Introduction
As AI and ed tech advance, researchers have sought to understand educator attitudes toward technology-based tools in the classroom. However, with innovations becoming more specialized and the market expanding rapidly, the next step is to dig deeper and understand exactly how teachers envision applying these advanced technologies most effectively.
With these questions in mind, The Learning Agency surveyed teachers in early 2025 to find out what they think about specific interventions. To narrow our areas of focus, this survey drew from a recent Request for Information, which surfaced promising opportunities at the intersection of advanced technologies and education. These use cases of AI included:
- Reading instruction and support
- Writing assistants
- Math assessment
- Instructional support
- Career-connected learning
The survey found that teachers are eager to experiment with high-impact tools in these areas. Many already are, and those who aren’t are open to learning more. Still, survey data points to key barriers, such as a continued need for training; a gap in the way tools are designed for classroom integration; and a lack of trust in the accuracy and fairness of tools.
Ed tech use in classrooms is reaching a critical turning point. The confluence of a surge in new tools entering the market and growing interest from teachers signals a clear opportunity for increased uptake and impact. To move from possibility to widespread adoption, however, developers will need to focus on the use cases that matter most to educators and make design choices with their concerns in mind. Otherwise, they risk missing out on key drivers of demand and implementation.
Survey Findings
Teachers are excited about the potential of AI and ed tech to boost student learning, and almost half already appear to be integrating tools into their teaching. However, survey responses also indicate there are real implementation challenges to overcome. While many are receiving technology-focused training, a large number still need guidance. Many still feel that tools are not grounded in the day-to-day challenges and needs that teachers experience.
Many teachers see promise in ed tech tools and are eager to integrate them into the classroom, even those who have yet to use them.
- 45% of all PreK-12 teachers surveyed have used ed tech to assess and track student learning. Of those, approximately 60% found it useful.
- About 80% of teachers surveyed who haven’t used ed tech for assessing and tracking learning are interested in trying it.
The survey found that teachers are eager to experiment with high-impact tools in these areas. Many already are, and those who aren’t are open to learning more. Still, survey data points to key barriers, such as a continued need for training; a gap in the way tools are designed for classroom integration; and a lack of trust in the accuracy and fairness of tools.
Relevance and ease of use remain barriers. Close to half of educators still aren’t sure whether ed tech tools address their classroom needs. Teachers from rural settings feel more hesitant than educators in other communities.
- 57% of educators feel that AI-powered tools have features that are relevant to their classroom challenges. The rest either find them irrelevant or are unsure.
- Only 51% of educators feel that new AI-powered tools are easy to integrate into their instruction.
A large number of educators still need further assistance understanding how to best use ed tech.
- 29% of educators were not offered school training on how to use computers or other digital devices in the past school year.
Among rural communities, barriers are even more pronounced, with lower reported rates of relevance, ease of use, and overall adoption.
- Only 37% of teachers in rural settings report frequent use of AI-powered tools in their classroom, lower than their counterparts in suburban (40%) and urban (50%) settings.
- 46% of teachers in rural settings agree that AI-powered tools are easy to use in the classroom, compared to suburban (51%) and urban-based (58%) educators.
- Just 46% of teachers in rural settings feel that AI-powered tools are relevant to their classroom needs, significantly lower than suburban teachers (57%) and urban teachers (66%).
Ed tech has the potential to be a force multiplier, but improvements are needed to ensure teachers can effectively use tools in the areas where they see the most potential for impact.
Teachers Want More Support to Amp Up Their Teaching
Ed tech has the potential to be a force multiplier, but improvements are needed to ensure teachers can effectively use tools in the areas where they see the most potential for impact. The top three areas where all educators surveyed feel they need increased support are:
- engaging and motivating their students
- adjusting their teaching practices based on research
- managing their time and administrative tasks
Most educators want better access to in-the-moment insights that can inform their teaching.
- 62% of all educators surveyed agree that they wish they had more data on student engagement.
- 69% wish they had more recommendations for teaching strategies or lesson plan adjustments while teaching.
Still, Concerns Persist
While the potential of ed tech is clear, concerns among educators remain, particularly around accuracy.
- 33% of educators surveyed are concerned that tools to collect data on learning and engagement may not be accurate enough.
- 39% of educators worry that speech recognition tools in particular may not provide accurate assessments.
Other concerns include whether ed tech effectively challenges students’ higher-order and critical thinking skills, as well as issues related to cost, bias, and ease of classroom implementation.
Even in areas where teachers feel confident about their understanding of student learning and progress, there is still strong interest in tools that can enhance personalized learning and provide more actionable data.
