92% of students and education leaders, and 88% of educators, have already used AI for school-related purposes.1 While AI use in schools is already widespread, the next question is whether it’s supporting learning and critical thinking, not just productivity.
Education has moved past early experimentation, but reaching the outcomes that matter, those beyond speed and efficiency, depends first on one thing: support. The latest Microsoft AI in Education Report highlights this need. 66% of educators and 52% of students want monthly or quarterly AI training, and many want clearer guidance on responsible use. With that support in place, AI built for learning can help support learning outcomes, not just save time.
That’s why today we’re announcing several new AI-powered teaching capabilities, built with educator feedback, to deliver secure, student-centered experiences grounded in learning science. These new capabilities are integrated into the apps and tools educators and students already use through Microsoft 365 Education, with built-in privacy and security protections that help institutions take a more consistent, trusted approach. In addition, we’re also expanding access to training and professional learning.
New teaching experiences, built with educators
Feedback from our Education Insiders Program directly shaped a new set of teaching capabilities built into educator daily workflows across Microsoft 365 Education. These aren’t just productivity enhancements; they’re intelligent experiences designed to support the way educators instruct. These features are rolling out to our preview communities now and will be generally available in the coming months:
- Teach in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app module will include the ability to easily build standards-aligned Unit Plans, with support for academic standards from over 50 countries. Educators provide the subject, grade level, language, duration, and any relevant context or content, and Teach generates a draft Unit Plan with an overview, essential questions, and weekly detail. From there, educators refine the draft, adding components like a materials list, lesson plans, assessments, and AI-generated suggestions. And with Teach, educators can keep going after the plan is built, following recommended next steps to generate supporting materials or continuing to iterate with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
- Assignments will help enable educators to set Student AI Guidelines for each Assignment, ranging from no AI to full use of Copilot Chat. According to the report, academic integrity is the top concern for both students (41%) and educators (42%), and clear communication around expectations is one of the most effective ways to build trust and confidence in AI use.
Additionally, educators can further differentiate their approach by creating, reusing, or adjusting student groups based on reading level, language support, and other criteria, assigning the right resources to each group within an Assignment. - Microsoft Learning Zone will offer the ability to use lessons in an educator-paced, live classroom session to help provide control over progression and view aggregated student activity in near real-time. Learning Zone lessons can also now be integrated with Assignments. Plus, for the next year, we’re providing an opportunity to trial Learning Zone lesson generation on any Windows 11 device.
From answer engine to learning coach
Study and Learn Agent is a learning-science-powered experience in Copilot Chat built specifically for students age 13 and older, at no additional cost with Microsoft 365 Education. Study and Learn reframes AI from an answer engine into an interactive learning coach, optimized for learning outcomes rather than quick answers. Grounded in research-based principles, it helps students understand concepts, work through problems, and develop their writing without AI doing the work for them—through scaffolded questions, interactive practice like flashcards, quizzes, and matching, and immediate feedback designed to support knowledge retention and independent thinking.
Study and Learn is designed to meet institutions where they are with flexibility and appropriate controls: IT administrators must first enable Copilot Chat for K-12 students which then provides access to Study and Learn by default. In the coming months, educators will also be able to assign the use of Study and Learn within Assignments.
Copilot Notebooks, an AI-powered workspace that is designed to help students stay focused on their own materials, is now available as part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app at no additional cost with Microsoft 365 Education. Students can bring together lecture slides, handouts, readings, and notes, then get assistance grounded directly in those sources. They can also use the new study guide capabilities to transform their materials into interactive study guides for review and self-testing.
Across these experiences, students can remain in control of their own learning with privacy protections built in to support responsible use.
We’re also making these teaching and learning experiences easier to access with Teach and Learn taskbar shortcuts on Windows devices for quick, personalized access right from the taskbar. And for leaders and IT teams, these experiences are designed for institution-wide rollout—with the governance, security, and integration needed to deploy with greater confidence.
Preparing students and educators for what’s next
Teachers and education leaders are overwhelmingly asking for training and increased AI knowledge, and the stakes are clear: 87% of educators and education leaders, and 79% of students, agree that knowing how to use AI effectively and responsibly is important for students’ futures. That takes more than access to technology. Microsoft Elevate for Educators offers community, credentials, and capacity building resources to help teachers and school leaders transform learning and teaching. Microsoft has supported the AI Literacy Framework developed by the European Commission and OECD with CodeAI to offer policymakers, curriculum designers, and teachers a shared playbook for what students should know, do, and understand about AI by the time they finish school. We also worked with ISTE + ASCD on a recently released “AI Literacy for Educators” credential pathway aligned to the framework. Both connect to the Expert tier of Microsoft Elevate for Educators, now accepting applications.
As we celebrate new graduates, reflect on the progress and learnings, and prepare for the next school year, our focus stays constant: helping every student and educator use AI with confidence, to support learning today and prepare for what comes next.
1 Microsoft, AI in Education: A Microsoft Special Report, 2026. The survey was conducted by PSB Insights among 3,345 respondents across K–12 and higher education in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Audiences included educators, education leaders (both IT and academic), and students age 13 and up. The online quantitative survey was fielded February 13–March 9. Global data is weighted based on World Bank education spend estimates.
