From Engagement to Learning: Congressional Briefing on Closing the Gap Between Student Aspirations and Classroom Practices

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According to our nation’s students, the value of using technology for learning is clear—when used effectively, it helps them develop the skills they need for future success. Seventy-five percent of high school students report that their number one use of technology in school is taking online tests, an operational classroom practice that neither engages students in learning nor helps them develop workplace skills.

Conversely, less than one-third of students say they have regular access to interactive technologies such as virtual labs, multimedia tools, augmented reality, coding resources, and AI tools that foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. Students report that their best use of digital resources for learning happens on their own time, outside of school, most often through their smartphones. Given this reality, what do we need to know to increase the efficacy of classroom learning, especially when using technology?

Each year, the Speak Up Research Initiative asks K-12 students, parents, and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school. The Congressional Briefing is an annual presentation of Speak Up results to national policymakers. In this year’s Speak Up Congressional Briefing, Dr. Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, shares the 2023-24 national research findings collected from over 100,000 K-12 students, classroom educators, administrators, and parents and families nationwide about technology use in schools, student engagement, parents’ concerns, teacher needs, and even AI policies.

Most notably, the Briefing includes a panel of middle and high school students from across the United States, offering their authentic, no-spin views on learning today, and their recommendations for closing the gap between students’ aspirations for more effective classroom learning and current instructional practices.

The Congressional Briefing is of interest to K-12 school leaders, district leaders, education technology leaders, teachers, librarians, and policymakers.

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