CARL Commitments
Our Commitments & Design Principles
How CARL approaches equity, accessibility, Indigenous sovereignty, teacher control, and responsible AI in education.
Where CARL is today
These commitments describe the design principles guiding CARL today, what we are actively refining with educators, and what we intend to formalize as the platform grows.
The short version
CARL is designed to support teachers, not replace them. We use AI with constraints, guardrails, and teacher review, especially around equity, accessibility, Indigenous content, and sensitive classroom contexts.
Teacher-controlled
Editable outputs
Responsible AI
Built with educators
Our Perspective
CARL is grounded in British Columbia and built with K–12 public-education teachers in mind, while engaging questions that matter in classrooms everywhere: equity, accessibility, responsible AI, Indigenous sovereignty, and teacher control.
This page explains how CARL approaches responsible AI in education today and as the platform grows. It is meant to be transparent about what CARL is, what it is not, and how our values shape design decisions.
These commitments are not a finished claim of perfection. They are the standards we are using to build, test, revise, and hold ourselves accountable.
A necessary boundary
We are not Indigenous. We do not speak for Indigenous peoples, Nations, or communities. CARL is designed to point teachers toward Indigenous-authored and Indigenous-led sources, with strong guardrails intended to keep it from generating, interpreting, or prescribing Indigenous knowledge.
We work on land where First Peoples have lived and continue to live, and we understand that this carries responsibility, not authority.
What CARL Is, and What It Is Not
These boundaries matter now, and they will continue to matter as CARL grows.
CARL is
A teacher-controlled planning platform designed to reduce workload while supporting inclusive, curriculum-aligned instruction
A structured system that offers optional enhancements such as UDL, accessibility, equity and inclusion, student voice, SEL, and trauma-informed supports
A tool that supports professional judgment through editable outputs, clear constraints, and guardrails
CARL is not
A replacement for teacher expertise, professional judgment, or relational teaching
A curriculum authority, evaluator, or “one right way” teaching engine
A source of Indigenous knowledge, or a system built to generate or interpret Indigenous teachings
Our Commitments
Today, these commitments guide what we build, test, and revise. As CARL grows, they will continue to shape product decisions, support materials, and future accountability practices.
Equity
Equity as structure, not add-ons
For CARL, equity is not a checklist or a decorative statement. It is built into lesson structure, prompts, and safeguards.
Prompt for perspectives beyond dominant norms
Flag common representation gaps and assumptions
Support bias-aware instructional decisions
Teacher agency
Teacher control and professional judgment
CARL is designed to support teacher expertise, not replace it. Teachers control the inputs, decide what to use or skip, and retain authority over instructional decisions.
We are continually refining these workflows with educator feedback, and teacher review, editing, and publishing control remain core to the platform.
Accessibility
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning
CARL is designed to suggest concrete ways students can access learning and demonstrate understanding while maintaining meaningful expectations.
Frame supports as universal, not “for some students only”
Support differentiated access, expression, and participation
Reduce workload without lowering rigor
Student agency
Student voice, agency, and consent
CARL is designed with the belief that students are not passive recipients of learning. Student voice shows up through choices in process, format, audience, collaboration, reflection, and participation.
Agency is not treated as an engagement trick. It is a matter of respect.
Responsible AI
Responsible AI in education
AI tools can produce errors, bias, or confident-sounding misinformation. CARL is intentionally constrained by pedagogical rules, ethical guardrails, and validation checks.
We continually test how CARL flags uncertainty, prompts teacher review, and avoids harm. Review and accountability remain central to how the platform is used.
Indigenous Resource Pathways
Respecting sovereignty and self-determination
Indigenous peoples hold the inherent right to govern their own knowledge, cultures, histories, and protocols. CARL’s Indigenous Resource Pathways approach is designed around that boundary, with strong guardrails that work to keep AI from crossing it.
What CARL is designed not to do
Generate Indigenous teachings
Interpret Indigenous knowledge
Replace relationship, consent, local guidance, or Indigenous-led leadership
Force Indigenous connections where authentic connections are not clear
What the feature is designed to do
CARL’s Indigenous Resource Pathways feature is designed to support respectful classroom inclusion by pointing educators toward Indigenous-authored works, verified Indigenous-led resources, and trusted collections where authorship and provenance are clear.
The feature is teacher-initiated and opt-in. When certainty is not possible, CARL should point teachers toward trusted sources rather than guessing. If no authentic connection exists, CARL should name that gap rather than inventing one.
In development
Giving Back
We are building a giving-back workflow connected to the Indigenous Resource Pathways option. Our intention is to support community-led healing and remembrance work by donating to the Na-mi-quai-ni-mak Community Support Fund at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
This donation is not a substitute for relationship-building, guidance, or consent from Indigenous communities. It does not give CARL authority to generate or interpret Indigenous knowledge, and it does not replace the need for Indigenous-led leadership in this space.
Because this workflow is still in development, we are finalizing the donation structure, including amount, timing, and reporting cadence. When it goes live, we will publish a clear explanation of how donations are triggered and how totals are reported.
Learning, Limits, and Accountability
This work is ongoing. We are continually learning, refining, and revisiting our design decisions.
What we can say now
CARL is continually tested, revised, and shaped through educator feedback. We are careful not to overstate where we are today, especially around consultation, Indigenous guidance, and long-term accountability practices.
We welcome respectful dialogue and feedback as we continue improving the platform.
What we are working toward
As CARL grows, we intend to keep strengthening transparency, documentation, educator feedback loops, and future relationships with Indigenous educators who can guide this work responsibly.
We will not claim partnerships, consultation, or authority we have not yet undertaken.
Have feedback on these commitments?
We welcome respectful dialogue as CARL continues to grow and improve.