The advanced recognition application window for the 2026–2027 academic year begins today and will remain open through July 31, 2026. If you’re driving innovation in learning and empowering your colleagues and students with new possibilities, now is the time to gain recognition for your leadership.

About Microsoft Elevate for Educators

Microsoft Elevate for Educators connects teachers and school leaders with a global community of peers, credentials, and capacity building resources to navigate the AI era. Educators can collaborate, learn from each other and industry experts, gain confidence through laddered pathways for training and credentialing, and explore toolkits, research, and guidance designed to help safely integrate technology into teaching and learning.

Global program overview and office hours

Join the Microsoft Elevate for Educators team for informational sessions designed to support your journey with the community. These sessions provide an overview of the program, highlight opportunities for educators and school leaders at every level, and introduce the resources available to support you, your school, and your students. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the application process for Expert and Showcase School recognition. These sessions are recommended for K–12 educators and school leaders.

Educators: Join a global community of experts

Experts in the educator community share a bold commitment to transforming learning. They spark curiosity, encourage collaboration, and bring creativity to life through purposeful use of Microsoft tools and AI in classrooms. If this reflects the way you teach, you’re exactly the kind of leader Microsoft Elevate for Educators is proud to recognize. By joining the global community of more than 43,000 educators, you’ll connect with innovative educators worldwide, exchange ideas, strengthen your practice, and help shape the future of teaching and learning.

How to become a Microsoft Elevate Educator Expert

1. If you are new to the community, start by creating an account, completing your first training, and earning Explorer status. From there, you’ll be ready to begin the advanced recognition application for Expert status.
2. Prepare your long-form answers with the Microsoft Elevate Educator Expert questions document.
3. Complete required learning:
   • Elevate Educator—Expert (General)
   • Elevate Educator—Expert (AI)
4. Complete and submit your application by July 31, 2026.

School leaders: Join a global community of Showcase Schools

If your school is driving meaningful innovation, becoming a Microsoft Elevate Showcase School can amplify that work. Showcase Schools use technology to empower teaching, transform learning, and equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the future.

How to become a Microsoft Elevate Showcase School

1. If you are new to the community, start by creating an account and becoming a Pathfinder school. Then, you’ll be ready to begin the advanced recognition application to earn Showcase School status.
2. Check the AI Transformation Rubric to confirm your school meets the minimum criteria:
   • Level 2 in Policy and Governance
   • Level 1 in at least two other areas
3. Download and draft the Showcase form questions. Complete the Showcase Evidence Template (slide 3), demonstrating how your school meets the required level for your chosen pillar. Export the completed slide as a PDF.
4. Complete the application, including your AI transformation evidence and a PDF of your completed Showcase Evidence Template where required by July 31, 2026.

Embrace the future of education

The future of learning is unfolding now, and bold educators are leading the way. Becoming a Microsoft Elevate Showcase School or Microsoft Elevate Educator Expert isn’t just about recognition, it’s about joining a global community that is reshaping what’s possible in education.

Microsoft Elevate empowers schools and educators with the tools, insights, and support needed to spark creativity, strengthen collaboration, and expand access to meaningful learning opportunities.

By joining the Microsoft Elevate Educator community, you become part of a global network of changemakers imagining and building the next era of education. If you’re ready to dream big and lead with purpose, we invite you to join our community and apply for advanced recognition.

Stay connected with Microsoft

Stay up to date on the latest news and resources from the Microsoft Elevate for Educators team.

• Follow us on LinkedIn
• Discover curated events and learning experiences for educators
• Get AI insights for education decision-makers

From simplifying operations to fostering meaningful engagement and driving innovation, Microsoft provides education institutions with tools and resources to excel in a competitive, digital-first world. Learn how you can empower your entire community of students, educators, and staff to achieve better outcomes today and prepare for the opportunities of tomorrow.

The post Microsoft Elevate for Educators: Advanced recognition application guide 2026-2027 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Building a governance framework designed for trust

Behind almost every effective AI governance framework is a group of people responsible for making it work. In education, that typically means a cross-functional team that goes beyond IT, drawing on perspectives from across the institution, including academic leadership, legal and compliance, and those responsible for student data and ethical decision-making. When that human structure is absent, even thoughtfully designed frameworks can be difficult to sustain. Once that team is in place, the real work of governance begins—defining the policies, conditions, and oversight structures that responsible AI requires.

That work is often grounded in a set of values that many education institutions share: student privacy, academic integrity, equitable access, and the ethical use of AI for learning. A clear framework for trust is what helps those values guide governance decisions in a consistent and accountable way.

Microsoft’s approach to trust is built on six responsible AI principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. The Microsoft Responsible AI Standard, v2 translates those principles into practical guidance designed to help education leaders work toward a structured foundation for responsible AI adoption. For institutions that want to go further, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) offers a complementary lens: where the Standard defines what responsible AI looks like, the AI RMF helps put it into practice across four functions—Govern, Map, Measure, and Manage.

While frameworks provide structure, one of the most important outputs of governance is clear, actionable policy. Policy conversations often start with a few foundational topics your institution can begin discussing right away:

• AI usage policies and how they apply across roles, from administrators and IT staff to educators and students.
• Identity management and role-based access controls for sensitive data.
• Monitoring and compliance approaches that can evolve as the technology changes.
• The right balance between human oversight and automation for high-stakes decisions.

Having these conversations lays the groundwork, but the technology foundation underneath it plays a significant role in how well governance holds up over time.

Security that scales with your AI environment

Governance and security tend to rise and fall together. The decisions a governing team makes about who can use AI and under what conditions are only as effective as the technology infrastructure built to support them. For many institutions, that technology has been built up over time by layering tools as needs arose, and in an AI-powered world, that approach can create gaps that may be harder to govern, monitor, and maintain trust in.

For IT teams managing AI governance, Microsoft 365 Education plans offer a range of security solutions that can be part of a broader governance approach, including:

• Microsoft Entra for identity and access management that can help keep sensitive data in the right hands.
• Microsoft Purview for data monitoring and automated compliance support.
• Microsoft Defender can help detect and respond to threats across your environment.

Together, these solutions can help organizations improve visibility and strengthen control over data and AI usage within their environment. When your security foundation is built into the same platform your AI tools run on, governance can become easier to manage and more proactive.

That kind of integrated foundation is closely connected to the third piece: a unified platform that reduces fragmentation and supports responsible AI at scale.

One platform, fewer governance gaps

IT leaders are increasingly exploring unified platforms as an alternative to disconnected systems, drawn by the promise of end-to-end visibility and reduced administrative burden. When AI tools, security solutions, and governance controls operate on the same platform, responsible AI becomes easier to sustain because oversight is built in rather than managed separately. Microsoft 365 Education plans are designed with this in mind, bringing together a range of tools institutions can use to govern AI, protect data, and support learning, all in a single integrated environment.

For institutions managing AI at scale, that integration can be what turns governance from a concept into a practice. The Puerto Rico Department of Education is one example. For them, existing systems and security tools could no longer keep pace with growing complexity. Recognizing that, the Department undertook a strategic transformation, pursuing advanced, unified tools to address operational, security, and educational priorities.

We urgently needed a modern, integrated solution to support remote learning and safeguard sensitive information.

Marie Ortiz Sánchez, Chief Information Officer, Puerto Rico Department of Education

Responsible AI governance was central to that effort, and with Microsoft’s security infrastructure in place, the department was confident in protecting student data as it scaled their AI initiative.

