Every time a headline highlights Oregon’s declining reading scores, it reminds us that the state desperately needs effective programs to support struggling readers. Literacy is foundational, and we should be investing in evidence-based strategies that work.
What we don’t need is what Portland Public Schools just signed on for: a $148,000 contract with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Lumi Story AI, a start-up company with no proven track record of improving literacy outcomes for children.
The Promise vs. the Reality
The stated goal of the program is to boost reading comprehension by teaching students—and their teachers—to use a generative AI tool to produce comics and graphic novels. On the surface, this may sound innovative. Comics can indeed be a powerful gateway to reading and writing. At the Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts, we’ve seen it firsthand. For two years, our summer workshops, Reading, Writing, and Drawing Comics, have helped students strengthen literacy skills through the creative process of making their own comics.
But here’s the difference: when kids write and draw comics themselves, they’re practicing the very skills they need to succeed—reading, writing, critical thinking, and creativity. When they rely on generative AI, those skills are replaced by shortcuts. The computer does the work.
The Ethical Problem
Generative AI isn’t neutral. These tools are built on the uncredited and uncompensated work of artists and writers, whose creative output is mined to train the algorithms. Students may not realize it, but when they generate a story or an illustration this way, they’re essentially participating in plagiarism. Schools claim to have zero tolerance for plagiarism—yet PPS is now paying to teach it.
Skirting Public Review
Even more troubling is the way the contract was structured. At $148,000, it falls just under the threshold that would have triggered a review by the school board. This looks less like a coincidence and more like a calculated effort to avoid public scrutiny. Parents, teachers, and taxpayers deserve transparency, especially when untested programs are being introduced into classrooms.
The Bigger Picture
To be clear, there is good news here: PPS recognizes that comics can be an effective tool for literacy. Visual storytelling captures students’ imaginations and helps reluctant readers find their footing. But instead of investing in proven, creative, hands-on programs, PPS is entrusting children’s learning to unproven technology with serious ethical baggage.
Oregon students need tools that foster genuine engagement with reading, not programs that encourage them to outsource the hard work of writing and creating.
Time for a Public Conversation
This is not just a budget issue. It’s a question of values: Do we want to teach kids that learning is about curiosity, practice, and persistence—or that it’s acceptable to pass off someone else’s work as their own?
The community deserves a voice in this decision. PPS must bring this contract into the light of public review. And parents, educators, and concerned citizens should demand a course correction before we normalize plagiarism in the name of literacy.
Leave a Reply