Practically 1,400 voices—college students, lecturers, superintendents, and oldsters—make clear how engagement is outlined, measured, and misunderstood in colleges.
INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero
Engagement could also be the engine of scholar success, however new information exhibits that educators, dad and mom, and college students don’t at all times agree on what it appears to be like like. Discovery Schooling’s Schooling Insights 2025–2026 survey highlights stunning disconnects. On this interview, CEO Brian Shaw unpacks the findings with EdTech Digest.
The report, Schooling Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Studying Via Engagement, displays the views of 1,398 superintendents, lecturers, dad and mom, and college students nationwide. Performed in Could 2025 by Hanover Analysis, the research affords a well timed take a look at how engagement is outlined, measured, and supported in lecture rooms immediately. Learn on for Shaw’s tackle the important thing findings, what they imply for educating and studying, and the way edtech suppliers may also help shut the gaps.
So, let’s get to the interview.
Good afternoon Brian and nice to sit down down with you once more. First, are you able to begin off by telling readers why Discovery Schooling conducts this analysis?
For the second yr in a row, Discovery Schooling has carried out an in-depth, nationwide analysis research that explores a well timed and related subject in Ok-12 educating and instruction that requires extra consideration and exploration.
This yr, we’ve taken a better take a look at the subject of scholar and classroom engagement. We all know that scholar engagement is nuanced, multidimensional, and varies throughout contexts, age teams, and particular person learners. Proper now, it appears as if engagement could be very top-of-mind for a lot of training stakeholders, so we needed to take a deeper dive into the topic to realize a better understanding of how scholar engagement is outlined, noticed, and nurtured in lecture rooms. The outcomes of this in-depth look may be discovered in Schooling Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Studying Via Engagement, which is out there to all training stakeholders immediately at www.discoveryeducation.com.
We expect that by sharing the insights, opinions, and views of these closest to the classroom—on this case, virtually 1,400 superintendents, lecturers, dad and mom, and college students from throughout the US—we are able to spark new conversations about scholar engagement, help stakeholders in creating actionable steps that result in tougher, supportive studying environments selling dynamic instruction, and assist each scholar attain their fullest potential.
Now, out of your perspective, what are the largest takeaways from this report?
There have been plenty of actually fascinating nuggets of knowledge that got here out of this report, however for me, the largest takeaway was the discovering that, despite the fact that engagement is broadly acknowledged by educators as a key driver of studying, there may be disagreement amongst educators as to what the highest indicators of engagement of their lecture rooms are.
In response to the info we collected, 93% of educators agreed that scholar engagement is a important metric to understanding total achievement, and 99% of superintendents polled consider scholar engagement is without doubt one of the prime predictors of success at college.
‘In response to the info we collected, 93% of educators agreed that scholar engagement is a important metric to understanding total achievement, and 99% of superintendents polled consider scholar engagement is without doubt one of the prime predictors of success at college.’
However whereas lecturers and superintendents agreed that engagement is essential to studying, there have been variations on what constituted sturdy indicators of scholar engagement. 72% of lecturers ranked “asking considerate questions” because the strongest indicator of scholar engagement whereas 54% of superintendents recognized “performing effectively on assessments” as a prime engagement indicator. It’s fascinating to notice that teachers ranked standardized assessments as among the many lowest indicators of engagement.
One other key discovering of Schooling Insights 2025–2026 is that college leaders and lecturers disagree on whether or not their colleges have methods for measuring engagement. Overwhelming majorities of superintendents and principals mentioned their districts have an intentional method to measuring engagement, however solely 60% of lecturers surveyed agreed with that assertion. As well as, practically 1/3 of lecturers say {that a} lack of clear, shared definitions is a prime problem to measuring curiosity, motivation and engagement successfully. Taken collectively these information factors paint an image of confusion as to if colleges are literally measuring engagement, and in that case, what it’s they’re measuring, emerges.