What successful IT leaders prioritize

Across education, patterns are emerging among some institutions working to scale AI responsibly, and they often reflect how IT leaders are approaching their role. They are shaping strategy, safeguarding trust, and driving the conditions that make responsible AI adoption possible. Translating that pattern into action means focusing on a few core priorities:

• Lead with governance, not just innovation.
• Prioritize secure, integrated platforms over fragmented tools.
• Enable your educators, not just your technology.
• Support consistent learning experiences across classrooms, campuses, and digital environments.
• Align your IT strategy with institutional mission and outcomes.

The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit includes AI Navigators that document how institutions are putting each of these priorities into practice, making it a useful starting point for leaders ready to move from discussion to action.

For many IT leaders, this moment presents a real opportunity to lead innovation, embed trust, and help your institution navigate a significant shift in education today. Governance, security, and platform integration are among the most important starting points for responsible AI. Explore Microsoft’s responsible AI tools and practices to learn more.

The post AI governance in education: From policy to practice appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The Study and Learn Agent changes that. Now generally available within Microsoft 365 Copilot for all education customers at no additional cost, it gives institutions a learning-focused approach to enabling AI for students age 13 and older. For K-12 accounts, Copilot Chat is off by default for students and access must be enabled by an IT administrator. Once permission is granted, students access Study & Learn directly within the Copilot app, with no separate login or additional application required. A video walkthrough of the configuration helps guide you through these steps.

Introducing the Study and Learn Agent

AI doesn’t have to circumvent learning. It can deepen it. The Study and Learn Agent is a first-party AI agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot, built around a single principle: the learner does the thinking. Through guided conversations and interactive activities, it helps students grasp concepts, work through problems, and sharpen their writing—adapting to what each student needs at that moment.

Built on learning science, not just AI

What sets Study and Learn apart from other AI tools is that it is built on established learning science about what makes learning stick. Every interaction is intentionally designed to help reinforce learning, not bypass it.

The experience is grounded in four research-based principles:

• Adaptive scaffolding: meeting students where they are by activating what they already know, then providing enough support to stretch them into what’s next 
  
• Productive struggle: asking before telling, so students retrieve, attempt, and reason their way toward answers
  
• Active learning: practice that sticks with retrieval-based activities including flashcards, fill-in-the-blanks, quizzes and matching
  
• Application and transfer: giving students the agency to go deeper, apply their learning, or reinforce it with an activity
  

Used together, these principles move students beyond passive review and into active engagement with the material. Each interaction is designed to build on the last, supporting the kind of deep understanding that holds up beyond a single test or assignment.

From chat to active learning

Study and Learn transforms Copilot Chat from a standard chat experience into an interactive learning environment. For example, a student studying for a biology test can quiz themselves on the cell cycle and get a flashcard set generated on the spot. A student stuck on a calculus problem can be walked through it step-by-step without being given the answer. Or a student writing a history essay can talk through their argument and get questions back that sharpens their thinking.

Using this approach, students engage with Study and Learn through:

• Guided questioning including step-by-step problems, writing, understanding broad concepts, and breaking down large topics into manageable component parts
  
• Interactive learning with activities that both build and check for understanding
  
• Immediate feedback that catches misconceptions and mistakes
  

The result is a more engaging study experience that supports understanding, builds independent thinking, and fosters retention. Whether a student is preparing for an exam, working through a complex concept, or revising a piece of writing, Study and Learn adapts and keeps the work of learning where it belongs: with the student.

Enable AI with confidence

For school leaders, business decision makers, and IT administrators, Study and Learn is designed to help address the key barriers to adopting AI for students. Institutions have consistently signaled the need for learning-focused AI experiences, guardrails, and control over student AI use, and confidence that AI supports, rather than undermines, teaching and learning.

Study and Learn is designed to meet those needs. It is built into the Microsoft 365 Education environment that schools already manage, giving IT administrators familiar controls and enterprise-grade data and privacy protection rooted in Microsoft’s responsible AI principles. Students get a structured, accountable AI experience, and schools get a credible, learning-first option they can deploy with confidence.

Copilot, built for education

Study & Learn is part of a broader Microsoft vision of Copilot built for education. That means AI is designed to support every participant in the learning environment, not a single general tool adapted for multiple audiences. This includes two AI agents:

1. Teach that supports educators in designing and delivering instruction.
   
2. Study and Learn that supports students in building knowledge and skills.
   

Together, Teach and Study and Learn represent a complete AI ecosystem built around the realities of teaching and learning, inside the tools that educators and students already use.

Get started today

Study and Learn is available within the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on the web and desktop for education customers with a Microsoft 365 Education license at no additional cost. Students access it directly by logging into Copilot using their Microsoft Entra ID school credentials. The Study and Learn Agent is located in the left navigation bar of Copilot. Study and Learn is optimized and available today in English (United States). In the coming weeks, Study and Learn will expand to cover additional languages. For IT administrators, the next steps include:

• Configuration steps video walkthrough
  
• Identify and set the Education Tenant Identifier
  
• Set student age group
  

Study and Learn gives institutions a credible, learning-first path to enabling Copilot for students at scale. Follow the instructions above to enable Copilot for your students ages 13 and older today.

The post Study and Learn: AI built for your student appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Supporting multiple schools, thousands of users, and a wide range of devices often across aging infrastructure and evolving systems is complex. At the same time, expectations and risks are rising while classrooms are more digitally sophisticated and AI is entering workflows. These new capabilities are enriching the classroom with valuable student learning experiences while also bringing in new requirements for your IT team to manage. But one challenge sits at the center of it all: Security.

Security isn’t just another priority on your list; it’s the foundation on which everything else depends.

And right now, that foundation is being tested.

The pressure is real and growing

Across education institutions, IT teams are under increasing pressure to protect against more advanced, more sophisticated, and more frequent threats. Phishing remains one of the most common entry points, yet many institutions still struggle to run consistent simulations or awareness programs. At the same time, AI-powered phishing is quickly emerging as a top concern for IT leaders, raising the stakes even further.

This isn’t just about defending systems; it’s about creating a safe learning environment, protecting your students, ensuring instructional continuity, optimizing your already tight operational budget, and maintaining trust across your community.

For many IT teams, the challenge is compounded by:

• Limited staff managing large scale environments.
• Increasing device counts across schools and grade levels.
• A mix of legacy systems and modern cloud solutions.
• Pressure to enable innovation while maintaining compliance.

It can feel like you’re being asked to modernize, secure, and scale all at once. So where do you start?

Start with security and build from there

Digital transformation in education doesn’t begin with new tools or platforms. It begins with trust.

By strengthening your security posture, you create a stable foundation that enables everything else from AI-powered learning to operational efficiency.

That’s why many education leaders are reframing their approach. They realize that security isn’t a barrier to innovation; it’s the first step toward it. And that security is not just the domain of the IT department—it’s everyone’s business.

Taking that first step doesn’t require solving everything at once. It means getting grounded, understanding your environment, and identifying the actions that will have the greatest impact.

And importantly, it means not having to do it alone.

For many, a strong place to begin is by making sure you’re fully leveraging the tools you already have. If you’re an existing Microsoft 365 Education institution with A3 or A5 licensing, that includes applying built-in capabilities, from device management to identity protection, to strengthen your security foundation.

• Conditional access: Automatically block risky sign ins or require MFA based on user, device, and location signals.
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Protect all staff accounts from credential theft with phishing resistant authentication.
• Intune device compliance: Require encryption, patching, and security baselines before granting access to network resources.
• BYOD app protection: Secure school data on personal devices without full device enrollment (protect apps, not the device).
• Session controls: Restrict downloads or force web-only access on unmanaged or personal devices.
• Data loss prevention (DLP): Prevent accidental sharing of student records via email, Teams, or OneDrive.

