US Department of Education launches edtech impact assessment tool
The US Department of Education has launched an edtech impact assessment tool called the Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach, designed to help schools assess the impact of new technology on teaching. The tool will be launched officially in January, with the programme offered free to educators during a pilot scheme. It is expected to fill the current gap in research on edtech’s long-term benefits for classrooms, help to create effective pilot programmes, and gather evidence and evaluate results of tech use for teaching purposes.

Dive Brief:

The Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach is a new tool from the U.S. Department of Education that will help schools assess the real impact of new technology, absent high-quality studies by researchers.

The Hechinger Report writes the tool will help school decision-makers as they deliberate over the merits of new technology and also define goals, create pilot programs, gather evidence and measure results once the technology gets into classrooms.

The tool will be released in January, and, until then, the Department of Education is calling on administrators to test out the free program and apply for a spot in the pilot here.

Dive Insight:

With so many new technologies coming out all the time and vendors pitching their products as the ultimate solution to key academic problems, schools and districts need systematic ways to identify high-quality options.

Pilots offer important opportunities to test-drive new technology and see how it works on a smaller scale before purchasing new tools or devices for an entire school or district. Key to testing a pilot, however, is identifying goals, tracking progress and understanding where the technology does or does not fit into the puzzle. The Department’s Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach just might turn into an invaluable support for districts across the country as they grapple with ed tech decision-making.