Educators are moving from panic to pragmatism as AI use spreads in K‑12 and higher education. Classroom pilots show teachers leveraging generative tools to produce differentiated texts, scaffold comprehension, and create adaptive assessments; at the same time, schools report a patchwork of policies and uneven teacher readiness. Instructional case studies highlight AI's potential to support learning when teachers design assignments that require human judgment rather than rote output. Surveys from the College Board and other research show many high‑school students accept both benefits and risks: roughly two‑thirds say excessive AI use could harm learning or promote dependency. District leaders reported a proliferation of informal, teacher‑level policies rather than coherent district frameworks, leaving principals concerned about academic integrity and uneven implementation. Experts recommended clear guardrails, teacher professional development on AI literacy, and assignment redesigns that make misuse harder and learning gains measurable.