Worcester County Public Schools is proud to recognize James McGowan, a Special Education teacher at Snow Hill Elementary School, for being named a State Champion in the Presidential AI Challenge.
The Presidential AI Challenge is a national initiative that encourages students and educators to develop innovative solutions using artificial intelligence. As a State Champion, Mr. McGowan is being honored for his exceptional work and dedication to integrating emerging technologies into education.
Mr. McGowan’s achievement reflects the innovative spirit and commitment to excellence found throughout Worcester County Public Schools. enablED IT, Mr. McGowan’s initiative, is an AI-powered accessible learning platform that uses adaptive technology to support non-verbal and minimally verbal students with IEPs in demonstrating their knowledge in ways traditional assessments often cannot. The platform empowers students who have not had a reliable way to show what they know, giving them a meaningful voice in their education while generating real-time progress data aligned to each student’s IEP goals.
Mr. McGowan will advance to the regional round, with winners to be announced in April. Regional winners will be invited to Washington, D.C., for the final competition, where finalists will have the opportunity to win $10,000. Out of approximately 2,500 submissions nationwide, Mr. McGowan was selected as one of 328 State Champions.
To learn more about the Presidential AI Challenge, visit https://orise.orau.gov/ai-challenge/.