Human-Centered AI in Education: Ethical Frameworks, Teacher Agency, and Inclusive Practices in the Algorithmic Era

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into school contexts is transforming traditional educational landscapes. While algorithmic tools offer unprecedented opportunities for data-driven customization, they simultaneously pose significant ethical and pedagogical risks. There is a growing concern regarding a "technicistic drift" that reduces teaching to mere automation and technological instrumentalism. In response, the international scientific community emphasizes the urgency of shifting toward Human-centered AI frameworks. Within this context, the Erasmus+ project STIAEM ("Slow Tech Innovation: AI, Ethics, and New Teaching Methods", Project Reference: 2025-1-IT02-KA220-SCH-000365213) promotes a reflective approach where technology serves as a "co-creator" and cognitive scaffolding rather than a replacement for human intellect, keeping the human being firmly at the core of the educational process through a pedagogically grounded relationship.This Research Topic aims to explore, with theoretical reflexivity and empirical rigor, how human agency can remain central in automated educational environments. The core objective is to investigate the conditions necessary to sustain the professional development of teachers, ensuring they can exercise critical and conscious agency when hybridizing didactic practices with algorithmic tools. Furthermore, this collection seeks to address how AI integration can actively promote equity and avoid marginalization. By leveraging frameworks like the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), this Research Topic aims to define how ethical AI can be operationalized to foster genuine classroom inclusion, shifting the focus from technological efficiency to sustainable, values-driven educational innovation.We welcome multidisciplinary contributions, including empirical research, theoretical perspectives, and methodological innovations, that address the intersection of AI, ethics, and teaching practices. Specific themes of interest include, but are not limited to:● Ethical and conceptual frameworks for Human-centered AI in schools;● Transformation of teacher professionalism, roles, and pedagogical identity in AI-rich environments;● Critical scientific literacy and conscious agency for educators and students;● AI as a co-creator and cognitive scaffolding for custom learning pathways;● Operationalizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) through algorithmic tools to foster inclusion;● "Slow Tech" perspectives and sustainable, reflective policies for digital education.Key Article Types: Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Perspective, Methods. Topic editors: Viviana Vinci, Laura Sara Agrati, Reina Castellanos Vega, LOREDANA PERLA, Mateo-Guillen, Copelia Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85580/human-centered-ai-in-education-ethical-frameworks-teacher-agency-and-inclusive-practices-in-the-algorithmic-era