{"id":26620,"date":"2026-08-04T16:31:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/?p=26620"},"modified":"2026-08-04T16:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:33:19","slug":"uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"UF-led Florida AI K-12 Education Task Force receives 2026 Torchbearer Award for collaborative innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

At the University of Florida, academic achievement and innovative research are inspiring a culture of curiosity and collaboration that is propelling students, faculty and alumni to break new ground across multiple disciplines. This ethos is evidenced by the Florida K-12 AI Education Task Force<\/a>, a statewide initiative coordinated through UF\u2019s CS Everyone Center for Computer Science Education<\/a> in collaboration with hundreds of Florida\u2019s education professionals. The task force is working to implement safe and effective ways to use AI within the state\u2019s K-12 communities and education workplaces. The task force was recently recognized for its effort with the 2026 Torchbearer Award at the EDSAFE AI Alliance<\/a> Policy Lab Summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThis recognition reinforces that our work is making an impact beyond Florida,\u201d said Roberto Alonso, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools board member. \u201cIt signals that we are helping set a standard for how AI, innovation and emerging tools are thoughtfully integrated into education, ensuring technology enhances learning while teachers remain at the forefront of the classroom.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/07\/MG_8915-1024×683.jpg” alt=”Maya Israel smiling with arms folded in front of her” title_text=”MayaIsrael” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-34px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Maya Israel, Ph.D.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-80px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

The Torchbearer Award recognizes AI pioneers who consistently share their research in educational settings and support others as they take initial steps to explore AI. The task force has thoughtfully crafted ideas to both introduce and implement practical AI policy and practices across the state. To mitigate potential concerns effectively, policies are being designed to balance AI\u2011driven pedagogical benefits with thorough privacy protections, ethical guidelines and inclusive access for all students and educators.<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind this UF-led initiative is Maya Israel<\/a>, director of the CS Everyone Center and professor of educational technology<\/a> and computer science education<\/a>. Israel and the task force focus on grounding AI initiatives in ethical, transparent practices to ensure that students\u2019 understanding and future success remain the top priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are actively collaborating with school districts to support safe and responsible AI integration in ways that align with instructional best practices,\u201d Israel said. \u201cWe are also researching what teachers and district leaders need to make informed, effective decisions about AI in their settings, and the task force allows us to translate this research into statewide guidance because AI is already in our schools.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Meanwhile, AI\u2019s increasing presence in higher education\u2014particularly at UF\u2014is reshaping teaching, spurring research and streamlining administration. The World Economic Forum predicts that AI could produce a net increase of 78 million new roles worldwide by 2030, dramatically impacting the future workforce that Florida students need to prepare for.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thomas Kennedy, a board member of the Citrus County School District, said, \u201cWe are working to ensure that Florida isn\u2019t just reacting to AI, but leading it. Our focus is on creating a safe, equitable and practical roadmap for our schools.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-67px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/08\/torchbearer-award-1024×690.jpg” alt=”Andrea Claver, Maya Israel, Thomas Kennedy, and Roberto Alonso standing together holding the 2026 Torchbearer Award.” title_text=”2026 Torchbearer Award” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-33px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″ text_line_height=”1em”]

EDSAFE’s Andrea Claver, Israel, Kennedy, and Alonso with the 2026 Torchbearer Award<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Whether it’s through policy development or certain classroom strategies, the overarching goal is to ensure every student, from smaller districts like Citrus County to larger ones like Miami-Dade, has the AI literacy needed to thrive in a modern workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel reiterates, \u201cEducators and district leaders are navigating a rapidly changing landscape in real time, so we cannot afford to be reactive. The task force positions us to be thoughtful and informed in how AI is integrated into Florida’s classrooms in ways that are safe, responsible and grounded in evidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The task force was recognized for championing community-driven AI policy that safely and effectively supports students and educators. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":26623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards"],"yoast_head":"\nUF-led Florida AI K-12 Education Task Force receives 2026 Torchbearer Award for collaborative innovation - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The task force was recognized for championing community-driven AI policy that safely and effectively supports students and educators.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UF-led Florida AI K-12 Education Task Force receives 2026 Torchbearer Award for collaborative innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The task force was recognized for championing community-driven AI policy that safely and effectively supports students and educators.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UF.COE\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T16:31:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T16:33:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/files\/2026\/07\/FloridaAITaskForce_WPCard.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"633\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"alaisa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UF_COE\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UF_COE\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"alaisa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/uf-led-florida-ai-k-12-education-task-force-receives-2026-torchbearer-award-for-collaborative-innovation\/\",\"name\":\"UF-led Florida AI K-12 Education Task Force receives 2026 Torchbearer Award for collaborative innovation - 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