These Ten Factors Explain Why Education Technology Works in Some Contexts But Not in Others

The EdTech Genome Project, a collaborative effort of more than 100 education research and advocacy organizations, today announced that it has reached unanimous consensus on an initial list of ten factors with the greatest influence on whether education technology implementations succeed or fail. Over the coming year, project leads will study these variables in order to help schools and districts make better-informed decisions about selecting and implementing edtech tools that will work well in their contexts. Each year, educators and school administrators spend more than $13 billion on more than thousands of technology tools and products. A growing body of research suggests, however, that the vast majority of these edtech tools are either a poor fit for a particular school, or are not implemented effectively.  The identification of these ten variables is part of the EdTech Genome Project's ongoing effort to address this challenge and facilitate more effective use of education technology.