Why Flint
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Case Study
How Durham Academy used Flint to embrace AI for students and teachers
Case Study Summary
An introduction to Trevor Hoyt and Julian Cochran
Could you introduce yourself, your role, and how AI is involved in what you do?
Trevor Hoyt:
I'm the Director of Information Technology here at Durham Academy. This is my 27th year at the school, and it's just funny how technology has changed over such a long period of time. When I started here, we were dealing with these humongous beige iMacs in our computer labs. We have no labs anymore – everything is mobile now. It’s all gotten much smaller and more personal, and AI I think is just an evolution of that. It's something that we're going to have to come to grips with as a society. That's what we and our teachers have been trying to figure out what it looks like at the school.
Julian Cochran:
I'm going into my 26th year at DA. I teach computer science and I'm a soccer coach and I also help with technology integration. Trevor and I are actually physically in the same office along with the remainder of our IT staff, so we have frequently had conversations about what we are interested in doing as our community has evolved digitally over the last 26 years. Now tech is not even a tool anymore. It's just a part of our daily lives.
Those conversations start in our office, and then I take those in turn and sit on an Upper School academic committee with academic leaders from the various departments. I take ideas to them, get feedback from them, hear from them, what's going well, what's not going well.
I really appreciate that Flint is giving us a way to show we value AI in our community and it's not just this big scary thing. Here, it’s a way that we can teach kids about AI in a venue that provides us with some boundaries and engages kids and faculty in a good conversation about what it can do and its potential in our classroom.
Crafting Durham Academy’s AI Philosophy
How did the initial conversations around AI begin? What was teacher sentiment like?
Trevor Hoyt:
We started out with an informal AI discussion group that was just through Microsoft Teams. Initially it mostly involved sharing thoughts about different articles on AI. Predictably, some of the articles are about the amazing potential of AI, and some articles were about the dangers of it and what it meant for our kids.
Very quickly, there were two groups of teachers: those who believed that we needed to really do more with AI and work with our students, and others who saw AI as potentially dangerous to the development of critical thinking and writing skills. But I believe everyone agreed that we couldn’t really know for sure if it was good or bad, especially If we didn’t even try it.
So, we were looking for something sandboxed and controlled by our IT department. Those were things that we really liked about Flint: that it wasn't us just sending teachers and students out to the Internet or to ChatGPT. Flint is a platform that is specifically designed for students and teachers to use AI in a way that they really can't get into trouble with it. That was what made Julian and I decide to give it a try.
Veracross also played an important role in our adoption of Flint. We've been a Veracross school since 2010, and we really love the company and respect what they do. Veracross held a webinar on AI, and that's how we initially found out about Flint. They mentioned it in the call and Julian and I looked into it. Flint seemed like a platform that could really help us out, especially if Veracross was pitching it as a potential solution.
Julian Cochran:
Trevor got off that Veracross call and within a week, we were ready to roll with the Flint team. Our associate head of school came to us and said, you know, with smartphones in 2007, schools really dropped the ball on educating kids on how to use them as a tool. In our learning community, we’re still struggling with what to do with smartphones, and now the research shows that how kids engage with a smartphone now is unhealthy for them in a lot of ways, especially in regards to emotional well-being and constant comparison via social media.
Now with AI, we can face the people who want to ban it and are worried about what AI is going to be like in 20 years, and we can say, ‘I don't know, but smartphones came out about 20 years ago and look at where we are now.’ Who's going to teach our students how to effectively lean into AI and where its benefits and where its perils are? If we don't take the lead now, this is going to be smartphones 2.0 and I think that analogy really made a big difference with a couple of those teachers who were absolutely against AI.
Many of our trustees work in the private sector and the Research Triangle area in North Carolina. They're seeing it on their end as a revolutionary thing. They tell us, ‘You guys at this school where my kids go, you can't leave this behind.’ So, kudos to our Associate Head of School Kristin Klein — she's been great about really supporting us and pushing us to move in this direction as well. And she worked with our Board of Trustees to draft a statement of philosophy on Generative AI use for the school. It reads as follows: “To prepare our students for moral, happy, productive lives in an unscripted future, we will engage Generative Artificial Intelligence through strategic and playful experiments to accelerate and enrich learning, teaching, operational efficiency and community life. With appropriate protections for data privacy and an emphasis on ethical decision-making, we will maintain the centrality of individual creativity, authentic relationships, and human thriving.”
