WASHINGTON, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 90 percent of K-12 administrators say that effective use of technology within instruction is important for achieving their school or district's core mission of education and preparation of students. Similarly, more than 78 percent of K-12 parents agree that the best way for their child to develop the college, career and citizen-ready skills they will need for future success is to use technology on a regular basis – this all according to a report released today from Blackboard and Project Tomorrow^®.

Learning environments that incorporate technology also proved to help K-12 students be more engaged with their studies, with nearly half of students responding that they are more interested in what they are learning in class when using digital tools, according to the report. Digital tools were also found to help the majority of students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, learn more independently and be more creative.

The report also found drastic changes in adoption of digital approaches that have yielded positive results in schools compared to last year's report. These included use of digital content in the classroom (+45 percent); mobile learning through tablets or other devises (+41 percent); and the use of online classes for students (+81 percent). Similarly, the report cited a 119 percent increase in successful online professional development to teachers, compared to the 2013 report.

"It's clear that when it comes to the incorporation of digital programs in our K-12 schools, it's only a matter of 'when,'" said Katie Blot, SVP of Corporate Strategy and Industry Relations for Blackboard. "Students, teachers, administrators and parents have not just embraced technology in the classroom, they are clamoring for it. This report shows that there is a clear desire for us to reimagine the way education can happen, and that it comes from the persona at the very core of the educational system: the learner."

"This year's survey results show greater adaptation of technology for learning specifically because all the stakeholders (educators, parents and students) say that appropriate use of technology for learning improves outcomes," said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. "Students say using technology better engages them in learning. Parents say technology skills are important for preparing their children to be successful in life. Educators see the positive impact of technology in their classrooms and in their own professional development."

The findings, which focused on the relationship between desired student outcomes and the strategic use of targeted digital tools, are included in Trends in Digital Learning: Empowering Innovative Classroom Models for Learning, which was released at the 2015 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in Philadelphia, Pa. The report is based on data from the 2014 Speak Up annual survey that captures the views of more than 400,000 K-12 students, parents, educators, administrators and other community members across the U.S. each year about digital learning.

For more information about Blackboard, please visit www.blackboard.com or follow @Blackboard on Twitter.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard is the world's leading education technology company. We challenge conventional thinking and advance new models of learning in order to reimagine education and make it more accessible, engaging and relevant to the modern day learner and the institutions that serve them. In partnership with our customers and partners in higher education and K-12 as well as corporations and government agencies around the world, our mission is to help every learner achieve their full potential by inspiring a passion for lifelong learning. For more information about Blackboard, follow us on Twitter @Blackboard.

About Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow® is the nation's leading education nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of student voices in education. With 17 years of experience in the K-12 education sector, Project Tomorrow regularly provides consulting and research support about key trends in K-12 science, math and technology education to school districts, government agencies, business and higher education.

The Speak Up National Research Project annually polls K-12 students, parents and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school and represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder voice on digital learning. Since 2003, over 3.4 million K-12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, principals, technology leaders and district administrators have shared their views and ideas through Speak Up. Learn more at tomorrow.org.

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.

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