What you are leading
This is a structured public-problem inquiry for students in grades 9–12. Students investigate one AI use, document evidence and conversations, and contribute findings to a shared civic record.
Students are not expected to write New York City policy alone. You are not agreeing to purchase an AI product, teach prompting, or permit student use of generative AI.
Who can use it
School day
Civics, humanities, technology, entrepreneurship, career education, advisory, or interdisciplinary project-based learning.
Beyond the school day
Community schools, youth programs, libraries, summer programs, and community-based organizations.
What you need
- Four 75–90 minute periods or program sessions.
- One adult facilitator and a consistent student group.
- The provided readers, rubric, and two-page handouts.
- Two or more stakeholder voices beyond the classroom.
- A way to submit the group’s Evidence Contribution Record.
- A local audience that can hear, question, or respond to the work.
The assigned sources
Two student readers, two pages each.
Written for grades 8–12 and drawn from primary sources: the NYCPS guidance and the UNESCO student framework. Assign both before Session 1. Each is available as a web page and a printable PDF.
Two ways to run it
Inquiry Mode
Students study AI systems, policy, cases, and lived experience without using generative AI. This is the default.
Approved-Tool Mode
Where authorized, students may test a specific tool under a written protocol. Every activity still has a no-AI path.
Your first three moves
- Choose the student group and schedule. Start with the four-session core.
- Choose one specific use and two or more voices. Keep the inquiry small enough to document well.
- Plan a local demonstration. A classroom, school, CBO, library, or neighborhood audience is enough.
The Civic Lab grows through contributions, not attendance.
Groups submit evidence before they are invited to present. The Civic Lab team verifies and organizes contributions in a Community Learning Ledger, connects related findings, and prepares student groups for local and city-facing public demonstrations over time.
This is a working draft.
We will build the next version with feedback from New York City teachers, community educators, and students who try the lab in practice.