White Plains Public Schools • AI Guidance
Built for teachers, principals, assistant principals, counselors, psychologists, aides, and office teams
A tier list for real school work

Prompting That Actually Helps

Most people lose time with AI for the same reason. They ask it to guess. The better move is simple. Give it context. Give it the job. Give it the format. Then edit the result like a professional.

Teachers Principals + Assistant Principals Counselors + Psychologists Teacher Aides + Office Staff Mobile Friendly Copy Buttons Built In
S

Biggest payoff. These usually save the most time and produce the best drafts.

A

Very useful. Strong everyday moves once the basics are in place.

B

Helpful. Good for cleanup, conversion, and sharpening.

C

Lighter value. Fine for low stakes work, not where the real leverage is.

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Clear prompts save time.
Clear thinking saves more.

Quick Copy Starters

Fastest way to start. Copy one, paste it into your AI tool, and replace the brackets. These are meant to be practical, not fancy.

Starter • Teacher

Teacher Prompt Starter

Best when you need a lesson, directions, feedback, an exit ticket, a rubric, or a family message.

Copy and customize
I am a [grade and subject] teacher. Help me create a [lesson, exit ticket, directions, rubric, family email, or feedback note].

Audience: [students, families, staff]
Goal: [what I need this to accomplish]
Use this material: [paste notes, standards, assignment, or draft]
Format: [checklist, lesson plan, email, bullets, table]
Keep it: [length, tone, reading level]

Do not make up details that I did not provide. If something is unclear, list your questions first.
Starter • Administration

Administrator Prompt Starter

Useful for principals, assistant principals, and leaders writing updates, agendas, talking points, and follow up communication.

Copy and customize
I am a [principal, assistant principal, or district leader]. Help me draft a [staff memo, family email, agenda, talking points, summary, or follow up].

Audience: [staff, families, district leaders, students]
Main message: [what must be understood]
Use these notes only: [paste notes, meeting points, timeline, draft]
Format: [email, agenda, bullets, summary, FAQ]
Tone: [steady, direct, warm, concise]

Flag anything that sounds unclear, missing, or too formal.
Starter • Support Staff

Support Staff Prompt Starter

Built for counselors, psychologists, social workers, aides, intervention staff, and office teams.

Copy and customize
I am a [school counselor, school psychologist, teacher aide, social worker, interventionist, or office staff member]. Help me create a [checklist, script, meeting outline, family message, neutral summary, or resource guide].

Audience: [student, family, staff]
Goal: [what this should help with]
Use de-identified notes only: [paste notes without names or identifying details]
Format: [checklist, questions, email, script, summary]
Tone: [calm, plain language, supportive, professional]

Keep the language practical. Do not make conclusions that require human judgment.
S
Most Beneficial
These are the moves that usually change the output the most. Start here first.
01 Talk First. Then Let AI Organize. ▼

The biggest unlock is simple. Stop trying to type the perfect prompt from scratch. Open voice chat, use dictation, or record a rough 1 to 5 minute explanation. Say who you are, what happened, what you need, who it is for, and what the finished product should look like. Then ask AI to organize it.

This works because speaking is usually closer to how people actually think. It gets the real context onto the page fast.

Voice chat Dictation Lesson planning Meetings Student support
Teacher example
I am a grade 6 ELA teacher. I am going to paste a rough voice transcript. Organize it into a 40 minute lesson plan with a do now, mini lesson, guided practice, partner discussion, independent task, and exit ticket. Keep it realistic for mixed readiness levels and use only what is in my transcript.
Administrator example
I am an assistant principal. I am pasting a voice transcript where I explained tomorrow's staff update. Turn it into three things: 1) talking points for a 10 minute staff meeting, 2) a short follow up email, and 3) three likely staff questions with calm responses.
Support staff example
I am a school counselor. I am pasting a de-identified voice transcript about a student reentry meeting. Organize it into a meeting outline, six open ended questions, and a short family follow up email. Keep the tone supportive, clear, and practical.
02 Name The Role, Audience, And Output. ▼

Good prompts are rarely mysterious. They are specific. Who is speaking. Who is reading. What needs to be produced. That three part frame fixes a lot.

A message for students should not sound like a message for families. A family email should not read like a legal memo. Say who it is for.

Clear audience Better tone Less rewriting
Teacher example
You are helping a grade 7 math teacher. Rewrite these directions for students who may skim. Use short numbered steps, bold the due date, and keep the language at a middle school reading level.
Administrator example
I am a principal. Draft a family email about tomorrow's early dismissal. Audience: K to 5 families reading quickly on a phone. Output: one short email with the essential details only and a calm, direct tone.
Support staff example
I am a teacher aide. Turn these routines into a daily checklist for classroom support. Audience: me and the classroom teacher. Output: a simple checklist grouped into arrival, whole group, small group, transitions, and dismissal.
03 Feed It Real Material, Not A Blank Topic. ▼

AI gets stronger when it works from your notes, standards, survey results, draft, or outline. It gets weaker when it has to invent the substance.

Paste the actual material. Then tell it what to do with that material.

Use your notes Less guessing Better alignment
Teacher example
Use the lesson notes and standard below to create one 45 minute science lesson. Do not add labs, materials, or activities that are not in my notes. I want a clear objective, sequence of learning, and a short exit ticket.
Administrator example
Use these staff survey comments to create a summary in three parts: what staff are appreciating, patterns that need support, and two practical next steps for building leadership. Base everything on the notes I pasted.
Support staff example
Using de-identified meeting notes only, organize this into a neutral summary with four headings: presenting concern, supports discussed, action steps, and follow up needed. Keep it factual and concise.
A
Very Useful
Strong everyday moves when you already know the task and want a solid first draft.
04 Ask For Versions, Not One Size Fits All. ▼

One of the best uses of AI is making parallel versions fast. Same core message. Different audience or support level.