To help with this, consider taking the Education Security and Value Optimization Assessment, a self-guided engagement designed to help you better understand your current environment and identify opportunities to maximize both security and value. Through this assessment, you can evaluate how existing capabilities are being used, uncover gaps, and prioritize actions that align with your institution’s needs and resources.

These foundational steps are critical. Activating and optimizing what’s already available to you not only improves your security posture, but also sets the stage for the broader digital capabilities your staff and students increasingly rely on.

At the same time, many IT leaders are looking for a more comprehensive way to explore what’s possible, learn from peers, and plan next steps with confidence.

Explore your options with the Microsoft Education Security Toolkit

To help institutions move forward with confidence, Microsoft developed the Education Security Toolkit as an extensive resource designed specifically for education, IT professionals and leaders.

The toolkit is built to meet you where you are, offering practical guidance that helps you move from planning to pilot and from pilot to meaningful impact.

Rather than overwhelming you with theory, it provides structured, actionable support across key areas:

• Frameworks and guidance to help assess your current security posture and identify priorities.
• Real world examples and customer stories that show how other institutions have approached similar challenges.
• Implementation strategies aligned to education environments and constraints.
• Tools and templates to support planning, decision making, and execution.

When your environment is secure and well-governed, it unlocks the ability to scale innovation, better support educators, and improve student outcomes. Schools around the world are already showing how this progress can take shape.

Learning from peers: What progress looks like

One of the most valuable parts of the toolkit is the opportunity to learn from other education institutions facing similar challenges.

Across the country and around the world, schools are already taking meaningful steps forward:

• New York City Public Schools rapidly managed more than 750,000 devices across 1,800 schools, demonstrating how large-scale environments can be secured and streamlined.
• Onslow County Schools improved security while maintaining access, balancing protection with the needs of students and staff.
• Westminster School strengthened its defenses and protected sensitive data even with a lean IT team.

These stories highlight an important truth: Progress doesn’t require perfection; it starts with clear priorities and the willingness to take the next step. Often, that step is as simple as using the capabilities you’re already licensed for and unlocking value that’s already within reach.

Take the first step

The path forward doesn’t start with a complete overhaul. It starts with understanding where you are and choosing to move forward. Together, these resources help you take immediate action while building toward long term transformation.

• Start with the Education Security and Value Optimization Assessment to take immediate, targeted action and prioritize what matters most.
• Then, explore the Microsoft Education Security Toolkit to learn from peers, evaluate your options, and build a long-term, strategic approach.

Whether you begin with action or exploration, consider working together with your preferred technology provider. They can help you confidently interpret findings, prioritize opportunities, weigh options, and make your next move.

When security comes first, everything else becomes possible.

The post Strengthen security and prepare your institution for AI appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

That tension is becoming familiar across education. Institutions want to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in ways that support innovation, but they also need confidence that student data stays protected, access is appropriately governed, and compliance requirements remain in place. The question is no longer whether to adopt AI; it is how to move forward responsibly at scale.

Zero Trust helps answer that question. By applying proven security principles to AI experiences, institutions can build on the protections they already have in place and create a stronger foundation for adoption.

To help institutions put this into practice, participating in a Zero Trust Workshop provides practical, hands-on guidance for applying Zero Trust principles across your environment. Built for institutions and IT teams, the workshop includes a structured assessment of your current security posture, scenario-based discussions, and a roadmap to help protect student data while supporting responsible AI adoption at scale.

Why Zero Trust matters for AI in education

AI changes how information is surfaced across an environment. In the past, a user might search a shared drive or navigate a folder structure to find information they were already authorized to access. With AI, information can be retrieved, summarized, and presented much more quickly across systems and content sources.

That makes existing permissions, access policies, and misconfigurations more consequential. When AI tools act on a user’s behalf, strong security controls become even more important. Institutions need to know who is using AI, what those users can access, and how to respond when something does not look right.

This is where Zero Trust becomes especially valuable. Zero Trust gives IT leaders a practical framework for adopting AI by applying three proven principles consistently across the environment: Verify explicitly, use least privilege access, and assume breach. These principles are not new. What is new is how they apply to AI and how institutions can extend existing security investments to support AI adoption with greater confidence.

When Zero Trust is applied consistently across Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat, institutions can focus on outcomes like protection, scalability, and responsible adoption.

Verify explicitly: Protect identity and access

It starts with identity. Before institutions can scale AI confidently, they need clear visibility into who is using these tools and under what conditions. Strong identity and access controls are essential when Copilot experiences are available across classrooms, departments, campuses, and administrative teams.

Verifying explicitly helps institutions:

• Establish clear accountability for AI access across users and devices.
  
• Apply identity and device trust requirements consistently as adoption expands.
  
• Support secure scaling across roles, buildings, and learning environments.
  

At Singapore Management University (SMU), Microsoft Entra ID and Entra ID Governance manage identities and enforce least-privilege access as part of an integrated Zero Trust architecture that continuously verifies identities, monitors devices, and safeguards data. With this security foundation in place, SMU expanded AI beyond cybersecurity to streamline administrative processes and create personalized learning paths tailored to students’ unique strengths and career aspirations.

Use least privilege access: Control what AI can access

Once institutions understand who is using AI, the next question is what those users should be able to access. Least privilege access helps make sure AI tools only surface the information each user is authorized to access, helping keep sensitive data such as student records, HR files, and research appropriately scoped.

Applied to Copilot experiences, least privilege access helps institutions:

• Align AI access with existing role‑based permissions.
  
• Reduce unintended exposure as Copilot surfaces content across the environment.
  
• Keep responses grounded in content each user is authorized to access.
  

For Microsoft 365 Copilot, existing permissions and data protection policies help keep responses grounded in content each user is already authorized to access.

Copilot Chat works differently. Because it’s grounded in web data by default, the focus shifts to who can use the tool, what files or prompts users provide, and what agents or data sources IT enables. These guardrails are especially important for large, complex institutions or districts like Fulton County Schools.

Fulton County Schools prioritized a structured and protective environment to ensure data security and trust in AI adoption. With data privacy and security as a top priority, the district put safeguards in place to protect student information so that Copilot Chat could be used in a measured and responsible way while reducing administrative burdens so educators could focus on engaging and inspiring students.

Assume breach: Build resilience into AI interactions

Even with strong identity controls and well-scoped permissions, no environment is immune to risk. In AI environments, resilience matters because a single compromised account can expose not only files, but also the broader set of content an AI experience can draw from on a user’s behalf.

Assuming breach helps institutions prepare for that reality by:

• Monitoring AI‑related activity for unusual or risky behavior.
  
• Applying consistent protections across devices, apps, and data.
  
• Containing the impact if an account or device is compromised.
  
• Supporting investigation and response when activity looks unexpected.
  

This principle helps institutions move forward knowing their environments are designed to help limit damage and support a fast response.

Apply Zero Trust to Copilot tools with Microsoft 365 Education

Microsoft 365 Education A3 and A5 plans help you turn Zero Trust principles into practical controls by extending your existing identity, access, and data protections to Copilot experiences. That means scaling AI doesn’t require starting over on security.

• Protect identity and access: Microsoft Entra ID and Intune for Education verify users, assess device trust, and enforce access controls across shared devices and varied user roles.
  
• Control what AI can access: Microsoft Purview applies data protection and compliance policies, so Copilot tools only surface information users are authorized to access.
  
• Build resilience as AI scales: Microsoft Defender and Purview Audit help institutions detect and respond to risks as Copilot usage expands.
  

With these capabilities in place, institutions can extend existing governance, compliance, and data protection practices to AI adoption across teaching, learning, and operations. Zero Trust is not about slowing AI adoption. It helps institutions move forward with the security, governance, and confidence needed to scale AI responsibly.

