Reading the Tea Leaves: Infusing the Views of K-12 Students and Teachers into Future Visions for Education

1. Reading the Tea Leaves:
Infusing the Views of K-12 Students and Teachers
into Future Visions for Education
Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow August 2, 2022

2. The pandemic and necessary
shifts and disruptions in K-12
education have changed
schools forever.
Some people just don’t know
that yet …

3. The pandemic and necessary
shifts and disruptions in K-12
education have changed
schools forever.
But what is the evidence to
support this bold statement?

4. ▪ Examine selected Speak Up Research findings to provide you with
evidence to support a new future vision for education
▪ Focus on the data-based evidence from students and teachers
▪ How is technology being used within learning today?
▪ Do students and teachers value those experiences?
▪ What are their aspirations to improve school?
▪ Read (translate) these “tea leaves” to provide new insights to inform
your work today and tomorrow
Our discussion today

5. About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
▪ Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12 education since 1996
▪ Mission: to support the development of new leadership capacities within
the K-12 ecosystem through the translation of research into practice.
▪ Core belief: the voices and views of K-12 stakeholders can be an asset for
stimulating change in education if used effectively.
▪ Programs and research: focus on understanding the impact of new
learning models, including digital learning, on student outcomes and
educator effectiveness. Includes the heralded Speak Up Research Project.

6. About the Speak Up Research Project
Helps K-12 leaders understand the current and emerging
dynamics in the education ecosystem – and what those
dynamics mean for you and your district.
▪ A free turnkey service to help you collect timely
feedback from your students, parents, teachers and
administrators.
▪ A set of tools to translate the authentic views and
ideas of your K-12 stakeholders into a valuable
asset.
▪ A reliable and valid source of data to inform
education decisions at the local, state and federal
levels since 2003.
Facilitated annually by Project Tomorrow, Speak Up:
Most comprehensive data set on digital learning includes
feedback from over 6.2 million K-12 stakeholders.

7. Headlines from the Speak Up Research this year:
What have we learned in the past 2+ years within K-12 education?
▪ Increased awareness of social justice issues especially in education
▪ Heightened focus on social, emotional and mental health considerations in schools
▪ The realities of the virtual learning experiment exposed why innovation is so hard in education
▪ New momentum is growing for a broader definition of what constitutes effective learning
▪ The role of the school in the community is evolving to meet new, unprecedented local needs
▪ Parents have new demands and expectations for education – and like the new transparency
▪ Understanding equity is about much more than access to a Chromebook and hotspot
▪ New vulnerabilities to cyberattacks in our education systems

8. Are we all seeing the same things in
education today?
Do your stakeholders see the state of
education the same way you do?
How are these different sightlines
influencing or affecting your decisions?

9. ▪ Is it change or transformation that is
needed now?
Thinking about your future visions for education:

10. “Change is a response to external
influences, where modifying
day-to-day action achieves desired
results.
Transformation is about
modifying core beliefs and long-
term behaviors—sometimes in
profound ways—to achieve the
desired results.”
Source: https://www.cioinsight.com/news-trends/the-difference-between-change-and-transformation/
Changing vs. transforming K-12 education

11. ▪ Is it change or transformation that is
needed now?
▪ What are the change factors that are
evident today?
▪ Where is the evidence that supports your
future vision?
▪ How can we translate that evidence into
actionable knowledge?
Thinking about your future visions for education:

12. Using as evidence the authentic feedback of:
✓K-12 Students
✓Teachers
For this discussion, Speak Up data from these six school years:
2016/17 – 2021/22
Total participation in Speak Up for those years:
+1.5 million students, teachers, parents and administrators nationwide
Thinking about your future visions for education

14. 1. The majority of students are less engaged in school today compared to 3 years ago.
2. Teachers say that a primary benefit of using technology within learning is that
“students can learn at their own pace.”
3. Teachers are assigning more Internet-based homework and assignments now that
most students have a device they can use in school and at home.
4. Students report that their #1 use of technology in school is to take online tests.

15. Evidence of change: Classroom technology access
Teachers reporting that their students have 1:1 access to
devices in their classroom this past year
Can students take their assigned
devices home for extended learning?

16. Evidence of change: Classroom technology usage
Frequency of usage of digital resources within instruction
Digital resource type
% of teachers reporting at least weekly usage
2021-22 SY 2018-19 SY
Online curriculum 70% 62%
Videos sourced online 63% 60%
Software and apps to support student skill
development
54% 50%
Online and digital games 51% 43%

17. Evidence of change: Classroom technology usage
What do students say is the #1 way they
are using technology in schools today?

