Educational Technology: What 49 Schools Discovered about Usage when the Data were Uncovered

Educational technology (edtech) products are ubiquitous in schools, yet there is a dearth of research examining their use and efficacy. This leaves schools and districts without evidence to inform important decisions about edtech budgeting, instruction, impact, and implementation. We report results from a study that uncovered startling trends in edtech usage across multiple paid products and dozens of schools. Notably, 36.6% of purchased student licenses were never used. An additional 28.2% of the licenses were used negligibly, failing to meet a quarter of the fidelity goal set by the product companies or districts. Further, anecdotal evidence suggests schooland district-level leaders are unaware of these realities. This suggests a vast amount of resources are being unknowingly squandered or misallocated. Combined with analysis of how product usage impacts student achievement, these results demonstrate how schools and districts can utilize data to understand and manage their edtech ecosystems while improving critical edtech decisions.