How has the parent response to AI use in the classroom been?
Trevor Hoyt:
There's a small group of parents — and we're seeing this more and more at our Lower School and our Middle School — who are reading a lot of articles about the dangers of overuse of smartphones and giving access to that sort of technology too early for a kid developmentally. So, in a similar vein with AI, there is concern with a small but probably growing body of our parents that our students, even at fifth grade, are spending too much time on their devices. That's something we're going to have to balance as a school. But overall, many of our parents work in technology, engineering, medicine, and higher education – fields where Generative AI is already making an impact. So, I think most of our parents are supportive of this direction. Plus, our Board is interested in finding ways that the school can leverage AI. They don't want us to be left behind.
Julian Cochran:
At our Upper School back-to-school night last year, I had the last session of the night, and the parents were tired. Instead of just introducing myself and talking about the class, I asked, ‘Why do you think your kid is taking this class?’ Some parents gave typical answers like interest in coding, and one dad joked that his son thought I was cool because I coach soccer.
Then, to make a point, I pulled up ChatGPT and showed how it could solve the entire AP Computer Science free response questions perfectly in seconds. After that, I asked again, “So, why is your kid taking this class?” It was a moment where the parents really saw how AI could change things, and it sparked a lot of interest.
The next day, our Upper School Director told me a few parents had emailed him, saying they were excited about the class. It was a great moment that highlighted how important it is to teach students to use AI as a tool, not just depend on it. Many of the parents, especially those in tech, have been supportive of using platforms like Flint in the classroom, and that conversation really helped make that clear.
Durham Academy’s rollout and usage of Flint
How did you all go about rolling out the platform to teachers? How have they responded to Flint?
Trevor Hoyt:
When we started with Flint, we didn’t have strict goals. We just encouraged teachers to try it and see what they thought. Some were hesitant about AI, so we focused on creating a safe environment where they could explore, make mistakes, and learn without feeling pressured. That’s been key to getting more teachers on board and comfortable using Flint in their classrooms.
Julian Cochran:
We didn’t set out with a detailed plan, but teachers started coming to us. For instance, some asked if we needed a policy on AI, but we’ve learned it’s more about taking a flexible position than having a rigid policy. AI is evolving so fast that any policy would be outdated almost immediately. We’ve been telling teachers, ‘Engage with AI however it fits your class — whether you’re fully on board or prefer not to use it, just be clear with students about your expectations.’ That approach has really helped, especially with teachers who were anxious at first. Now, we’ve got around half of the high school faculty using Flint regularly.
One thing that’s been great is how departments started requesting demos. After I showed Flint to the academic committee, the history department invited me to do a demo for them. Five history teachers started using it after that. Then, the world languages and science departments wanted their own demos too. The interest just kept growing. Even students were using Flint independently for their Global Online Academy (GOA) courses, asking Flint questions to help with assignments. That’s when we realized Flint was really starting to gain traction.
Trevor Hoyt:
It’s been exciting to see that momentum. While the Upper School (grades 9-12) has engaged the most, the Middle School (grades 5-8) has been slower, but they’re also going through a big shift adapting a competency-based learning model for their academic program and launching a new platform for reporting academic progress and assessments. So, they haven’t had as much time to explore Flint yet. But looking ahead, we want to help teachers feel more confident in setting clear expectations for how students use AI. We’re thinking of encouraging them to split their assignments into three categories: no AI use allowed, optional AI use, and assignments where they must engage with AI. This will help students understand when and how they can use it.
Julian Cochran:
Absolutely. If we don’t make those expectations clear, students might just think, “Well, they didn’t say anything, so I’ll use AI.” And we’d much rather they use Flint, where everything is safe and structured, rather than some random AI tool online. Plus, the fact that students are already using Flint on their own for GOA classes shows just how user-friendly and helpful it is. One of my students was using Flint to help with a global health policy project for a GOA course, and I thought, ‘Wow, they’re figuring this out without us even pushing it.’
Trevor Hoyt:
And that’s really what we love about Flint — it’s growing organically. Teachers are using it, students are using it, and departments are getting excited about what it can do. We’ve got more plans in the works too, like presenting Flint to the whole faculty this fall. It’s going to be a great way to keep the conversation going about how AI can enhance teaching and learning. Flint has been such a positive force in that, giving us the structure we need while still letting everyone explore and grow at their own pace.