18. Evidence of change: Classroom technology usage
of students in grades 6-12
during the 2021-22 school year say:
▪Taking online tests
What do students say is the #1 way they are
using technology in schools today?

19. Evidence of change: Classroom technology usage
% of students who report using these digital tools
in school
▪ Online curriculum and textbooks – 45%
▪ Online collaboration tools – 42%
▪ Digital or online games – 33%
▪ Posting class content to social media – 14%
▪ Using AR/VR tools – 9%
What about use of other digital tools?

20. Evidence of change:
Leveraging student connectivity at home
With increased student access at
home to devices and the Internet . . .
Are teachers taking advantage of
that access to connect and extend
learning beyond the classroom?

21. Leveraging student connectivity at home
Teachers: how often do you assign homework or projects
where your students will need to use the Internet outside of
school?
48%
19%
14%
13%
6%
Never or almost never
A few times a year
Once a month
At least weekly
Daily or almost daily
Teachers: 2021-22 SY

22. Leveraging student connectivity at home
Teachers: how often do you assign homework or projects
where your students will need to use the Internet outside of
school?
48%
19%
14%
13%
6%
Never or almost never
A few times a year
Once a month
At least weekly
Daily or almost daily
Teachers: 2021-22 SY
48%
16%
16%
14%
6%
Never or almost never
A few times a year
Once a month
At least weekly
Daily or almost daily
Teachers: 2016-17 SY

23. Leveraging student connectivity at home
Students: how often do you need to get online or use the
Internet to do homework or schoolwork?
77%
51%
63%
35%
At least weekly
Daily or almost daily
Gr 9-12 Students Gr 6-8 Students

24. Evidence of change: Changes in teacher perceptions
of the impact of technology on their own practice
✓Better able to personalize instruction
✓Better organized in my classroom
✓Creating more interactive lessons
✓Differentiating instruction more regularly
✓Facilitating student center learning

25. Evidence of change: Changes in teacher perceptions
of the impact of technology on their own practice
Technology use in my classroom has impacted my
own practice in this way
% of teachers reporting at least weekly usage
2021-22 SY 2018-19 SY
Better able to personalize instruction 60% 45%
Better organized in my classroom 58% 50%
Creating more interactive lessons 59% 52%
Differentiating instruction more regularly 55% 62%
Facilitating student center learning 45% 39%

26. Evidence of change: Changes in teacher perceptions
of the impact of technology on their own practice
More connected with my students
because of technology access
More connected with the parents of
my students

27. Translation: Teachers need to be more comfortable
with new practices to transform learning.
What percentage of teachers say they are very comfortable
with these practices?
▪ Leveraging technology to differentiate instruction – 31%
▪ Facilitating student collaborations – 35%
▪ Allowing students to have choice in learning – 35%
▪ Engaging parents to support learning at home – 37%
▪ Using digital data to inform instruction – 37%
▪ Personalizing learning in my classroom – 38%

28. Translation: What do teachers need to develop this
type of sustainable capacity for transformation?
This is not about more PD anymore – but about providing tools that
can help teachers develop self-efficacy and agency with technology
Ranked as “most helpful” by teachers:
✓Curated set of resources organized by grade level and content area
✓List of recommended resources approved by my district
✓Online tools that help me organize and keep track of my digital
assets
✓Information about classroom management strategies

29. ▪ Is it change or transformation that is
needed now?
▪ What are the change factors that are
evident today?
▪ Where is the evidence that supports your
future vision?
▪ How can we translate that evidence into
actionable knowledge?
Thinking about your future visions for education:

30. Changing vs. transforming K-12 education
“We’ve learned so much over the past year. I
hope that we can build a better future now and
not go back to how school was in the past.”
High school student
March 2021

31. Students have their own Vision for Learning
Per our students, learning is most
effective for them when it can
incorporate these essential
elements:
▪ Socially-based
▪ Un-tethered
▪ Contextually rich
▪ Independently driven
Speak Up Research Findings 2003-2022

32. Students have their own Vision for Learning
Speak Up Research Findings 2003-2022
This Student Vision for Learning
is the result of how students feel
about their in-school learning
experiences
plus
their views on the
efficacy of their own self-directed
learning experiences.

