FROM POLICY TO PEDAGOGY: INTEGRATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EUROPEAN SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT.

This thesis explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the educational landscape, looking at both theoretical implications and practical applications. In the first part, the study establishes a theoretical and historical framework to understand how AI tools are actively reshaping the concept of learning. Then, it addresses the urgent challenges of this digital transition by analyzing main European policy frameworks through a deliberately pedagogical lens. Moving from theory to practice, the research provides an empirical foundation by examining eight distinct school contexts to assess whether current classrooms actually reflect these European policy requirements. Ultimately, the analysis outlines four interconnected imperatives for educational stakeholders, concluding that the effectiveness and quality of AI in education will never exceed the quality of the professional, institutional, and pedagogical conditions in which it is deployed.