EdTech Top 40 Report Shares the Latest on the Usage of Digital Tools during the 2021-22 School Year

Aug 24, 2022

Mary Styers

1417 - the average number of edtech tools being accessed by districts each month

EdTech Top 40 Report Shares the Latest on the Usage of Digital Tools during the 2021-22 School Year (1).png

It’s no secret that the use of edtech remains at a high in the classrooms, and districts continue to access a vast variety of edtech tools to support learning and teaching.

Our latest EdTech Top 40 - Fall 2022 Report shares the latest on the usage of digital solutions, tools and resources in K-12 districts, schools and classrooms across the country during the 2021-2022 school year. It also provides insights on trends and categorical rankings.

Since our first findings on individual student and educator edtech use from the 2021 Mid-Year Report, the average use of edtech tools by individual teachers and students has nearly doubled when looking at the entire school year. This indicates that students and educators are not accessing a consistent set of edtech tools throughout the entire school year, and instead are engaging with new tools consistently over time. On the other hand, the average number of edtech tools being accessed each month on average by districts has held fairly steady at 1,417 tools per month compared to the 1,449 tools accessed every month on average during the 2020-21 school year. The top 40 edtech solutions have also remained relatively consistent over the years, with only a few new products joining the list each year.

Here are a few highlights from the report:

143: The average number of unique edtech tools accessed by an individual student.
148: The average number of unique edtech tools accessed by the individual educator.
Classroom Engagement & Instruction: Remains the most represented category of tools, representing 22.5% of the top 40 tools.

While the report offers an interesting look at edtech use across the country, it also highlights the needs for further conversations on topics such as, how districts can effectively manage all of their technology use in a way that maximizes value for students and educators, ensures safety, and advances equity. District leaders should be thinking about how edtech use in their districts compares (Pro Tip: if districts lack visibility, LearnPlatform by Instructure’s free Inventory Dashboard can provide it) and how they can begin exploring whether the tools they are using are having a positive impact on student outcomes. Likewise, edtech providers should be considering how they can show that their solutions meet the evidence requirements required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Exploring these options allows for more transparent data sharing practices, ongoing research and informed decision making.

Get your copy of the EdTech Top 40 - Fall 2022 Report, here.

Districts: Identify your own top 40 (and beyond) edtech tools with a free Inventory Dashboard.

Providers: Learn about our affordable pathways for building your evidence in alignment with ESSA.