Take the next step in implementing Zero Trust security 

• Participate in a Zero Trust Workshop to assess your posture and build a roadmap for securing AI at scale. 

• Explore the Microsoft Education Security Toolkit for practical guidance for applying Zero Trust across your environment. 

Explore additional Zero Trust resources from Microsoft 

• Discover how Zero Trust principles come together with the Zero Trust Explained video. 

• Explore how Zero Trust applies to Copilot experiences with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. 
• Learn how Zero Trust principles come together with the Zero Trust Explained video.

The post Scale AI safely with Zero Trust security  appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The updated toolkit features improved landscape orientation and a streamlined layout for easier navigation across its five sections:

1. Overview
2. AI Navigators
3. Plan
4. Implement
5. Research

Here’s what’s new in the updated AI Toolkit.

Common AI transformation themes

The toolkit is organized around three common themes that address the full impact of AI in education: 

Student success

Support learning with AI-powered tools—for example, tutoring-style support, automated assessments, and timely feedback. Prepare students with skills-based pathways and industry-recognized certifications.

Institutional innovation

Improve efficiency with AI-powered insights and automation. Modernize infrastructure to support productivity and faculty and staff experiences.

Simplify and secure IT

Protect data and AI systems with security and governance guidance. For example, use Microsoft Security Copilot for threat detection and apply data governance and privacy practices to support trusted adoption. 

With these three themes as your foundation, you can create a sustainable, secure, and student-centered AI program that addresses technical, instructional, and operational needs at the same time.

Reimagined AI Navigators

The AI Navigators section has been updated with a focus on actionable strategies. Each profile now highlights specific steps, decision points, and strategies that have helped schools like yours experience true innovation.

Across three themes—Student success, Institutional innovation, and Simplify and secure IT—you’ll find real-world examples. Each features guiding questions and serves as a blueprint you can adapt to your own context.

AI Sparks: Scaling from individual use to systemic innovation

Building on the toolkit’s existing AI Snapshots that provide AI use cases for individual practitioners, the new AI Sparks focus on team and department-level implementations that drive systemic innovation across your institution.

Here’s the difference: A Snapshot might help an individual educator use Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to create accessible content while a Spark demonstrates how a district-wide literacy team uses Learning Accelerators Reading Coach and Reading Progress to accelerate early literacy across all K-3 classrooms.

In higher education, a Snapshot might help an individual IT specialist create a promptbook in Security Copilot. A Spark, on the other hand, would help the entire department use Microsoft Copilot Studio analytics to identify common helpdesk issues, proactively update resources, and communicate targeted solutions—resulting in fewer support tickets.

Snapshots empower individual practice, and Sparks strengthen institutional capacity. Each Spark emphasizes how teams work together to create lasting change that extends beyond a single classroom, helping you move from isolated AI experiments to coordinated, campus-wide transformation.

Agentic AI: Assistance to autonomy

The toolkit introduces agentic AI and its potential to support institutional operations at scale. These tools can help automate multi-step tasks—like routing common questions or supporting administrative workflows—based on how your institution designs, reviews, and governs them.

The section highlights two implementation approaches: Copilot Studio for rapid, no-code agent creation, and Microsoft Foundry for more sophisticated, custom solutions. It also showcases a real-world example from the University of Leicester, where an AI-powered digital coach reduced staff workload while providing students on-demand access to university information.

Action-ready checklists: Your roadmap from planning to implementation

To help teams move faster, without skipping the fundamentals, we added action-ready checklists that turn guidance into clear, assignable next steps.

• Overview: Take your first steps from forming an AI leadership committee to getting started with Copilot Chat.
• AI Navigators: Explore authentic education success stories from around the world.
• Plan: Prepare for governance and infrastructure readiness.
• Implement: Consider deployment, professional learning, and prepare to move from pilot to scale.

These checklists provide a framework for moving systematically from assessment to action, ensuring alignment across stakeholders and sustainable implementation across your organization.

Build your network through Microsoft Elevate

The toolkit highlights Microsoft Elevate for Educators, an expanded framework that builds on the success of Microsoft Showcase Schools and the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE) programs. By bringing both communities together, it creates new pathways for educators and school leaders to grow, earn recognition, and connect with peers worldwide who are actively implementing and innovating with AI in educational environments.

• Microsoft Elevate Schools: See how institutions like yours are building institutional capacity, creating cultures of innovation, and overcoming the implementation challenges you’re navigating right now.
• Microsoft Elevate Educators: Explore how educators across subject areas and grade levels are using AI to scale teaching and learning—giving you relatable examples to champion and scale across your institution.

This section provides pathways to connect with Microsoft Education communities so you can collaborate with others and share your own AI experiences.

Hour of AI: Develop AI literacy

The toolkit features content on Code.org’s Hour of AI, launched in Fall 2025 and building on the success of Hour of Code to help learners understand the AI technology shaping their future. Through easy-to-follow lessons and activities, including Minecraft AI Foundations and the Generation AI lesson in Minecraft Education, students develop foundational AI literacy while having fun.

Strengthened research foundation

The Research section has been updated to reflect the evolving landscape of AI in education. The resources are organized to help your team quickly find the content you need:

• Microsoft insights
• Data and insights
• Academic research
• Planning support

Use these resources to make informed decisions, build stakeholder confidence, and ground your AI strategy in proven practices. Whether you’re presenting to your board or addressing faculty concerns, you can point to current research that shares real outcomes, addresses common concerns, and validates your implementation approach.

From adoption to transformation

The updated toolkit represents more than incremental improvements. It’s a comprehensive resource designed for institutions ready to move from initial AI introductions to transformative, systemic change. Every update focuses on giving you the guidance you need to address your practical challenges.

The toolkit’s five sections—Overview, AI Navigators, Plan, Implement, and Research—work together to support your entire AI journey. From forming your AI leadership committee to embedding AI across your institution’s operations, you’ll find the frameworks, examples, and evidence you need to move forward with confidence.

Download the updated Microsoft Education AI Toolkit today and take the next step in scaling responsible, sustainable AI adoption.

The post What’s new in the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

At the 2026 Microsoft Digital Sovereignty Summit in Brussels, leaders from policy, IT, and industry gathered to discuss how to balance sovereignty and innovation. A clear theme emerged: digital sovereignty has become a continuous risk management discipline, one that strengthens resilience, security, and innovation.

Five key insights surfaced, outlining what digital sovereignty looks like in practice for education institutions.

1. Digital sovereignty is about operating confidently in uncertainty

Leaders at the summit grounded digital sovereignty in practical terms, reframing it as a risk management discipline rather than an abstract policy concept. For education leaders navigating data privacy compliance, research data requirements, and enabling cross-institution collaboration, this means the goal is to understand risk clearly and apply the right level of control.

A key insight was that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every workload, whether a student information system, a research platform, or an administrative application, carries a unique risk profile and compliance obligation. Sovereignty decisions must be made deliberately, workload-by-workload, enabling institutions to make clearer, more confident decisions in changing conditions. Education leaders should assess risk across student systems, research platforms, and administrative solutions individually rather than applying a single institutional policy to all workloads.

2. Sovereignty and innovation should reinforce each other

A clear consensus emerged at the summit: Institutions do not need to choose between innovation and sovereignty. When grounded in strong security and governance, sovereignty creates the conditions for innovation to thrive. With that foundation in place, education leaders can pursue AI-driven capabilities like adaptive learning, personalized student support, and accelerated research while safeguarding sensitive data in a secure, compliant environment. That requires bringing AI strategy, cloud strategy, and governance into one planning process so institutions can drive innovation while maintaining full control over their data and infrastructure.