This is evident across subject areas. For example, the majority of math educators feel confident in their ability to identify students with advanced skills. However, there is still evidence that these teachers could use additional support meeting the needs of highly talented students. Of the same group of math teachers, 75% strongly agree that students with exceptional skills should be offered more advanced or accelerated learning.
When asked which tech interventions would be most helpful, speech recognition literacy tools ranked the highest across PreK-12 educators. More specifically, educators were interested in tools that assess reading ability and personalize literacy instruction.
Among pre-K and elementary school teachers, the majority feel their school provides timely access to screenings when students are suspected of having a learning difference or disability. Yet, teachers still agree that they would benefit from more support.
- 68% of all educators surveyed strongly agree that it is important to provide personalized feedback to their students.
- 69% of pre-K and elementary school teachers surveyed agree they would benefit from increased support in identifying students who may need help with speech or language development.
Teacher Needs Across Specific Focus Areas
Reading Instruction and Support
Most teachers who cover literacy feel confident addressing students’ reading needs. Yet, they still see value in tech tools leveling up student learning.
When asked which tech interventions would be most helpful, speech recognition literacy tools ranked the highest across preK-12 educators. More specifically, educators were interested in tools that assess reading ability and personalize literacy instruction.
Writing
Many English and language arts teachers are pressed for time to give high-quality writing feedback, and survey results suggest that there is strong enthusiasm for ed tech that can help.
- 40% of English or language arts teachers feel that they do not have the time to provide effective writing feedback to their students.
- 80% who have already used ed tech for writing support found it to have a positive impact.
- More than 80% of those who have not used ed tech tools for writing support are still interested in using them.
Math Assessment
While most math teachers surveyed say they understand their students’ math abilities, there is strong demand for tools that support differentiated instruction.
- 70% agree that their school would benefit from an automated tool to identify students with advanced math skills.
- 94% of educators agree that it is important to differentiate instruction for students with varying math abilities.
Career-Connected Learning
While teachers note that mentorship and career exposure in school is strong, they are less confident about how ready students feel for careers post-graduation.
- 38% of high school educators disagree that their students have a clear career plan.
- 70% of high school teachers agree that they would benefit from more support integrating career-connected skills into instruction.
Which Use Cases Are Most Exciting to Teachers?
The survey captured compelling insights on specific applications of ed tech that teachers are most interested in.
Reading Instruction and Support
English and language arts teachers are particularly excited about using ed tech to adapt their lessons based on student needs. They were also interested in other supports such as generating personalized reading content, evaluating students’ reading skills, identifying learning differences, and making reading content interactive.
Tools leveraging speech recognition emerged as a top area of interest.
- Nearly 60% of English and language arts teachers surveyed (57%) would consider using tools with speech recognition for literacy identification and support. Another 25% might consider using these tools.
Writing
English and language arts educators see the most value in ed tech tools for writing that assist learners with brainstorming, writing planning, idea organization, and peer feedback.
Math Assessment
Math teachers are most excited about the potential of an automated assessment to motivate students to improve their performance. Their top-ranked feature would be the automatic adjustment of question difficulty for students.
Career-Connected Learning
High school teachers are most interested in a platform that would help learners explore possible career paths. Across all teachers surveyed, there was also significant interest in harnessing technology for digital credentialing.
What's Needed Now
- Improved accuracy and efforts to tackle AI bias in education technology. Concerns about accuracy and bias demonstrate that more attention is needed to improve the precision, consistency, and generalizability of ed tech interventions. These concerns can be addressed with targeted investment and development.
- AI tools for teachers aligned to real classroom needs. Many educators feel confident in their teaching practices and understanding of student learning, but they recognize the potential of ed tech to offer a boost. In particular, they are eager for support engaging their students, adjusting their teaching practices, and personalizing student learning. Tools using speech recognition, particularly for literacy, stand out, but across the board, teachers want solutions that better match their needs and are easier to implement.
- Deeper engagement with educators. Teachers are interested in leveraging ed tech, but not just any intervention. This survey points to speech recognition as a particularly compelling area where demand is likely to continue growing, particularly to support literacy instruction. Other use cases that stand out include the automated assessment of math skills and digital credentialing of student skills and achievements. The field must continue asking teachers about specific use cases and iterating alongside schools to ensure that tools are well-designed for classroom implementation and impact. This is especially crucial for ensuring tools are developed with more attention to areas with low uptake, such as rural communities.
Methodology
This survey was conducted using the Centiment platform in January 2025 among n=657 U.S. PreK-12 teachers to evaluate educator perspectives on AI-based tools in general and ASR-based tools in particular. There was no statistically significant difference (using a threshold of p=0.05) between the racial demographics of respondents and the racial demographics of teachers nationwide, nor between rates of public, charter, and private school employment. The 95% confidence interval for the full sample is +/- 3.8%; however the confidence intervals for subgroups may vary.
