What New Report Tells Districts about EdTech Use in First Full Year with COVID

Here are the facts: U.S. school districts accessed an average of 1,449 edtech products each month during the 2020-2021 school year (September 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021) according to the 2021 EdTech Top 40 report released today. The report analyzed more than 44 billion data points, analyzing engagement with 8,600+ different education technology tools by more than 2 million students, 250,000 educators across 2,800 organizations.

3 Takeaways for District & State Leaders

Our 4th annual release of this national analysis provides a breakdown by category, access to see deeper numbers in the largest categories and names some names. And, while there’s always commentary on the product providers, changes in the list and edtech trends, I want to share what jumps out at me for K-12 districts and state education agency leaders.  

#1: The likelihood of duplication and overkill is real and pervasive. The number of edtech tools accessed in districts continues to rise year over year, up over 52%(!) from the pre-pandemic levels. On average, districts are activating more than 70 math and ELA tools, more than one LMS and more than one single sign-on (is it still single sign-on if you have more than 1?!). *   

Questions district and state leaders are asking now include: 

• Are we using multiple tools for the same purpose? 

• How and where can we reach “addition by subtraction” – reduce and make life easier?

• Are we getting the engagement and results we expect from the edtech tools we license? 

• Are the edtech tools used by our educators and students compliant with privacy regulations? 

• Do they align with instructional practices and district strategy?

#2: “Freedom of choice” is likely contributing to educators (and families) feeling overwhelmed. Educators are using 64% more edtech products compared to pre-pandemic levels, now averaging 967 tools accessed by each districts’ educators every month. That’s a crazy increase, especially when a popular term educators used to describe edtech ecosystems was already “the wild west.” This is contributing to the burnout teachers are experiencing, and the downstream impacts for the parents trying to keep up and help multiple children are potent at school board meetings.  

District and state leaders should consider investments in streamlining edtech for educators a direct contribution to teacher retention, student retention and overall wellness. Questions to consider:

• Are teachers supported and equipped to find tools easily and use them well?

• Do teachers feel prepared to integrate them into their practice and approaches?

• Can we provide a sufficient level of support for this many tools? 

• How are parents feeling as they support their children at home using these tools?

• What steps will solve universal challenges and provide real support to all districts and educators, without mitigating local decisions? 

#3: Equity + stimulus ≠ All the things for anyone who wants it. It’s time to lead, provide structure and reach a new balance. It is clear edtech is not a monolith. Our least affluent students, especially those of color, engage with less edtech for less time, while their peers expand their engagement. Since engagement is a leading indicator of learning, we must develop structures to support ALL students. However, “personalizing learning” for all students has never meant every teacher must figure it all out on their own, or learn 150 different approaches, interventions and technologies for 50-150 students.

Again, the district and state leaders contemplating these critical questions are leading the way to a new (and better) normal:

• How can districts (and teachers) be confident that the tools they are investing in and using in the classroom are those most effective for their students? 

• Have we communicated our structures of support, systems of record and our zones of innovation?

• How can processes support and enable informed decisions at every level?

What’s clear to me is both evidence of what’s working and efficiency of activation is critical as districts and state education agencies move forward, support teachers and allocate financial resources including stimulus funds to have the best impact for our students.

Check out the full 2020-2021 EdTech Top 40 infographic

*Districts can activate their own EdTech Inventory Dashboard to understand their numbers and inform decisions.