Abstract:

Background:
Sustained investment in educational technology (EdTech) infrastructure in US public schools has not been matched by equally clear evidence on which implementation factors translate those investments into learning gains. School-level decision-makers such as principals and technology leads occupy a unique position in directing both technology deployment and professional development, yet their perceptions of EdTech’s impact on student learning outcomes remain underexplored as an outcome. Understanding the predictors of these perceptions has direct implications for how technology resource adoption and the design of teacher professional development.

Objective:
This study assessed how school-level factors (extent of EdTech use for instruction, extent of teacher training and professional development and extent of implementation challenges) predicts the perceived impact of EdTech on student learning outcomes, as reported by principals or their designated technology leads in US K–12 public schools.

Method:
A descriptive survey research design was employed. The population comprised all US public K–12 schools. A volunteer sample of 800 schools completed the “Public School Use of EdTech for Instruction” survey administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). One respondent per school (school principal or designated technology lead) completed the instrument. The instrument was a four-point Likert-type questionnaire (1 = Not at all to 4 = Large Extent for three predictor constructs; 1 = Strongly Agree to 4 = Strongly Disagree for the outcome construct). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, forward stepwise regression and linear regression with standard diagnostic checks (linearity, independence, normality of residuals).

Results:
Schools in the sample reported moderate levels of EdTech use (M = 2.69, SD = 0.46) and teacher training (M = 2.77, SD = 0.63), with implementation challenges perceived as minor (M = 2.28, SD = 0.54). Respondents agreed that EdTech positively impacted student learning outcomes (M = 3.20, SD = 0.55). Forward stepwise regression identified EdTech use and teacher training as significant predictors of perceived impact (F (2, 797) = 48.31, p < .001, R² = .108). Teacher training carried greater predictive weight (B = 0.21, p < .001) than EdTech use (B = 0.16, p < .001). Implementation challenges did not independently predict perceived outcomes when training and usage were accounted for.

Conclusion:
The study concludes that teacher training and professional development, combined with the extent of EdTech use, are the primary school-level predictors of perceived EdTech impact on student learning outcomes among US K–12 public schools. Implementation challenges did not significantly predict perceived outcomes when training and usage were accounted for, suggesting that professional training and development in technology use facilitates adaptive capacity needed to navigate infrastructure barriers. Efforts should therefore be prioritized for professional development when seeking to improve the impact of EdTech on student learning.

Keywords:

Instructional Technology, Teacher Professional Development, Learning Outcomes, K–12 Public Schools, Technology Adoption.