A typical high school English teacher grades over 3,000 essays per year. Each essay deserves detailed, constructive feedback, but with 150 students, most teachers can only manage a letter grade and a few brief comments. Students receive their work back with a 'B-' and no clear understanding of how to improve. AI is transforming this dynamic. When one school district piloted AI-assisted feedback tools, teachers reported spending 60% less time grading while providing 3x more detailed feedback per assignment. Students revised their work more frequently and showed measurable improvement in writing quality. The key insight: AI does not replace the teacher's judgment on grades, but it handles the labor-intensive work of identifying specific areas for improvement, citing examples, and suggesting concrete next steps.