Active in over 11,000 schools across all 27 Brazilian states, Arco’s trusted name and deep relationships with schools have provided the company with unique insight into the daily challenges teachers face and where artificial intelligence can make a meaningful impact.

After evaluating various generative AI models, Arco chose OpenAI for three key reasons:

Lesson planning is one of the most time-consuming responsibilities for teachers, especially when navigating classrooms with diverse learning needs such as autism, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, or dyslexia. Over 1.7 million students are enrolled in special needs programs in Brazil, so developing inclusive lesson plans can have a large impact. Currently, teachers will work with inclusion support centers to develop a complete individualized education plan (IEP) for each student, which can take hours of planning for each class. The Teacher Assistant is designed to significantly speed up this process. Fernando, a high school teacher, says, “The Teacher Assistant allowed me to optimize my time, saving me hours that I used to spend on tasks such as creating lesson plans and designing classroom activities aligned with the course curriculum. The Teacher Assistant provides suggestions that serve as a gateway to new ideas. With more time for what truly matters, students are positively impacted.”

The Teacher Assistant helps teachers create general lesson plans and then tailor them to individual students’ needs, particularly those with learning disabilities. This tool was developed by codifying inclusion archetypes and protocols with the guidance of pedagogical and inclusion experts. Arco then uses OpenAI models to enable teachers to adapt questions and activities based on each student’s profile. Now, teachers can generate personalized lesson plans simply by describing the student’s inclusion needs to the Assistant. To maintain privacy, only the teacher can access the uploaded student data. Marcia, a high school Director of Curriculum and Instruction shares, “The Teacher Assistant gives teachers more confidence and autonomy. For a parent with a child with diverse learning needs, knowing that the school has a plan and tools that provides inclusion and a personalized plan to this student is wonderful.”