In Washington FAMILY’s September 2026 issue, Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Studies Doug Lombardi joins fellow education and technology experts to explore the opportunities and challenges that exist when students use artificial intelligence.
Lombardi, whose research examines how students evaluate AI-generated content and develop critical thinking skills, emphasizes the importance of keeping students accountable for their own thinking. He encourages parents to let children attempt problems before turning to AI, and to discuss what they learned, questioned and discovered.
“Productive struggle is often where learning happens,” Lombardi says. He also shares practical strategies for helping children evaluate AI-generated information, maintain academic integrity and use AI as a tool for deeper learning, not as a shortcut.
“AI can support learning when it helps students think more deeply, receive meaningful feedback and explore different ideas,” Lombardi says. “Problems arise when students stop thinking for themselves.”
Read the full article (pages 16-19).
