State of California partners with Adobe to integrate AI tools and literacy into high school classrooms
State initiative will give students and teachers access to Adobe’s AI-powered creative tools and training.
Photo credit: Adobe
The State of California has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Adobe to provide high school students and educators with access to its AI-powered creative tools and AI literacy resources.
The partnership is designed to prepare students for workforce readiness and equip teachers with professional development to integrate AI into classroom learning.
Adobe’s education services include tools such as Adobe Express and Adobe Firefly, developed for classroom use, along with training and certification programs aimed at building digital skills. The agreement extends this offering to California schools, focusing on Grades 9–12 and higher education institutions.
Mala Sharma, Vice President and General Manager at Adobe for Education, says, “To create the future, today’s students must learn to speak the language of tomorrow. That means not only having access to Adobe’s world-class, classroom-ready AI-powered tools as they are creating, ideating, or studying, but also becoming fluent in AI itself. This is equally important for educators because when we invest in teachers, we invest in every student they will ever reach.”
Classroom integration and student preparation
Under the agreement, participating schools will be able to use Adobe Express, an entry-level content creation app, and Firefly, a family of commercially safe generative AI models, in teaching and learning activities. Adobe will also provide AI literacy programming and resources to help students understand how to use AI responsibly.
The tools can be integrated into lessons, projects, and career readiness activities, enabling students to build skills such as content creation, multimedia storytelling, and digital marketing. The company says the approach is aimed at lowering barriers to creative expression while developing competencies valued in multiple industries.
A 2025 Adobe and Advanis study found that 91 percent of educators observed improved learning when students used creative AI tools. The research linked this to deeper engagement with content through creative thinking tasks and real-world projects. It also reported that 86 percent of educators believe training in generative AI for creative and multimedia projects improves students’ employment prospects.