33. Changing vs. transforming school
Students’ views on school and learning:
35%
43%
50%
74%
80%
My classroom allows me to do my best work
I am interested in what I am learning in school
I am engaged in what I am learning in school
School sometimes makes me feel stressed
Doing well in school is important to me
Gr 6-12 Students

34. Gr 6-12 student
response to:
“I am engaged in what
I am learning in school
most of the time”
Evidence of change: Student engagement in learning
50%
50%
48%
49%
50%
50%
52%
51%
21-22 SY
20-21 SY
19-20 SY during closures
19-20 SY before closures
Engaged Not Engaged

35. What we may see as “student engagement”
the students themselves see as the
“process of developing creativity skills and being in
control of their own learning.”
Evidence of change: Student engagement in learning
Understanding the engagement crisis:
Are we providing learning experiences for our
students in school that meet those goals?

36. Evidence of change: Students’ views on the
outcomes of technology use in school
Student outcomes from effective technology
use in the classroom
% of respondents that
choose that outcome
Gr 6-12 Students
Learn at my own pace 59%
Collaborate with other students more 55%
Direct my own learning 53%
Develop creativity skills 51%
Apply knowledge to practical problems 47%
Develop critical thinking and problem
solving skills
46%
How are you
framing the
outcomes of
digital
learning?

37. Changing vs. transforming school
51%
53%
62%
The skills I am learning on my own outside of
school are important for my future
I use technology more outside of school for
learning than in school
Learning is best for me when I have some
control over when and how I learn
Students’ views on school and learning:

38. ▪ Learning how to do something by watching a YouTube video
▪ Working to improve writing skills by getting feedback from
online writing forums
▪ Playing online and video games to learn workplace skills
▪ Using voice technologies to get answers to their curiosities
▪ Using social media and TEDTalks to learn about new ideas
▪ Researching information on websites or asking questions on
online forums
Evidence of transformation: Empowered by
technology, students are engaged in self-directed
learning outside of school

39. For today’s students, learning is a 24/7 enterprise
Why is the self-directed learning so engaging?
▪ Using their own technology and social media tools
▪ Controlling the learning process at their own pace
▪ Exploring areas of personal learning interest & passion
▪ Addressing the essential elements of the Student Vision
for Learning through their own learning paths
Translation: the self-directed learning experience
holds greater value for students – and is influencing
their expectations for in-school experiences

40. ▪ Is it change or transformation that is
needed now?
▪ What are the change factors that are
evident today?
▪ Where is the evidence that supports this
future vision?
▪ How can we translate that evidence into
actionable knowledge?
Thinking about your future vision for education:

41. Reading the “tea leaves” to inform your
visions for education
1. Teachers’ personal valuation of technology + their level of comfort implementing
new learning models are the top drivers for capacity development and
sustainability of new instructional practices. And should inform how you approach
professional learning and new product introductions.
2. Students’ self-directed experiences with technology outside of school for
learning are informing their expectations for in-school learning. Appreciating
these experiences will help you understand the engagement crisis and give
insights into new learning experiences for the classroom.
3. Strategic decision point – are you comfortable with change or do you want to
drive transformation in your school or district? Different goals, different roads.

42. “The voyage of discovery is not
in seeking new landscapes, but
in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

44. 1. The majority of students are less engaged in school today compared to 3 years
ago.
2. Teachers say that a primary benefit of using technology within learning is that
“students can learn at their own pace.”
3. Teachers are assigning more Internet-based homework and assignments now
that most students have a device they can use in school and at home.
4. Students report that their #1 use of technology in school is to take online tests.

45. Resources for you at www.tomorrow.org
• Speak Up Research reports, presentations and
infographics
• Evaluation and efficacy reports from special projects
• Information if your school or district would like to use
the Speak Up tools and be part of the larger Speak Up
movement
Recordings from
annual
Congressional
Briefings

46. Invitation for your district to participate in
Speak Up 22-23!
New online surveys available for school district usage
on October 13, 2022. Surveys open for your use
through May 2023.
Surveys available for:
▪ K-12 students
▪ Teachers
▪ School site administrators
▪ District administrators
▪ Parents
▪ Community members
100% free service provided to all K-12 schools and
districts
Want to learn more?
• Contact me directly for
a personal consultation
Value proposition:
• Comparative data for
context
• Normed surveys for
data validity
• No cost to participate

47. Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
@JulieEvans_PT
949-609-4661