Unfinished business: Understanding the digital design divide in American schools

In this third report in the special series, we examine how changes in teachers' mindsets and valuations on digital learning can result in transformative learning environments for their students. Additionally, this report provides new research findings about the teachers' desires for more effective professional learning to enable these new mindsets and valuations. Central to any discussion about designing new learning experiences for students using technology must be a conversation around what constitutes effective use of digital tools. Input from school administrators provides a new lens for supporting teachers to use technology most effectively.

The Speak Up findings documented in this report include feedback from over 7,600 K-12 classroom teachers and nearly 1,000 school building administrators from 2022-2024. Where appropriate, we reference longitudinal data from the Speak Up Research dataset from 2003‑2024 to provide additional context. School level demographic analysis of the research findings enables greater clarity to understand where gaps and unfinished business still exist relative to effective technology usage and teachers' professional learning needs.

Using the Speak Up Research findings as context, this report addresses the following three questions specifically related to understanding the challenges and opportunities of the digital design divide today in America's classrooms:

• Are teachers leveraging technology to design personalized learning activities in K-12 classrooms?
• How comfortable are America's teachers in designing learning activities that empower students to have choice within the instructional environment?
• What do teachers need in terms of high-quality professional learning to close the design divide?

To support local discussions by school and district leaders, each report in this series concludes with a relevant list of discussion starter questions, appropriate for a cabinet meeting, school board meeting or community forum, to stimulate new ideas about how to address the digital divides.