EdDemTech
At the frontier of civic innovation, EdDemTech is where education, democracy, and technology converge. This mission area pioneers new digital tools and platforms that strengthen democratic participation within public education systems. From AI-assisted deliberation to real-time community engagement interfaces, we build technologies that enable inclusive, solution-oriented dialogue between schools and the communities they serve. Our flagship initiative, Outreach, transforms public input into structured, actionable data—helping districts listen better, govern smarter, and make democracy work in every ZIP code.
Outreach
Overview
Outreach is a first-of-its-kind digital platform that uses AI to enhance community participation in school governance. Designed for equity and transparency, it supports inclusive deliberation, summarizes community input, and shares decisions back to participants, closing the loop between voice and action.
Why It Matters
- Most school districts lack meaningful public engagement infrastructure.
- Community feedback is often siloed, inaccessible, or ignored.
- Outreach creates a digital public square that prioritizes equity, clarity, and impact, especially for communities historically excluded from governance processes.
Our Approach
- Asynchronous deliberation forums hosted online
- Participants can:
- Submit ideas and comments
- React and deliberate with peers
- Review AI-generated summaries of key themes
- See what actions were taken
- Submit ideas and comments
- Designed for use by:
- School boards
- PTAs
- Student governments
- Community advisory councils
- School boards
Key Activities
- 2024: Beta development and internal testing
- 2025: Pilot with select NYC and national school districts
- Feedback cycles with educators, families, and board members
Impact Goals
- Increase engagement in local school decision-making
- Improve transparency and policy responsiveness
- Reduce participation gaps across race, class, and language
Resources
- Platform demo video
- One-pager for district leaders
- Case study from pilot site (forthcoming)
Teams & Partners
- Development led by CEE’s Deliberative Technology Team
- Collaborators in AI, education, and civic tech
- Open to new district or foundation partnerships