New 2020 Edtech Report Spotlights Lingering Gap in Usage for Students, Educators Despite Improvements from Spring

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LearnPlatform, developer of an edtech effectiveness system used by states and districts serving more than 4 million students, today published a year-end analysis and infographic of edtech usage by students and teachers from February to December 2020.

"The Covid-19 pandemic forced K-12 schools to rapidly alter the way they deliver instruction to students, which involved a dramatic increase in the number of edtech tools used by students and educators," said Karl Rectanus, CEO and co-founder of LearnPlatform. "It's only when we break down the engagement data and examine it through an equity lens that we can begin to address the digital divide and learning loss."

LearnPlatform's analysis examined engagement with edtech tools by 2.5 million students and 270,000 educators in more than 250 U.S. school districts in 17 states. It shows that by the end of 2020, students and teachers in less affluent districts were using edtech tools more than before the pandemic and significantly more than in the spring, when usage plummeted.

Despite those gains, the analysis also reveals wide, persistent usage gaps between teachers and students in districts where more than 25% of students are eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch and their peers in more affluent districts.

For example, as schools transitioned to remote learning in March, the use of edtech tools by students in all districts dropped noticeably — but student engagement in more affluent districts recovered more quickly and actually increased in the spring. Usage in less affluent districts didn't return to pre-pandemic levels until the fall.

The same is true for teacher engagement. In more affluent districts, teacher edtech usage increased by more than 30 percent immediately after school closures. Recovery was slower for educators in less affluent districts, and it wasn't until the fall that edtech usage outpaced pre-pandemic levels at those schools.

View the updated report, 2020 EdTech Engagement & Digital Equity Gaps - Infographic, detailing US edtech usage, access and equity during the pandemic here.

About LearnPlatform
LearnPlatform is a comprehensive edtech effectiveness system used by districts and states to continuously improve the safety, equity and effectiveness of their edtech ecosystems. The research-driven technology, central office automation and data-rich insights and services equip school districts, states and their partners to organize and communicate their edtech resources, streamline their internal process for better compliance, and analyze and improve their edtech interventions. For more information, visit learnplatform.com.

SOURCE LearnPlatform