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Governor's School launches Google-funded AI teacher program, plans summer institute for 50 K–12 teachers
Summary
The Governor's School for Science and Mathematics announced a Google-funded program that will train educators in AI and data science: seven AI fellows have been named and a four-day, all-expenses-paid summer institute will bring 50 K–12 teachers to campus; applications open March 2.
The Governor's School for Science and Mathematics announced a Google-funded initiative to train K–12 teachers in artificial intelligence and data science, school leaders said during the board of trustees meeting.
Jackie Weber, the school's director of teacher development, said the half‑million dollar grant supports two connected efforts: a cohort of seven AI fellows selected in November to develop curriculum and an AI educator summer institute that will host 50 teachers each year. "These fellows are becoming statewide experts in artificial intelligence and data science," Weber said, adding that the fellows are developing curriculum resources and practical classroom materials.
Weber described the institute as a four‑day, content‑focused program that will be all expenses paid and include a stipend, housing and meals for participating teachers. The institute will emphasize integrating AI into existing subject areas rather than teaching AI as an isolated unit: "It's integrated into your social studies lesson or your science lesson," she said. Applications open March 2; the organizers said they hope to start this coming summer and that the program will run for three consecutive summers.
Weber said the grant's aims go beyond tool proficiency. Fellows and guest speakers will teach teachers how to evaluate AI outputs, prompt‑engineer responsibly and integrate data‑science thinking into classroom instruction. "We want teachers to learn the key skills students need to live in an AI world — not just the different tools," she said.
The institute will bring a mix of national and industry partners to campus. Weber listed invited participants and speakers that include AI educators Eric Kurtz and Tom Liam Lynch, representatives from Duke Energy and Amazon Web Services, and local research partners at Clemson; organizers said the mayor of Hartsville and Google representatives will attend the campus kickoff. The school plans to group participants by grade band and content area to ensure sessions are relevant and interactive; Weber said the organizers will also try to distribute spots geographically across the state within the limits of the program.
School leadership said the Google grant is part of a broader outreach strategy that includes the AI fellows, regional teacher training and partnerships with industry. The trustees were invited to attend a campus celebration tied to the grant kickoff during the "Inside GSSM" event on March 7.
Next steps: applications open March 2; school staff said they will notify trustees with application details and selection criteria as the program launches.
