Most Teachers Cite Technology as Key Ingredient to Support and Accelerate Student Learning
Lexia® Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, has released its “Educator Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in Fall 2021,” a research brief exploring educators’ expectations for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The report shares findings from a survey of more than 1,000 educators across 48 states as well as from two focus groups examining educators’ beliefs about readiness for the 2021-22 academic year. Lexia researchers analyzed the survey data to discover whether educators believed students would be ready for grade-level instruction and whether educators themselves felt prepared for the tasks ahead of them. The focus groups also answered questions about student and teacher readiness.
Now that the school year is underway, the key findings are that educators are quite concerned about students’ preparedness to work on grade level in the 2021-22 academic year. However, educators are extremely optimistic about their own readiness to support students in the fall semester.
- About 71% of educators feel that students would not be prepared for grade-level content or are unsure of students’ preparedness.
- More than 80% of educators feel professionally and personally prepared for returning to in-person instruction in the fall semester.
- About 95% of educators anticipate that their districts will provide technology to support learning.
Educators also felt more prepared to incorporate technology into classroom teaching. The survey found that they had learned how to better use technology to differentiate instruction for students, how to challenge students using multiple modes of teaching, and that technology is a support rather than a replacement for teachers.
“As this new school year has progressed, our central focus is helping students not only address any unfinished learning from last year but also to be ready for advancing their literacy skills during this academic year,” said Lexia Learning President, Nick Gaehde. “And the best way to do that is to continue supporting educators. Our ‘Education Perceptions’ report shows that educators are amazingly resilient, but they’re going to need, and indeed are expecting, technology resources to accelerate students’ learning in the weeks and months ahead.”
Lexia has helped teachers and students to keep literacy learning progressing even through the disruptions in the 2020-21 academic year. Teachers used Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) for pre-K-5 or Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) for grades 6-12 to pivot from in-person to remote instruction during school lockdowns. The vast majority (86%) surveyed during the spring 2020 semester, felt that the products helped them efficiently support student needs and learning.
The full “Educator Perceptions” report is available at https://bit.ly/3m7pV9e
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
