In 2008, BetterLesson launched with a simple idea: why can’t it be easier for teachers to learn what’s working in other teachers’ classrooms?

With this question, BetterLesson’s first Master Teacher Project was launched. And along with it, a free library of hundreds of lesson plans and teaching strategies still relied on by educators nationwide, from new teachers to experienced instructional leaders.

Since then, we have supported K-12 educators nationwide through a number of seismic shifts in teaching and learning. And as the conditions under which teaching and learning happen continue to change, we are continuing to evolve the free resources and extensive programming through which we support teachers, leaders, and the system as a whole.

It’s time for a new Master Teacher Project

Somewhere in California, a middle school teacher is using AI to help students analyze primary sources for misconceptions. In Florida, a high school science teacher has figured out how to use AI as a thought partner for complex problem-solving without replacing student thinking. In Arizona, a teacher has developed strategies for teaching students to evaluate AI-generated content critically.

These teachers aren’t waiting for permission, policy mandates, or perfect conditions. They’re experimenting, iterating, and figuring out what AI can actually do to improve learning in their classrooms.

The problem? Their innovations stay isolated. The 7th grade teacher in Pennsylvania who needs help getting started with AI doesn’t know that the teacher in California has already solved her exact challenge. The district leader trying to develop AI guidelines has no idea what responsible AI integration actually looks like in practice.

That’s the gap BetterLesson’s AI Master Teacher Project is designed to close.

Why We Launched the AI Master Teacher Project

The AI Master Teacher Project will support active learning about the use of AI in classrooms from current educators.

We’re not building AI tools. We’re not creating theoretical frameworks for AI integration. We’re connecting educators now to the ways teachers are successfully using AI in their classrooms.

By asking carefully-selected master teachers to document their strategies, in practical and actionable terms, we’re making accessible to all educators the approaches that would otherwise be visible to only a few.

These strategies are already being published in the BetterLesson Lab, to be used freely by educators at the same time that they begin to be used in our workshops and coaching programs.

We hope you will access them and share them widely so educators across the country can learn from each other’s work. This is how teachers help other teachers: not through theory, but through “here’s what I did, here’s what happened, here’s what to try.”

The model we know works

BetterLesson has been documenting practitioner expertise since 2008. We’ve learned what makes professional learning actually change classroom practice:

Start with teachers who’ve figured it out. Don’t design what you think should work. Find what is working.

Document the strategy, not just the outcome. Teachers need to see the thinking behind the practice—what the teacher says, how students respond, what to do when it doesn’t work the first time.

Make it immediately implementable. Include videos, student work examples, templates, resources. Other teachers should be able to watch it tomorrow and try it next week.

Cover what teachers actually struggle with. Ask teachers what they need help with, not what experts think they should learn.

Keep it accessible. Use free tools. Show strategies that work in under-resourced classrooms, not just well-funded innovation labs.

This model has worked through Common Core implementation, the pandemic pivot to remote learning, Next Generation Science Standards, and every other major shift in education over the past seventeen years. It works because it’s built on a fundamental truth: Teachers trust other teachers.

What the AI Master Teacher Project will provide educators

The AI Master Teacher Project follows this proven approach. We recruited five classroom teachers across grade bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12) from different regions across the country. Each teacher is documenting five AI strategies they’re currently implementing—25 strategies in all.

The five strategy categories came directly from conversations with teachers about what they need help with:

AI for lesson planning and content creation – Teachers are spending hours on planning. Can AI help reclaim that time without sacrificing quality?

AI for assessment, grading, and feedback – Students need timely, personalized feedback. Can AI help teachers provide it more efficiently?

AI that enhances and expands student learning – Students can use AI as a learning tool. What does that look like when done well?

AI for personalized and differentiated instruction – Every teacher knows students need different things. Can AI help deliver that at scale?

AI for classroom culture, safety, and ethical use – Students need to understand how to use AI responsibly. How do teachers build that into daily practice?

These aren’t theoretical categories. They’re the questions teachers are asking right now.

Meet the Master Teachers

Dawn Goldstein (K-12, Broward County, FL) brings over 30 years of experience and particular expertise in differentiating AI strategies for students with disabilities and English learners. She’ll document strategies across elementary through high school, showing how AI tools can be adapted for different grade levels and student populations.

Jesus Hernandez (6-8, Lynwood Unified School District, CA) was recommended by his superintendent for this project—a testament to the impact his AI work is already having. We’re partnering with a district that’s actively supporting teacher innovation.

