District-wide AI PD that converted skeptics to practitioners.
Kennewick School District needed AI professional development that could meet teachers where they were — from total skeptics to enthusiastic early adopters — across four distinct school models. Banyan delivered a customized half-day session that left zero teachers behind.
A district that couldn't afford a one-size-fits-all answer.
Kennewick School District serves a diverse student population across four distinct school models: traditional schools, project-based learning environments, virtual learning, and a juvenile justice program. As AI tools rapidly entered classrooms, district leaders recognized the urgent need to equip staff with responsible, practical, and policy-aligned training.
KSD sought a PD partner who could move beyond generic introductions to AI, and instead deliver tailored, ready-to-use strategies aligned to their specific context and emerging district policies.
Wide variance in teacher comfort — from AI skeptics to enthusiastic early adopters
Rising concerns around student misuse and academic integrity
A lack of district-specific guidance and workflows teachers could immediately apply
National data: only ~40% of schools have AI policies, and 51% of teachers cite lack of training as the #1 barrier to responsible AI adoption.
Built around the district. Not the other way around.
Banyan designed a custom half-day professional development session — condensed from our 5-part AI PD series — structured around three goals: save teachers time, guide responsible student use, and align practices with policy.
Pre-Session Survey
Gathered teacher input on current AI use, comfort levels, and specific concerns to shape the training before a single slide was written.
Customized Content
Designed curriculum around district needs and teacher input — not a generic template. Focus areas included time-saving workflows for lesson planning, grading, and differentiation; policy-aligned student-use strategies (AI-Free, AI-Assisted, AI-Partnered tasks); and classroom pedagogy redesign.
Engaging Presentation
Used real-world, accessible examples — from pop culture references to concrete classroom scenarios — to ensure relevance across all teacher comfort levels, from AI skeptics to early adopters.
Follow-Up Office Hours
Provided ongoing opportunities for teachers to request additional workflows, share classroom insights, and ask questions as they integrated district AI policy into their daily and weekly routines.
Every teacher left with something they could use the next day.
Post-session feedback revealed unanimous satisfaction — across all teacher comfort levels. Teachers who entered as skeptics left with concrete AI workflows. Experienced adopters left with new policy-aligned structures. And the data bears that out.
Teachers also requested more subject-specific examples and student-facing tools for future sessions — feedback that has directly shaped Banyan's ongoing AI PD curriculum design.
“These specific workflows have been helpful and I will implement them in my own AI work.”
— Experienced AI user
“Yeah, I am more open to using AI for some tasks.”
— Former AI skeptic
This is what makes Banyan AI PD different.
Anyone can deliver generic AI awareness training. KSD's success comes from a fundamentally different approach — one that starts with the district's reality, not a slide deck.
Tailor every session to the district's policies, approved apps, and teacher context
Provide practical workflows and artifacts teachers can use immediately
Address both teacher needs and student-use norms in the same training
Deliver across varied school models, proving flexibility and relevance
Ready to implement your district's AI strategy?
Banyan offers half-day workshops, four-part series, blended models, and ongoing coaching. Every engagement starts with your district's specific context.