Sovereignty is not a single architecture decision. It’s about applying the right controls to each workload without compromising continuity, flexibility, and innovation. Across cloud and hybrid environments, the right controls help institutions protect sensitive data, meet compliance requirements, and improve resilience. Microsoft Sovereign Cloud supports this approach by combining sovereignty capabilities with integrated security to help institutions maintain control while continuing to innovate.

3. Modern cybersecurity requires collaboration, scale, and trust

Sovereignty without cybersecurity is a non-starter, and speakers addressed that reality directly. For education leaders managing sensitive student records, research data, and critical administrative systems, cyber threats continue to evolve, making visibility and coordination essential. Cybersecurity is now a continuous operational priority, not a periodic compliance exercise.

Importantly, discussions challenged a common misconception: that isolation alone equals security. Disconnecting systems or building digital walls can create blind spots by limiting access to global threat intelligence, coordinated response, and real-time threat detection. Strong cybersecurity safeguards do more than reduce risk; they are the foundation for sovereignty and digital transformation. Education leaders should evaluate not just whether systems meet requirements under normal conditions, but whether they deliver the continuous visibility, resilience, and threat defense needed to maintain real control over their environments.

4. Digital sovereignty in the era of AI goes beyond data residency

Summit discussions also reinforced that AI operating under sovereign requirements must be built on responsible data processing and transparent control. This goes beyond where data is stored, requiring clear boundaries around how data is processed, how AI models are trained and operated, and full visibility into how these systems behave across their lifecycle. Leaders emphasized that institutions need AI systems that not only meet today’s regulatory and security obligations but remain trustworthy, auditable, and resilient as requirements evolve. In practice, that means asking not just where data is stored, but where prompts and responses are processed, who can access them, and how controls are applied.

For institutions, sovereignty must be designed end-to-end, including infrastructure, platforms, security, data governance, and AI workloads. To support this, Microsoft is building new capabilities across the stack to support sovereign requirements at scale. For education leaders, these capabilities provide verifiable control over how data is processed and how AI is deployed across learning, research, and operations.

5. Making digital sovereignty work requires collaboration

The final takeaway reinforced a theme that ran through every discussion: digital sovereignty succeeds through collaboration, not isolation. It depends on institutions, governments, and technology providers working together to translate policy into operational reality. Rather than isolating systems, institutions that combine local expertise with trusted cloud and AI infrastructure can maintain control, meet regulatory requirements, and drive innovation simultaneously.

For education institutions, that shared approach makes sovereignty more scalable and practical across teaching, research, and operations. Just as importantly, collaboration helps institutions meet local requirements and maintain the interoperability needed to connect systems, services, and teams. In practice, that means applying the right level of control where sensitivity requires it, not isolating systems in ways that increase risk or operational burden.

A practical approach to digital sovereignty

A strong sovereignty posture gives institutions choice, visibility, and control across diverse environments. The goal is to align capabilities with institutional responsibilities, regulatory requirements, and the sensitivity of each workload, applying the right controls to each rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. For education leaders, that means strong encryption, transparency, and clear access controls in public cloud, with hybrid and sovereign solutions available where greater control is required.  

A risk management discipline that strengthens innovation

Microsoft’s expanded sovereign cloud continuum enables critical workloads to run across diverse environments while still benefiting from innovation, advanced security, operational transparency, and features like the EU Data Boundary and long-standing encryption and access safeguards.

Digital sovereignty is now an institution-wide discipline rooted in risk management. With trusted digital systems, institutions can make deliberate, workload-specific decisions across learning, research, and operations while balancing security, compliance, resilience, and innovation.

Learn more about Microsoft’s approach to sovereignty, security, and innovation

• Microsoft Sovereign Cloud in Europe: Read the whitepaper to learn how Microsoft is approaching sovereignty, security, compliance, and resilience in Europe.
  
• The Future of Learning Starts with Trust: Download this e-book to see how K-12 leaders can adopt trustworthy AI with confidence.
  

The post 5 insights for education leaders from the 2026 Microsoft Digital Sovereignty Summit appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

This year’s theme—AI Aware: Safe, Smart, In Control—recognizes how deeply AI now influences students’ daily digital lives. From learning platforms, creative tools, and online interactions, AI is embedded across the digital ecosystem. With these opportunities come new expectations for digital literacy and critical thinking.

Being AI‑aware means helping learners:

• Assess content shaped by AI
• Recognize manipulative interactions or misinformation
• Protect personal data and digital identities
• Navigate online spaces with confidence, curiosity, and discernment

Safer Internet Day encourages institutions to integrate these competencies into digital citizenship instruction so students can engage with emerging AI technologies safely and responsibly.

The toolkit includes:

• Education aligned security frameworks based on Zero Trust principles
• AI‑powered tools and implementation guidance for small and large teams
• Data governance guidance for AI, learning analytics, and research environments
• Resources for student‑run Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and cybersecurity skilling
• Real campus case studies that demonstrate the impact security tools have made at institutions globally

The toolkit reframes campus cybersecurity—not as a barrier to innovation, but as a sustainable foundation that enables safe AI adoption, global collaboration, and resilient digital learning ecosystems.

Why AI safety and cybersecurity matter in education

Cybersecurity and digital safety are no longer “technical concerns”—they are essential to the mission of teaching and learning. Schools manage a wide range of sensitive information, including:

• Student records
• Learning analytics and accessibility data
• Financial aid information
• Digital credentials
• Federally funded research outputs
• Intellectual property

Campuses are intentionally open environments designed for collaboration, inquiry, and innovation. Devices change hands, systems span cloud and on-premises infrastructure, and users move fluidly across networks. That openness fuels learning—but also increases risk.

A single cybersecurity incident can disrupt instruction, halt essential services, delay research, and erode trust among students, families, faculty, and partners.

Strong security does not restrict innovation; it enables it. A secure foundation allows institutions to adopt AI, expand access, and accelerate digital transformation with confidence.

Building digital citizenship with Minecraft Education’s CyberSafe series

Digital citizenship begins long before college or career. Young learners need accessible ways to practice and internalize online safety skills without fear. Minecraft Education offers a K–12 curriculum program to help educators introduce online safety, digital awareness, and cybersecurity through immersive, age-appropriate learning experiences. The content was developed with experts across Microsoft, including Minecraft Player Safety, Xbox Trust and Safety, and the Microsoft Digital Safety Unit, and aligns to Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) and Cyber.org standards.

In the CyberSafe series for ages 8 to 14, students build critical thinking skills and learn positive online behavior as they explore digital risks in a safe, supported environment. The newest addition to the CyberSafe series, Bad Connection?, offers a trusted way to support digital citizenship and AI-aware learning through play for students ages 11 to 14. By introducing concepts in engaging game scenarios inspired by real life—such as manipulative interactions, suspicious messages, and peer pressure—students have a safe rehearsal space to practice:

• Evaluating risks
• Identifying red flags
• Consider actions and consequences
• Seeking help and report concerns

The goal is to equip students with language, strategies, and confidence to safely navigate online spaces and use digital technologies responsibly. By turning safety concepts into interactive experiences, CyberSafe helps reduce stigma, normalize conversations about unsafe interactions, and strengthen protective online behaviors. Minecraft Education offers free resources for educators, families, and school leaders as well as online training for educators. Explore Minecraft Education’s CyberSafe and digital citizenship resources for more information.

Supporting Safer Internet Day in schools and communities

This Safer Internet Day, we’re highlighting how everyone—students, educators, and families—plays an important role in creating safer, more confident online experiences. By opening conversations about digital safety, we can help learners build strong, healthy habits that support their well‑being wherever they connect and collaborate.