Mimi Jara (9-10, Upper Darby High School, PA) teaches in the critical transition years when students are preparing for college and careers. Her strategies will show how AI fits into rigorous academic preparation.

Selena Padilla (9-10, Agua Fria Union High School District, AZ) works in a district with an AI-forward policy. Her documentation will show what systematic support for AI integration looks like from the teacher perspective.

Ryan Keser (11-12, Pine Crest, FL) is a former BetterLesson Science Master Teacher who also designs professional learning for our team. He understands both excellent classroom practice and how to make it transferable to other teachers.

Leading this work is Cheryl Belknap, who has managed BetterLesson’s Master Teacher Projects since 2013. Cheryl joined BetterLesson to launch the Math Master Teacher Project, then led the Science Master Teacher Project, and contributed to the development of our coaching model and curriculum support services. She knows how to work with excellent teachers to capture their expertise in ways other teachers can actually use.

Already Live in the BetterLesson Lab

More than a dozen strategies are already published, including:

Using AI to Uncover Misconceptions and Discover Truths – A strategy for helping students use AI as a tool for deeper critical thinking and analysis.

AI Thought Partner for Real-World Tasks – A framework for teaching students to collaborate with AI on authentic problem-solving.

These aren’t theoretical descriptions. They’re videos showing exactly how the strategy plays out with real students. Teachers can see what the teacher says, how students respond, what happens next.

And, they include replicable scripts that teachers can easily re-use – The master teachers included in this project are also providing free replicable scripts that educators can pick up and use immediately to support their planning or supports students directly. (The team here at BetterLesson are, frankly, blown away by some of the material they are making!)

Keep an eye on the BL Lab as we continue this work to publish a collection of 25 strategies.

Why This Matters

AI is changing classrooms whether districts have official policies or not. Teachers are experimenting because their students are asking questions, because they’re curious about what’s possible, because they’re always looking for better ways to reach every learner.

But innovation that stays isolated doesn’t scale. The brilliant strategy that one teacher develops in Arizona doesn’t help the teacher in Pennsylvania unless there’s a way to share it.

That’s what BetterLesson has been doing since 2008: capturing practitioner expertise and making it accessible. We’ve documented thousands of strategies across math, science, ELA, blended learning, remote instruction, and more. Those strategies are accessed by 850,000+ users monthly because teachers want to learn from other teachers.

The AI Master Teacher Project extends this to the latest tool in the classroom. We’re not creating something new—we’re applying a proven model to a new context.

What Happens Next

All 25 AI strategies will be published in the BetterLesson Lab, freely accessible to any teacher who wants to learn from them.

But strategies alone aren’t enough. Teachers need support to implement them. So we’re also building:

Professional learning sequences that package strategies into coherent learning pathways aligned to what teachers are working on

Coaching protocols that help teachers experiment with AI strategies and adapt them to their specific context

Workshop experiences where teachers can practice with AI tools in a supported environment before implementing with students

Leadership resources for principals and instructional coaches who need to support AI integration building-wide

This is how we’ve approached every major shift in education: Document what works. Make it accessible. Support implementation. Measure impact.

Our ESSA LEVEL III certification—the highest level of evidence for student outcomes—confirms this model works. When teachers learn from other teachers through BetterLesson, students benefit measurably.

For District Leaders

If your district is wrestling with how to approach AI in education, the AI Master Teacher Project offers something better than policy documents or vendor presentations: evidence of what’s actually working in classrooms right now.

The strategies will be freely available in the BetterLesson Lab. Districts that want comprehensive professional learning support—combining self-directed courses, 1:1 coaching, workshops, and learning walks—can partner with BetterLesson to bring these strategies to scale.

Over 400 districts work with BetterLesson because we don’t just provide content. We provide differentiated, ongoing, job-embedded professional learning that changes practice. The AI Master Teacher Project gives us practitioner-developed content to support teachers at every stage of AI integration, from “I’m curious but don’t know where to start” to “I’m ready to take this deeper.”

Federal context alongside classroom context

At the same time that BetterLesson was building this project based on what districts told us they needed, the federal government was reaching similar conclusions about AI education.

In April 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14277: “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” making AI literacy a national priority. In July 2025, the U.S. Department of Education released the Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education (90 FR 34203), which calls for professional development for educators, AI literacy integration, and evidence-based methods of using AI in classrooms.

Federal priorities validate what we already knew from working with districts: Teachers need practical, peer-developed strategies for AI integration. They need to see what responsible AI use looks like in practice, not just in principle.

But we didn’t need policy mandates to tell us that. Teachers did.