Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what’s next.

Here’s what we have on deck for today…

1. OpenAI struggles to win teacher trust

2. Dark web passwords cracked PowerSchool database

3. Voters want students to cross district lines

OpenAI struggles to win teacher trust

OpenAI launched a free course teaching K-12 educators how to use ChatGPT, but adoption is facing hurdles.

• Only 18% of K-12 teachers currently use AI tools

• 25% believe AI does more harm than good in education

"Schools across the country are grappling with new opportunities and challenges as AI reshapes education," says Robbie Torney at Common Sense Media, who partnered on the course.

For education organizations eyeing the $88.2B AI education market, teacher skepticism around data privacy and content accuracy presents a clear challenge. The course itself drew criticism from educators for limited privacy guidance and focusing solely on OpenAI's tools.

Dark web passwords cracked PowerSchool database

While ransomware grabs headlines, PowerSchool's December breach reveals a more common threat: compromised login credentials. The attack exposed millions of student records after someone used stolen passwords from the dark web to access PowerSchool's support portal.

Many education sector breaches follow this pattern — attackers don't hack systems, they simply log in with stolen credentials found on the dark web. For education organizations, this highlights how basic security measures like password monitoring and multi-factor authentication could help prevent unauthorized access.

Organizations building education tools should prioritize monitoring their credentials on the dark web and implementing multi-factor authentication across all access points, especially admin portals.

Voters want students to cross district lines

Two-thirds of voters support letting students attend schools outside their assigned districts, according to a new survey from school choice advocacy group Yes. Every Kid. Foundation.

• The poll of 1,000 registered voters found that 65% want children to access their preferred public school regardless of neighborhood boundaries

• The survey also revealed shifting preferences in education control: 59% support sending federal funds directly to states without requirements, while only 12% want federal oversight of school spending

These numbers point to growing momentum for local control and cross-district enrollment programs.

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