📝 usncan Note: Why Agency Is The New Literacy
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Agency is the new literacy
DesigningSchools
In the 1980’s Carol Dweck penned a framework of fixed and growth mindsets. The fixed mindset resists challenge, while the growth mindset embraces it. But as Dr. Sabba Quidwai argued in her keynote at the Back To School AI Summit 2025, this binary is no longer enough. She asked educators to consider a third path: the AI mindset.
The Back To School AI Summit 2025 is a global gathering, taking place this week, of educators, leaders and developers exploring the place of artificial intelligence in education.
“AI is not a tool; it is a teammate,” she said. It’s a striking phrase because it reframes technology from something external to something integrated into how people solve problems. Quidwai’s message was clear: we are entering an age where agency, the ability to act, influence, and create, will matter as much as literacy or numeracy once did.
Her starting point was deeply human. Even seasoned educators, she reminded the audience, carry doubts. “There’s always this thought process of will this be good enough? Am I doing enough?” Those insecurities, often labeled as impostor syndrome, can push people toward a fixed mindset, particularly when headlines about “kids all using AI” amplify a sense of falling behind. The antidote, she argued, isn’t technical training alone but cultivating hope, curiosity, and agency.
The Agency Gap In Schools
Agency is not simply a motivational slogan. It is increasingly a global benchmark. The OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 framework positions student agency at the core of learning, calling for co-agency, where students, teachers and communities co-create solutions to challenges.
Quidwai pointed to research from the Brookings Institute that shows only seven percent of students in grades 3–12 are graduating with high levels of human agency. Despite decades of investment in devices and platforms, engagement has often declined. The conclusion is sobering: we have closed many technology gaps but widened the agency gap.
This disconnect becomes even more pressing in the context of work. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index predicts that organizations will soon move from using AI as assistants to formally onboarding them as teammates. NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang has gone further, describing “agentic AI” that can perceive, reason, and act. The reality is that today’s fifth graders will graduate into a world where AI teammates are standard, not speculative.
From Growth To AI Mindset
Quidwai outlined three mindset shifts to help educators and students move toward agency in an AI era:
AI is not a tool; it’s a teammate. This isn’t about having a chatbot on the side; it’s about preparing for a world of artificial general intelligence. As Quidwai put it, “We are moving toward a world of AGI.” The implication is that students must learn to collaborate with intelligent systems, not just consume them.
AI is not a shortcut; it’s a skill stack. The focus should be on iterative problem-solving, framing, verifying, refining, and deciding. “I have no idea how this is going to turn out,” she said, “but let’s give it a go.” That mindset models resilience and experimentation.
AI is not about rules; it’s about values. Policies matter, but culture matters more. “Innovation is messy,” Quidwai reminded the audience. Building cultures of trust and safety allows students and teachers to experiment, fail, and learn without fear.
A Fifth Grade Case Study
To illustrate what this looks like in practice, Quidwai shared the story of fifth-grade teacher Tara Mangini. Far from being an AI specialist, Tara approached the technology with a growth mindset and a dose of curiosity: what problems could I solve and what ideas could I create?
She designed a project asking students to imagine the “school of the future.” Rather than tethering them to screens, students prototyped with cardboard, paper, and recycled materials. Tara used AI to scaffold the design process, generate options and personalize supports. The result was not more screen time, but more student agency.
This example seems to undercut the fear that AI will make learning passive. When used with intention, AI could free teachers to focus on human connection while helping students pursue authentic challenges.
A Practical Framework
Educators often ask where to begin. Quidwai introduced a framework called SPARK, a five-step dialogue that precedes any use of AI:
- Situation: What’s the context?
- Problem: What isn’t working?
- Aspiration: If all goes well, what does success look like?
- Result: What measurable outcome would prove it worked?
- Kickstart: Ask AI for three or four options to move forward.
“Give me three to four ideas,” Quidwai explained, “and I might merge, I might remix.” The point is to position AI as a generator of possibilities, not a vending machine of answers. The process is grounded in empathy and design thinking, amplifying rather than replacing human judgment.
Building Human and AI Teams
Quidwai encouraged every educator to think about “hiring” AI teammates. Instead of opening countless chat windows, define clear roles: a lesson-design partner, a feedback co-pilot, a family-communication drafter, or an accessibility coach. By year’s end, she argued, every teacher should be able to name who is on their AI team and what those teammates enable them to do.
This mirrors trends in business. The Work Trend Index shows organizations moving faster when they formalize AI roles.* For schools, this could mean clarity, consistency, and reduced overwhelm.
Values Before Rules
Inevitably, questions of integrity arise. Will students use AI to cheat? Quidwai’s reframing is bracing: “We spend too much time asking, ‘Will students stop thinking if they rely on AI?’ We should ask, ‘Will they have the agency to act?’”
The solution lies in values, not fear. Schools can co-create charters that emphasize integrity (always disclose AI assistance), equity (use AI for access, not advantage hoarding), evidence (prioritize sources), and care (consider the human impact). These values frame AI as a partner in growth rather than a threat to honesty.
Closing The Agency Gap
Quidwai’s keynote resonated because it was human, not just technical. She acknowledged the anxieties many educators feel. Her challenge to schools was clear: prepare for a world where AI is a teammate. The fixed mindset says, “I’ll never catch up.” The growth mindset says, “I’ll learn.” The AI mindset says, “I’ll act.” And that, ultimately, is the new literacy schools cannot afford to ignore.
