The Castlereagh Moment: Education at a Turning Point with AI?

This week's episode explores a defining moment for education in the age of AI.
Fresh from a week of major events in Sydney, including the Microsoft AI Summit, Dan and Ray unpack the newly released Castlereagh Statement - a collaboration between 70+ education leaders calling for urgent change across schools, universities, and training systems. Their message is clear: education isn't ready for the speed and scale of AI disruption.
But that's only part of the story.
We're also seeing a growing pushback on technology in classrooms, with schools limiting screen time and universities questioning device use; while, at the same time, new AI-first models like AI-led tutoring and mastery-based learning are emerging rapidly.
Add to that a widening gap between what employers expect and what graduates can actually do with AI, plus billions being invested in infrastructure and skills, and it's clear: something has to change.
We also dive into the latest research on AI in teaching, from new peer learning models to rethinking assessment and feedback.
This episode connects the dots across policy, practice, and innovation.
Resources discussed this week
• Castlereagh Statement castlereagh.ai
• California schools introduce tech limits theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/22/los-angele…
• Yale considering banning all electronic devices timeshighereducation.com/news/device-free-clas…
• Khan TED Institute announced blog.khanacademy.org/introducing-the-khan-ted-… khanted.org/Home
• LSI: The world's first AI-led university lsi.ac.uk
• Pearson/AWS survey of employers re students pearson.com/en-us/power-of-learning/ai-readine…
• The Pedagogical Promptbook edtechbooks.org/promptbook
• Microsoft's $25 billion AI in Australia announcement news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/invest…
• Harvard adds mandatory AI courses to English writing course thecrimson.com/article/2026/4/23/expository-wr…
Research Papers
• Think–Pair–Chatbot–Share: AI-Facilitated Peer Learning in Chemistry pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00…
• Identifying what our students have learned: a framework for practical assessment validation doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2620053
• Using generative artificial intelligence to reimagine feedback in higher education: a collaborative autoethnography tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2026…