Survey Finds Majority of Schools Using 10 to 15 Educational Apps
A new report points to the fragmented digital landscape of educational apps in use at schools and districts across the country. The survey, conducted by Cornerstone Communications in partnership with K-12 learning platform provider Edsby, asked more than 100 teachers, 125 parents, and 50 district and private school curriculum leaders about the digital applications deployed at their schools, how frequently they are used, their administrative workload, and more.
The majority of respondents (54%) said that their schools have between 10 and 15 officially sanctioned educational apps. Twenty-five percent reported between five and nine apps, and 16% reported fewer than five apps. Just 5% said more than 16 apps are in use. While half of respondents reported accessing apps through a combination of a centralized portal and individual app launches, 40% said they access apps individually. Just 10% said they relied solely on a unified app portal.
While district leaders expressed confidence in their selection of digital learning tools, teachers and parents were less enthusiastic. Teachers reported spending an average of two to four hours per week using multiple educational apps, with an additional administrative burden of less than one hour per week reported by 66% of respondents. A third of teachers rated their satisfaction with apps at 2 out of 10, while a combined 28% provided ratings of 8 or 9. Common app complaints among teachers included:
- Fragmented functionality: The need to navigate separate platforms for different uses, such as instruction, assessment, and parent communication.
- Administrative disruption: Taking time away from teaching to enter data and transfer information between apps.
- Lack of integration: Teachers called for more integrated solutions that consolidate tasks and reduce their cognitive and logistical load.
Among parents, 42% of respondents rated their app satisfaction at 5 out of 10 or lower, citing difficulties navigating multiple app platforms. Common parent complains included:
- The difficulty of managing multiple apps and tracking students' academic progress;
- Excessive time required to navigate the tools; and
- Uncertainty about apps' educational benefits.
"In many K-12 organizations, a patchwork of apps have become an integral part of our educational system," said Brooke Greenwald, president of Cornerstone Communications, in a statement. "The challenges with this approach depend on which type of user you are. We've learned from our lengthy discussions and research that for schools to truly partner with parents, something has to change in many organizations' approaches to K-12 apps. This report underscores the urgent need for streamlined, integrated solutions that prioritize usability and effectiveness."
The full report is available here on the Cornerstone Communications site.
About the Author
Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].