A great place to start is by opening conversations about online safety across your entire school community—students, educators, staff, and families—supported by practical, ready‑to‑use resources from Microsoft Education.

• K–12 Cybersecurity Conversation Guide—offers simple, actionable tips and prompts to help students understand safe online behavior, strengthen digital habits, and build cyber hygiene together as a school community.
• K–12 Cybersecurity Infographic—uses real examples of phishing attempts, scam ads, and suspicious links to help students and caregivers quickly learn how to spot online threats and stay vigilant.

No matter your role, here’s what you can do next:

For educators and school leaders: Use these resources to guide classroom discussions, staff professional development (PD) sessions, and schoolwide digital‑citizenship initiatives.

For IT and safety teams: Share these materials during cybersecurity awareness campaigns, family‑engagement nights, or incident‑prevention training to strengthen your institution’s safety posture.

For families and caregivers: Incorporate these tools at home to help students build safer online habits and stay informed about emerging digital risks.

Safer Internet Day 2026 invites us all—students, educators, families, and institutions—to build a safer, more informed digital world. By strengthening AI literacy, practicing responsible online behavior, and adopting robust security practices across education, we can help ensure every learner navigates AI‑powered digital spaces with curiosity, confidence, and control.

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Empowering education systems, educators, and students to thrive in the AI-era.

Classrooms are places of possibility where curiosity meets knowledge, and potential becomes reality. At Microsoft, we’ve supported education systems, leaders, educators, and students for over 50 years, and remain dedicated to this mission as education is reimagined in the age of AI. Trustworthy AI, combined with practical skills for educators, can amplify teacher expertise making instruction more responsive, freeing time for human connection, and ensuring every learner can actively participate in the opportunities of this new era.

Today we’re excited to advance our offerings, bringing together secure, education-specific technology, supported by skill‑building programs to empower every school, educator, and student to thrive with confidence in an AI‑powered future. We’re announcing Microsoft Elevate for Educators, a program connecting educators with community, professional development, and AI tools to transform teaching. In addition, we’ve launched new AI-powered tools purpose-built for education, including Teach in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to streamline lesson preparation. For educators that have Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft Learning Zone can provide rich, dynamic interactive experiences using on-device intelligence to engage students better.

The new Study and Learn Agent provides students with an AI-powered learning companion to understand concepts and practice skills. We’re also offering higher education students free 12-month access to Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career, supporting them from classroom learning to career readiness. These offerings are designed specifically for schools to help build capacity, develop essential skills, and create more engaging teaching and learning experiences.

Introducing Microsoft Elevate for Educators

The Microsoft Elevate for Educators program is part of the company’s broader Microsoft Elevate commitment to help schools and educators build skills, expand opportunities, and ensure everyone benefits from AI. Through Microsoft Elevate, Microsoft aims to help more than 20 million people gain in-demand AI skilling credentials in the next two years and advance AI education and workforce readiness globally.

The Microsoft Elevate for Educators program equips educators and school leaders with access to one of the world’s largest and most connected peer educator networks, offers free professional development resources and access to in-demand credentials to confidently integrate AI into the classroom. Microsoft Elevate for Educators is available today and includes:

• New global communities for K-12 educators and schools. Educators and schools worldwide face the challenge of integrating AI in ways that truly benefit every student. In response, Microsoft is launching significant updates to its global educator community to help educators strengthen skills, gain recognition, and collaborate globally on best practices in AI-powered teaching. The new Microsoft Elevate for Educators and Microsoft Elevate Schools communities build on our existing global community and now offer year-round membership, expanded training opportunities and resources, and a progressive achievement system for educators to advance as they learn. For the first time, school districts, systems, and ministries can gain special recognition for supporting educators’ professional growth and demonstrating measurable impact in classrooms and across education systems.
• Professional development for educators globally. Free professional development and associated credentials help educators earn recognition for demonstrated skills that can qualify for salary increases or career advancement. The AI Skills Navigator helps educators learn new skills through a suite of new self-paced courses, live sessions, and AI-powered simulations available in more than 13 languages. Also launching during Bett UK 2026, Microsoft is providing educators with a new AI in Special Education course to help enhance and customize student learning.
• Industry-recognized credentials for educators. Available at no cost, the new Microsoft Elevate for Educators Credential, developed in partnership with ISTE+ASCD and aligned to the AI Literacy Framework, helps educators gain confidence and expertise in integrating AI into their teaching and learning. Educators worldwide will also have access to study materials for other Microsoft certifications, including a new Microsoft certification in Instructional Technology which will be made available to educators in the coming months.

In higher education, we continue to partner with colleges and universities to integrate AI into classrooms, empower faculty, and equip students with future-ready skills. Through AI Skills Navigator, we support the entire campus ecosystem. Microsoft Learn for Educators and AI Bootcamps support faculty with ready-to-use Microsoft Official Courseware, making it easier to teach, learn, and apply AI responsibly. And our Microsoft Student Ambassadors program nurtures a vibrant student body and accelerates learning through skilling events, AI adoption, and credentials. Explore more with The Skills Hub Blog.

AI tools designed for education

AI can be a powerful complement to educator expertise. Many of our education tools are available at no cost for Microsoft 365 Education customers such as Teach and the Study and Learn Agent and can help educators save time, simplify planning, and engage students. Additionally, educators, staff, and students can advance their AI journey with a deeply integrated experience and the latest innovations through an academic offering of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

To provide leaders with guidance on responsible and effective AI adoption, we’re sharing a new IDC White Paper, sponsored by Microsoft, A Blueprint for AI-Ready Schools: Strategies from the Front Lines of K-12 Education.¹ It highlights lessons learned from early adopters, such as Brisbane Catholic Education in Australia, Broward County Schools in the United States, and Coquitlam School District in Canada, and outlines opportunities for integrating AI into schools.

Teach: Your AI assistant for instruction and more

Now available in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Teach helps streamline class preparation with intuitive, customizable features including lesson plan creation, quiz, rubric development, and adapting materials to different reading levels. With Teach, you can quickly generate lesson plans aligned to relevant standards, modify content for diverse learners, and adjust difficulty levels with simple prompts. Available at no additional cost for education customers, Teach helps you save time and stay focused on your students’ success.

Microsoft Learning Zone: Bringing the power of Copilot+ PCs to education

Copilot+ PCs are Microsoft’s most advanced laptops yet, combining the power of next-generation hardware with on-device AI and deep Windows integration. Microsoft Learning Zone is an AI-powered Windows app designed to use on-device intelligence on Copilot+ PCs to deliver real educational value. With this new Copilot+ PC app, educators can quickly create, share, and track personalized and interactive learning activities right from their device, instantly boosting student engagement. Students can engage with these activities on any Windows 11 PC to receive immediate feedback and personalized coaching. Microsoft Learning Zone has earned the ISTE Seal of Alignment for learning design, usability, and research-backed teaching practices.

The app draws on trusted content partners, including NASA, OpenStax, PBS NewsHour, the Nobel Peace Center, World Wildlife Fund, Figma, and Minecraft Education—to support high-quality learning experiences. New content additions include the Nobel Peace Center lesson collection, which explores peace, justice, and human rights through stories of laureates such as Malala Yousafzai and Wangari Maathai, alongside companion activities in Minecraft Education.

Educators can share Learning Zone content anywhere through Microsoft Teams, with learning management system (LMS) integration expected later in 2026. It currently supports English and Spanish, with Portuguese, French, German, and additional languages planned for 2026.

