Community Dialogues
A parent education series at your school: parent coffees and talks on how AI is changing work, jobs, and college admissions.
- WhoParents and school communities
- FormatParent coffees and talks
- WhereAt your school
- LengthSet with your school
- LanguageEnglish or Chinese
Four worries, four honest answers.
The questions parents bring to every dialogue, and how the session answers each one.
- The worry
Headlines swing between alarm and hype
It is hard to tell what is actually changing.
How the session answers itExamples, not predictions
Our team describes how AI has changed our own work and what employers now expect.
- The worry
Will AI do my child’s thinking?
Parents worry that easy answers replace real learning.
How the session answers itWhat students can now make
Real student projects, made in our programs, and what students decided along the way.
- The worry
College admissions are changing
Families want to know what AI means for applications.
How the session answers itAdmissions, then your questions
Part three covers what AI means for applications, then families ask their own questions.
- The worry
What do we do at home?
Families want something they can act on.
How the session answers itConcrete ideas by age
Ideas for students in grades 6 to 12, agreed with school leaders beforehand. There is no sales pitch.
Families are asking what AI means for their children.
Headlines swing between alarm and hype. One session shows families how students now learn by making real things with AI, and how to support that at home.
How work is changing
Examples from our team’s own work, rather than predictions.
What students can now make
Real student projects, and how the same hands-on approach helps with hobbies, passions, and schoolwork.
Support at home
Concrete ideas for families of students in grades 6 to 12, agreed with school leaders beforehand. There is no sales pitch.
ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
DeepSeek
Kimi
Doubao
Perplexity
NotionStudents already use AI. Parents are right to ask.
Four findings from RAND’s national surveys of students and parents. Each links to its source.
- 54%
of U.S. students said they used AI for school in 2025, up more than 15 points in one to two years.
Source: RAND, AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind, September 2025
- 61%
of parents agreed that greater use of AI will harm students’ critical-thinking skills.
Source: RAND, AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind, September 2025
- 1 in 2
students said they are worried they will be falsely accused of using AI to cheat.
Source: RAND, AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind, September 2025
- 80%+
of students said their teachers did not explicitly teach them how to use AI for schoolwork.
Source: RAND, AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind, September 2025
Working Beside AI: What It Means for Our Kids’ Futures
Conversations with families.
- International School of Beijing · October 14, 2026
A parent coffee at ISB
A morning conversation with ISB parents. Jing Jing Yang (ISB Class of 2019) and Phillip An shared what they have seen, and why agency, taste, and craft matter in the age of AI.
- Who
- ISB parents
- Format
- Morning parent coffee
- International School of Beijing · Demo day 2026
Families in the room
The five-day program ended with students presenting working websites and apps to judges, with families in the audience.
- Judges
- Founders and operators from Harvard, Stanford, Y Combinator, and AI labs
ChatGPT
Claude
DeepSeek
Kimi
Perplexity
Plus Gemini, Doubao, and Notion. The point is what students do with them.
Our team has walked the same path.
Arena’s team studied at and worked for the institutions students aim for, and teaches from that experience.
In her words
Education is moving from knowing the answer to knowing what’s worth building. That is the skill AI can’t hand a student, and the one we teach.
Jing Jing YangCo-founder, Arena School
Experience
Brown UniversityEconomics and Behavioral Decision Sciences
Microsoft AIAI research
AppleTechnology
DeloitteConsulting
Tsinghua UniversitySchwarzman Scholar
Kimi · Moonshot AIInternational growth
In his words
AI is changing work quickly. The habits students build now, in class and at home, are what carry over.
Phillip AnCo-founder, Arena School
Experience
CaltechComputer Science
McKinsey & CompanyManagement consulting
Goldman SachsInvestment banking
Harvard UniversityMBA and master’s in engineering
Y CombinatorCo-founded Homebase, the first YC-backed company from Vietnam; Forbes 30 Under 30- Tsinghua UniversitySchwarzman Scholar
Common questions
Who should attend?
Parents of middle and high school students, parent associations, and school leaders and boards. We fit the examples to the ages of the students whose families are in the room.
Is this a presentation about Arena’s programs?
No. The session shares what we have seen of AI at work, in hiring, and in admissions, and what students can do with it. We do not present programs or pricing.
How long is a session?
We set the length with each school, from a morning parent coffee to an evening talk or a longer discussion with school leaders.
Can it be in Chinese?
Yes. Dialogues run in English or Chinese.
Hold a dialogue at your school
Tell us about your school community and preferred dates. We reply within three working days.
Families at a student demo day, Beijing 2026- 01Parent coffeeFor a small group of parents
A morning conversation on how AI is changing work, jobs, and college admissions, with time for questions from the room.
- 02Parent talkFor parents of students in grades 6 to 12
An evening talk covering how work and jobs are changing, student work made with AI, and what it means for college admissions.
- 03Leadership and staff briefingFor heads of school, boards, and counselors
A longer discussion with school leaders on the questions families raise, so staff can answer them consistently.
Get the Arena one-pager
Every program and what we have run, on one page for your team or board.
We will email the one-pager to you within one working day.
Our team has your note and will reply personally within three working days.