That matters in schools because the work often has to travel. Students. Families. Staff. Different reading levels. Different needs.

Differentiation Family friendly Staff version
Teacher example
Take this assignment and create three versions: 1) more support with sentence starters and a worked example, 2) grade level, and 3) extension. Keep the same learning target across all three.
Administrator example
Turn this draft into three versions: 1) a staff memo, 2) a family email, and 3) a short website update. Keep the core facts the same but adjust the wording for each audience.
Support staff example
Rewrite this attendance outreach in three forms: 1) a short phone script, 2) a plain language email, and 3) a concise text message reminder. Keep the tone respectful and clear.
05 Ask For A Specific Format. ▼

If you want a checklist, ask for a checklist. If you want an agenda, ask for an agenda. If you want talking points, say talking points.

Format is not decoration. It changes whether the result is usable.

Agenda Checklist Talking points Rubric
Teacher example
Turn this writing task into a student facing checklist and a four row rubric. Keep both aligned to the same expectations and use language students can understand.
Administrator example
Use these notes to create a 30 minute leadership team agenda with timings, decision points, and next steps. Keep it realistic for one meeting.
Support staff example
Turn these classroom support responsibilities into a teacher aide checklist. Group the steps into before class, during instruction, transitions, and end of day.
06 Use AI To Surface What Might Be Confusing. ▼

This is underrated. Sometimes the best use is not writing the message. It is testing the message.

Ask AI what is vague, what questions people may still have, and what needs to be clarified before you send it.

Clarity check FAQ Before you send
Teacher example
Read these project directions like a middle school student who skims. Tell me the five places students are most likely to get confused, then rewrite only those parts for clarity.
Administrator example
Review this family message and tell me what might still be unclear. List the likely follow up questions families will ask, then suggest one sentence I could add to prevent confusion.
Support staff example
Review this support meeting agenda for plain language and clarity. Flag any wording that may sound clinical, vague, or hard for families to follow. Then rewrite it more clearly.
B
Helpful
Solid for cleanup and conversion. Good value, just not the biggest win.
07 Use It To Shorten And Sharpen. ▼

Once you already know what you want to say, AI can help cut the extra weight. This is useful for email, feedback notes, website copy, and meeting recaps.

The trick is simple. Give it the draft first. Then tell it what to trim and what must stay.

Revision Less formal Phone friendly
Teacher example
Cut this family feedback note to 120 words. Keep the specific strength, the current concern, and the next step. Make it sound warm, clear, and human.
Administrator example
Tighten this staff memo so it fits on one screen of a phone. Keep the key action steps and remove repetition or overly formal lines.
Support staff example
Rewrite this office message in plain language. Keep it short, direct, and easy for families to understand quickly.
08 Use It To Convert One Format Into Another. ▼

Sometimes the content is already done. The problem is format. AI can turn notes into an agenda, slides into a study guide, or a meeting into next steps.

This saves time because you are reusing your own work instead of starting over.

Repurpose Meeting follow up Study guide
Teacher example
Turn these slides and notes into a one page student study guide. Use headings, bullets, and three quick review questions at the end.
Administrator example
Turn these meeting notes into a follow up email with three sections: key decisions, action items, and deadlines.
Support staff example
Turn these de-identified support notes into a short phone script for family outreach and a matching checklist for what I need to cover during the call.
C
Slightly Beneficial
These can help when you are stuck, but they are not where the best results usually come from.
09 Tone Options And Subject Lines. ▼

Helpful? Yes. Game changing? Usually not. This is fine when you want three cleaner subject lines or a few tone options. Just do not confuse polishing with substance.

Polish Subject lines Headline options
Teacher example
Give me five clearer titles for this assignment and three email subject lines I could use for families.
Administrator example
Give me three tone options for this staff message: more direct, more encouraging, and more neutral. Keep the facts exactly the same.
Support staff example
Suggest five clearer titles for this family resource handout and three short subject lines for the email version.
10 Low Stakes Brainstorming. ▼

This is fine for getting unstuck. It is just lighter value. Use it for fresh ideas, not for high stakes decisions or anything that requires accuracy, policy knowledge, or judgment.

Idea spark Low stakes only Human judgment stays with you
Teacher example
Give me ten quick bell ringer ideas for a grade 8 social studies unit on the Constitution. Each should take under three minutes to launch.
Administrator example
Give me eight theme ideas for a short staff appreciation week. Keep them realistic for a school schedule and low cost.
Support staff example
Brainstorm six low prep icebreaker ideas for a small counseling group. Keep them simple, age appropriate, and easy to explain.

Use With Care

AI can save time on drafting and organizing. It should not replace professional judgment, district policy, or privacy standards. In schools, the risks are not abstract. A polished sentence can still be inaccurate, insensitive, or inappropriate for the situation.

Protect Privacy

Do not paste sensitive student, staff, or family information into public tools. De-identify first unless a district approved tool and process clearly allow otherwise.

Keep Humans In The Loop

Use AI to organize language, not to make decisions about discipline, mental health, eligibility, or other areas that require trained human judgment.

Review Every Draft

Always check for accuracy, tone, missing context, and policy alignment before anything is sent, posted, copied into a record, or shared with families.