Study and Learn Agent: Supporting student growth

The Study and Learn Agent, built on learning science principles, is designed to help students ages 13 and older engage more deeply with academic concepts to develop critical and reflective thinking skills. Students can work to understand concepts, practice with adaptive exercises, explore topics through guided study, or engage with built-in activities like flashcards, matching exercises, and quizzes. Study and Learn will provide students with an AI-powered learning companion that supports their growth and independence.

Supporting students in higher education

Students are already using AI-powered tools for writing, research, creativity, and career planning. For a limited time, eligible higher education students can now get 12 months of Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career—two powerful subscriptions working together to support academic success and jump start careers. The offer is an all-in-one AI-powered plan to help students excel in every aspect of campus life, from writing research papers and organizing class notes, to creating standout presentations and applying for internships and jobs, available at no extra cost for eligible students.²

Trusted resources for education leaders

Security, trust, and accessibility are foundational in education. We’re proud to introduce the Microsoft Education Security Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help education institutions simplify and strengthen their cybersecurity posture. It provides practical guidance for education leaders on everything from strategic planning and compliance to implementation scenarios and real-world case studies.

For organizations just getting started, the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit offers a practical starting point. It includes real-world customer stories, guidance for responsible AI adoption, snapshots of AI usage, and a wealth of information to help you on your AI journey! Read stories and best practices from other education institutions.

Join us in shaping the future of education together

Microsoft is committed to supporting education systems, leaders, educators, and students as learning is reimagined in the age of AI. With tools, skilling, resources, and programs, we aim to help you reclaim time for what matters most: inspiring students, fostering curiosity, and nurturing the next generation of thinkers, creators, and leaders.

Heading to Bett UK 2026 from January 21–23, 2026? Visit Microsoft at stand SM20 to explore our latest innovations. See our full program and explore the 2026 agenda.

¹ IDC White Paper, sponsored by Microsoft, A Blueprint for AI-Ready Campuses: Strategies from the Front Lines of K-12 Education, #US54034625, December 2025.

² With select market restrictions, check here for availability and details.

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Microsoft is committed to ensuring that as AI innovation transforms our world, we’re equipping people with the skills, knowledge, and tools to thrive with AI. That’s why we partnered with CSforALL and a coalition of organizations including Code.org to bring educators, students, and communities around the world a new kind of learning experience: Hour of AI. Building on the momentum of Hour of Code and Computer Science (CS) Education Week, Hour of AI is designed to spark curiosity, build foundational skills, and empower 25 million learners of all ages to take their first step into understanding and creating with AI.¹ 

What is Hour of AI? 

Hour of AI is a global initiative designed to make AI literacy accessible, inclusive, and fun. With just one class and no prior experience, educators can engage learners of all ages with interactive activities and guided exploration to understand how AI works and how it’s shaping the world around us. 

With age-appropriate activities for learners at all levels, Hour of AI helps meet educators and students where they are on their own AI learning journeys. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, leading a school district, running an education nonprofit, or simply a parent or caregiver at home who wants to help your student engage with AI, there are ways for you to participate in Hour of AI.  

Explore three new Hour of AI activities from Microsoft 

From surviving the night with the help of an AI agent in Minecraft to coding and competing in Microsoft MakeCode, students can explore AI through familiar games and apps. Download free resources to help facilitate an Hour of AI in your classroom, school, or community and unlock AI education for all your students.

Minecraft Hour of AI: The First Night 

The new activity from Minecraft Education, Hour of AI: The First Night, challenges students to survive their first night in Minecraft, but with an AI twist! They’ll gather resources and build shelter before sunset with the help of AI agents, discovering how algorithms work and tackling problem-solving challenges through guided prompts that connect gameplay to real AI concepts. The First Night activity is available as a free demo in 29 languages, with classroom-ready lesson plans and educator materials.  

Access step-by-step facilitator training to plan and deliver a Minecraft Hour of AI lesson and connect to AI literacy and computer science standards.

Bug Arena from MakeCode 

Bug Arena from MakeCode is a free, game-based tutorial that introduces foundational AI concepts through coding and competition, where students design algorithms for their own Bug and send it into battle against other AI-powered bugs. They’ll write simple code to control movement and strategy, discovering how AI works through hands-on problem-solving, and experimenting to improve their Bug’s performance in real time. Bug Arena is a free, web-based activity, easy to run in any classroom for grades 3–8. 

Slither Slam from Visual Studio Code for Education 

Slither Slam from Visual Studio (VS) Code for Education is a free, game-based lesson designed for high school learners (grades 9–12). The activity gets students coding with AI prompts by using natural language to generate code for a classic Snake game and then competing against other AI snakes in the arena. This hands-on, engaging format helps students learn AI-assisted code generation, experiment with prompts to see how AI interprets instructions, and build confidence in both coding and understanding AI’s role in development.

Download and get setup with the Slither Slam resources available for educators.

Sharpen your AI skills year-round 

Supporting Hour of AI is just one way Microsoft is working to expand access to AI skills for students and educators worldwide. Through Microsoft Elevate, we offer year-round programs and resources designed to help teachers in every country and classroom confidently bring AI into their teaching—empowering educators to focus on what matters most: student success. Learn more about programs for educators and schools and get started with these resources:

• Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE) Program: Join a global community of educators leading innovation with Microsoft tools and AI integration.
• Microsoft Showcase Schools Program: Collaborate with pioneering schools worldwide to transform learning.
• AI Skills for Educators: Access free resources and training to build AI literacy and integrate AI responsibly into your teaching.

Let’s make AI learning accessible, exciting, and empowering—one hour at a time. Join us for Hour of AI and CS Education Week 2025 and help shape the future of learning.

¹ CSforALL: What’s the goal of the Hour of AI?

The post Unlock AI learning with Hour of AI for Computer Science Education Week appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

This year, Minecraft Education and Code.org are teaming up to make AI learning an epic adventure. Our long-standing partner, Code.org, has evolved Hour of Code into Hour of AI, a global initiative that brings the excitement of coding and AI to millions of students. And now, with our new Hour of AI world, The First Night, students get to experience the thrill of Minecraft while discovering how AI and AI agents work and how to use them responsibly.

Survive the night—with an agent by your side!

Imagine stepping into Minecraft, facing the classic challenge: gathering resources, building shelter, and keeping the zombies at bay. But this time, you’re not alone!

Students will team up with the beloved, blocky Minecraft Agent who needs their help to learn, adapt, and survive. Through MakeCode and Python programming, they will teach the Agent to recognize patterns, classify resources, and coordinate mini-agent helpers, just like a real AI system.

Game-based learning for AI literacy

Research shows that 72% of students want guidance from trusted adults about AI. Hour of AI makes this easy, no deep technical expertise required. Students get to play, experiment, and learn by doing. In this tutorial, every puzzle is a chance to experiment, play, and see your Agent grow smarter with your guidance.

The Agent becomes a “thinking partner,” amplifying human creativity and problem-solving, while the player gets to be the teacher, showing your Agent how to spot acacia wood, build tools, and even fix mistakes (like forgetting to add a door before the zombies arrive!). The game is packed with “aha!” moments, like debugging your Agent’s code or watching mini-agents mine and build alongside you.

The magic of Hour of AI is in the role reversal: students become the experts, guiding their Agent through five essential survival tasks. The Agent starts out clueless, but with your help, learns to tackle challenges and avoid epic fails. It’s hands-on, creative, and sometimes hilarious – especially when your Agent builds a shelter with no doors and you have to save the day!

How to join the adventure

Play the tutorial

• If you already have Minecraft Education, open the app and click ‘Hour of AI’ on the home screen to choose a tutorial.
• If you don’t have a license, download the app and click ‘Try a demo’. Hour of AI is available as a free demo in Minecraft Education, which means it’s accessible to anyone, no license required.