Uses and impact of Flint
Julian, do you want to speak to how you've been using Flint as a teacher?
Julian Cochran:
Over the past few years, I noticed that younger students were taking AP Computer Science, and I started thinking about how to challenge them long-term. When we redesigned our Upper School curriculum, I used Flint to help design my new intermediate coding course. Instead of planning everything myself, I used Flint to generate learning goals and course structure. It was a huge time-saver and gave me fresh ideas for what to teach.
In class, Flint has been a game changer, especially with debugging. I used to have students write their names on the board if they needed help, and I’d spend most of the class troubleshooting their code. Now, I tell them to drop their code into Flint and let it find the errors for them. Flint catches syntax mistakes almost instantly, saving me and the students a ton of time. It empowers the kids — especially in my advanced courses — by allowing them to troubleshoot independently, leaving more time for them to focus on the bigger concepts.
I’ve even seen students using Flint for projects outside of class, like for Global Online Academy courses. It’s been amazing to watch them figure things out on their own with Flint’s help. I’m now more of a facilitator, guiding their learning, rather than the only source of answers. It’s shifted the dynamic in my classroom, making it more interactive and self-driven.
In our machine learning and AI class, which I oversee, students have started using Flint for assignments as well. They’re creating complex projects, like writing prediction algorithms for NBA draft picks, and using Flint to analyze data and refine their work. Seeing them dive deep into these projects with Flint’s support has been one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching with this tool. Flint has really made my classroom more dynamic, giving students confidence and the ability to push their coding skills further than they would have on their own.
How have students reacted to Flint?
Julian Cochran:
Students’ reactions to Flint have ranged from, ‘Wow, this is really cool!’ to moments of surprise when they realize how quickly it helps them solve problems. They’re excited when Flint catches errors in seconds — issues that would’ve taken them ages to figure out on their own. I had one student, who’s a bit of a skeptic, keep asking me to just explain things instead of using Flint. But after a few tries, even he said, ‘Okay, I get it. This actually works.’
Some students thought we were trying to block any AI platform at first, but once they saw what Flint could do, they understood why we’re using it. Flint makes learning more efficient and gives students confidence to dive in and experiment. Instead of getting stuck on small coding issues, they’re able to keep moving forward and focus on bigger challenges.
In the classroom, Flint has made a real difference. Students feel more empowered, more independent, and they’re pushing their learning further. The moment they see Flint help them crack a problem or fix their code, it’s like a spark goes off. It’s been great watching them take control of their learning in new ways.
Future of AI at Durham Academy and final thoughts
What are you wanting to try next? What is exciting you the most right now?
Julian Cochran:
I’m really excited about using Flint in my artificial intelligence and machine learning class for the first time this year. I want to see if it can shift students away from relying on YouTube tutorials or ChatGPT and instead guide them with a more formal, structured platform like Flint. I’m curious to see how Flint can help us take detours in the curriculum and open up new learning paths for the students. Flint feels like a tool that will keep us ready as standardized computer science curricula evolve. It’s exciting to think about how Flint can help us adapt and get students prepared for whatever’s next, whether that’s Python or a whole new language.
It’s more about facilitating new things than just teaching them. I think Flint really supports that adaptability, which is important in our environment. We have to be ready to pivot quickly, and an AI tool like Flint is going to help us stay flexible. If teachers lean into it and see what they can do with Flint, I think it can really enhance their classes.
Trevor Hoyt:
I agree. What excites me about Flint is that it brings all these tools for tutoring and student support into one platform. It’s like a Swiss army knife for all disciplines. I love how it’s integrated world language standards and has that helpfulness indicator, so teachers can adjust the difficulty level for students. Flint allows us to streamline our tech tools, which is a big deal. The more tools we have, the more scattered our data and training become. I’d rather support fewer platforms and really make the most of them, and Flint fits right into that approach. I’m excited to see how we use all the new features you’ve added over the summer.
Is there anything else you both want to add? Any concluding thoughts?
Julian Cochran:
Just what I mentioned at the ATLIS Conference earlier this year — if you have other schools interested in hearing how Flint is working for us, feel free to reach out! We’re happy to talk with anyone considering it and share how we’re using it.
Trevor Hoyt:
We’re definitely open to talking to other schools. We’ve had local schools reach out to us, and we’re always happy to share our experience with Flint and how it’s benefited us!
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