Ed Tech Research

Nationwide Initiative Offers Stipends for Math Teachers' Input to Build Evidence Database on Teaching Tools

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 08/31/22

A new project by two education nonprofits will pay thousands of teachers to document and share their experiences in selecting and using digital math tools — and that data will be available immediately to help math educators choose the best ed tech tools for their needs and more effectively implement and use those tools.

The nationwide initiative was announced today by the EdTech Evidence Exchange and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

“We know that technology can play a crucial role in helping students understand mathematical concepts, but educators often have to choose and plan for using edtech tools with limited evidence,” said Trena Wilkerson, NCTM President. “By partnering with the Exchange, we’re taking crucial steps to collect and disseminate the information that our members need to inform edtech selection and implementation — so that we can help make technology work for math teachers across the country.”

Previous studies have shown that as much as half of U.S. schools’ annual ed tech purchases were used ineffectively or were not used at all. The Exchange’s EdTech Genome Project has been gathering input from educators, ed tech professionals, and education researchers in an effort to help schools efficiently measure and understand the context of ed tech tools they’ve purchased or are considering for purchase.

“Through this partnership, NCTM and the Exchange will translate the Genome Project research into action by gathering and distributing evidence from math teachers about their experiences with ed tech via the EdTech Evidence Exchange Platform, a tool developed specifically for the purpose of helping educators share information about their ed tech contexts and use,” the organizations said in a news release. “Participating educators will receive a stipend for their contribution, and the Exchange is actively collaborating with philanthropic partners to support this phase of its research.”

School and district leaders and math teachers interested in being involved can contact the Exchange at [email protected] for more information.