Download educator materials

• Visit our Hour of AI webpage to get free supporting materials including a Facilitator Guide and lesson plan.
• When students complete the Hour of AI, they will receive a certificate of completion. Download this certificate to print, as well as a fun badge.

Register for free community events

• Join one of our Hour of AI Classroom Play-Alongs, where you can join classrooms around the world for a guest-taught Hour of AI live lesson streamed Microsoft Teams.

Mark your calendar for December 8, when millions of students and teachers around the world will celebrate Computer Science Education Week with tons of fun Hour of AI events.

Ready to play, learn, and shape the future?

Hour of AI: The First Night is just the beginning. For educators and students who want more, Minecraft Education’s AI Foundations program offers extended curriculum, teacher training, and an animated series for learners of all ages.

Join the global Hour of AI movement and show students that the AI-powered future is full of creative problem solving, collaboration, and fun. As the sun sets on your first night, the adventure and the learning have only just begun!

The post Solve coding puzzles to survive the night in the new Minecraft Hour of AI appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

As EDUCAUSE’s 2025 Top 10 IT Issues highlights, a leading priority is to build data-empowered institutions that use data, analytics, and AI to enhance decision-making, simplify workflows, and empower teams to improve student success.

Yet many institutions are still limited by siloed and inconsistent data spread across dozens of systems. Becoming data empowered takes more than new tools. It requires democratized data and insights, a clear strategy, and a culture that supports data-driven decision making.

A single, AI-powered platform can provide the secure foundation for unified data. It allows institutions to use AI in ways that are practical and measurable. It has the potential to connect disconnected systems and empower leaders, faculty, and staff with insights that create impact across many parts of the institution.

Building the foundation of a data-empowered institution

Becoming a data-empowered institution is not a one-time project but a continuous strategy that can transform how colleges and universities operate. Institutions that lead with data can:

• Drive institutional strategy with intelligent insights.
• Seamlessly govern and protect data across campus.
• Accelerate research workflows with generative AI.

While unified data and AI-powered insights are key enablers, institutions must also prioritize data security and governance to provide leaders with trusted insights for decision-making. With these fundamentals in place, data can become a trusted institutional asset that helps strengthen collaboration across teams and break down departmental silos. When data is managed as an institutional asset, leaders can make informed decisions and allocate resources where they’ll have the greatest impact.

Microsoft Fabric helps unify data and teams to apply AI at scale, enhance decision-making, and build trust in insights by breaking down silos, improving performance visibility, accelerating innovation, and promoting data security. With these capabilities, leaders can better align resources, support student success, and stay resilient in a rapidly changing environment.

Driving institutional strategy with intelligent insights

Higher education leaders face mounting pressure to make faster, smarter decisions amid enrollment shifts, funding uncertainty, and workforce changes. These challenges ripple across budgets, staffing, and student services, while siloed systems often fragment financial, enrollment, and student success data, leaving leaders with outdated or incomplete insights.

Microsoft Fabric offers a unified foundation to turn institutional data into a source of agility and confidence. By connecting systems and applying predictive analytics, leaders can model scenarios, uncover insights, and act on opportunities such as:

• Tracking shifts in applications and yield rates to redirect outreach and boost enrollment.
• Identifying early signs of attrition and activating support to keep students on track.
• Modelling how changes in enrollment, aid, or scholarships affect financial outcomes.

By transforming data into actionable intelligence, institutions move from reacting to challenges to anticipating them. With AI-powered insights, leaders can automate outreach, streamline reporting, and coordinate action across departments to support student success and institutional resilience.

Like many other schools, Xavier College was grappling with a complex network of platforms and IT products, with its data scattered across 130 disparate systems. The College migrated all current and historic student and staff data to Microsoft Azure in under seven months, consolidating multiple systems and eliminating the need to manage data separately.

Key considerations for leaders: Are your financial and operational models rooted in historical data, or do they anticipate and shape strategy?

Governing and protecting data seamlessly

Colleges and universities manage sensitive information across student records, financial data, medical research, and intellectual property. Rising cyberthreats and evolving compliance requirements can put this sensitive data at risk while fragmented security tools overextend IT and security teams.

By protecting sensitive information and addressing risks quickly, institutions can safeguard research, teaching, and operations while maintaining trust and compliance. Strong data governance helps promote responsible information use, supporting innovation and collaboration without compromising security.

These measures help institutions protect valuable data and maintain trust with researchers and partners:

• Automate checks and reporting to improve audit readiness and reduce manual effort.
• Demonstrate robust data protection to secure grants and renewals.
• Monitor and respond to threats in real time, minimizing disruptions.

As part of Oregon State University’s (OSU) commitment to innovative security protocols, they continue to both deepen and expand their cybersecurity posture. They’re using Microsoft Security Copilot alongside Microsoft security tools with the goal of elevating their proactive security measures, allowing analysts to focus on tasks that add greater value to the institution.

Key considerations for leaders: Does your institution have unified visibility across all data systems, or are gaps still creating risk and stretching your teams thin?

Accelerating research breakthroughs

Research breakthroughs frequently require accurate, connected data that’s ready to power new insights. Critical information is often scattered across disconnected systems, which can make it difficult for faculty and researchers to collaborate efficiently or uncover patterns that drive innovation. In many cases, valuable time is spent cleaning and cross-checking data instead of focusing on discovery.

When institutions build a strong data foundation, they can discover new possibilities. Unified, well-governed data allows researchers to ask better questions, explore trends faster, and collaborate across disciplines while giving leaders a chance to gain predictive insights to drive breakthroughs.

When data is connected and trusted, AI can take research further by automating routine analysis, revealing new patterns, and suggesting fresh directions to explore. With the right foundation in place, faculty and students have an opportunity to spend less time managing information and more time advancing knowledge, securing funding, and driving the institution’s long-term growth.

Using Azure OpenAI, researchers at Georgia Tech were able to analyze unstructured data to better understand the charging experience of electric vehicle (EV) drivers. The volume of information was substantial, but it was estimated that human experts would require 99 weeks to extract the salient data points, which wasn’t realistic. Azure OpenAI was pivotal in advancing the research.

Key considerations for leaders: Are your research teams able to quickly connect datasets across disciplines, or are insights still fragmented and slowing discovery?

Unifying teams and data to support student success

Data empowerment helps institutions maximize innovation and value across operations, instruction, and systems:

• Simplify faculty and staff workflows – Unified data and automation can help streamline administrative work and empower educators. AI-powered tools are being used to improve efficiency and free up time for more strategic tasks. At the University of Waterloo, an AI assistant is helping students navigate job searches more efficiently and access support, contributing to a more streamlined experience that aligns with the university’s focus on student success.
• Engage learners and alumni – With a strong focus on student success and social mobility, California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is transforming higher education to meet the diverse needs of its students. By connecting siloed data and applying AI-powered tools, the university is streamlining processes and personalizing engagement across the student journey.

Becoming a data-empowered institution is a journey, not a destination. These five scenarios show how institutions can transform operations when data is unified, and AI is applied with purpose. The path to proactive leadership starts with unified data. Microsoft can help you move with confidence.

Download the Data-Empowered Institution e-book to see how leading institutions are putting these scenarios into action, and how your campus can take the next step.

Ready to learn more? Discover additional resources and tools to accelerate your data empowerment journey:

• Read the Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study to see how leading organizations achieved 379% ROI with Microsoft Fabric, and how your institution can apply these insights to maximize the value of its data.
• Explore how Microsoft Fabric can help your institution securely unify data, enhance collaboration, and prepare your organization for the AI era.

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