schools: Archbishop Molloy High School, Farmington High School, Charles Herbert Flowers High School, Bishop McNamara High School, Edison Academy Magnet School, and Marine Military Academy. These schools showcase a wide spectrum of academic focuses, such as Edison Academy’s STEM program and Marine Military Academy’s ROTC program, while highlighting the vast diversity of the TRAIN course’s student population.
Throughout the interviews, participants enthusiastically dived into their thoughts on what it means to be a future AI leader, the growing need for Responsible AI education, and how the course profoundly impacted them.
“I was so inspired by how passionate these students were about AI and how the course really changed their lives. Both the students and teachers spoke with such high praise and appreciation for having an opportunity like this that they would never have otherwise,” said Trent.
A student from Charles Herbert Flowers High School remarked, “Before taking this course, I had no prior knowledge of Artificial Intelligence. Now, I feel well-informed about its applications and potential. The course opened my eyes to how AI is already impacting our daily lives. I’m constantly looking for examples of how A.I is being used in the real world.”
Similarly, Archbishop Molloy’s Principal, Darius Penikas, praised the course, saying, “STEM education is a core knowledge these days. What goes into coding; what goes into AI; the basic ideas behind quantum computing. I think these are concepts that students need to be exposed to early, so they can begin to understand what they are. In my experience, if anyone understands HOW something works, their interest is greater. Therefore, we hope to promote careers in STEM and we want our students to be leaders in our future society. The Coding School is helping them achieve that.”
Students unanimously commented on how integral taking the course was in preparing them for college and their future careers, while teachers widely agreed that the course is helping shape these students’ views of the world.
“I think AI and ML are the backbone of a computer science degree, so this course was a great introduction to what I will be learning in college. Even if I don’t decide to go into AI, I think understanding these concepts at a high level is really critical for anyone in the world,” said a student from Edison Academy Magnet School.
CITE Lab Director at Bishop McNamara High School, Patrick Skerpon, said, “The independent study nature of these courses has really helped a lot of these students realize that they can learn outside of school. They’re interacting with it in a totally different way – in a way that best fits their schedule. And that is an unbelievable benefit. They’re all smart enough to learn about these topics themselves – they just need help to figure out how to access the information, which The Coding School is doing.”
These interviews made it clear that the need for AI education has never been greater and taking the time to ensure students’ voices are heard has never been more important. Regardless of where these students live, or what their backgrounds are, they all have one thing in common: the TRAIN course is helping shape their future.
If you’re interested in learning more about AI and Machine Learning, check out & apply to one of our summer camps or our two-semester course by visiting TRAIN or reaching out to info@the-cs.org.