IMAGES: DISCOVERY EDUCATION
Schooling Insights 2025–2026 additionally collected info on college students’ perceptions of their very own engagement and the outcomes differed from lecturers’ perceptions. When requested to fee the diploma to which they agree with this statement- “College students are extremely engaged at school,” 63% of scholars agreed and solely 45% of lecturers and 51% of principals agreed with the identical assertion. As well as, once we reviewed the info by grade band, the hole between college students’ perceptions of their engagement and educators’ perceptions of engagement widened, portray a worrying image of a perceived “engagement hole” between lecturers and college students that grows as a toddler progresses by faculty.
Lastly, as we live within the age of AI, we felt it prudent to incorporate some questions on the subject. Apparently, we discovered that proximity to the classroom modified respondents’ impressions of AI. For instance, two-thirds of scholars consider AI may assist them study quicker, but fewer than half of lecturers report utilizing AI themselves. Solely 57% of lecturers agreed with the assertion “I steadily study constructive methods college students are utilizing AI,” whereas 87% of principals and 98% of superintendents agreed. Likewise, solely 53% of lecturers agreed with the assertion “I’m excited concerning the potential for AI to help educating and studying,” in comparison with 83% of principals and 94% of superintendents.
‘Apparently, we discovered that proximity to the classroom modified respondents’ impressions of AI. For instance, two-thirds of scholars consider AI may assist them study quicker, but fewer than half of lecturers report utilizing AI themselves.’
There’s much more actually fascinating information within the report on perceived scholar obstacles to engagement, how college students reveal disengagement within the classroom, what methods can enhance scholar engagement, and extra, so I’d encourage readers to obtain the report and overview the info and insights themselves.
What do you see as the primary takeaway for educators on this information?
Listed here are what I consider are the three takeaways for educators within the Schooling Insights 2025-2026 report:
Scholar engagement is variable, and thus a difficult idea to outline and measure. It manifests itself in varied kinds, and what constitutes engagement for one scholar, or group of scholars, might differ by classroom, faculty or district.
Higher methods, shared definitions, and efficient instruments are wanted to observe and foster engagement. Alignment throughout roles, sensible assets, and actionable insights empower lecturers to determine participating studying environments that help the holistic improvement of all college students.
Boundaries to deeper scholar engagement may be each seen and hidden. College students might full duties with out totally committing to studying, making it difficult to determine and handle passive or withdrawn behaviors.
Let’s change gears right here and speak about what you consider this report means for edtech. What’s edtech’s function in fixing the disconnect between Lecturers, Principals, and Superintendents that the Schooling Insights 2025–2026 report uncovered?
First, I consider edtech suppliers must decide to working with college students, lecturers, principals, and directors to seek out settlement on the strongest indicators of engagement within the classroom. The edtech trade can play a serious function in surfacing the varied methods engagement is interpreted, skilled, outlined in training immediately, and in constructing consensus on these subjects.
I consider that edtech suppliers also needs to play a task in growing and supporting efficient new methods of monitoring scholar engagement. For instance, monitoring college students behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with studying actions and assets will present actionable insights that may then assist create higher tutorial methods and options.
As well as, edtech ought to search to analysis and quantify the connection between engagement and achievement. Can we predict tutorial achievement primarily based on engagement indicators? Are some types of engagement extra essential to scholar achievement than others in sure contexts or environments—as an example, what kind of engagement is most useful in a math classroom? What engagement indicators ought to a science instructor search for? How may these indicators be greatest mirrored and measured in edtech options? These are all questions we, as edtech suppliers, may also help reply.
‘…what kind of engagement is most useful in a math classroom? What engagement indicators ought to a science instructor search for? How may these indicators be greatest mirrored and measured in edtech options?’
The overwhelming numbers of educators we polled consider scholar engagement is without doubt one of the prime predictors of success at college. We have to make clear this linkage, discover methods to successfully measure scholar engagement, after which explicitly join that measurement to tutorial achievement.
Particularly, how will Discovery Schooling pivot to handle these findings?
Discovery Schooling has at all times sought to offer educators and college students with high-quality edtech instruments and assets that have interaction college students and enhance achievement. Via the person expertise and product analysis we conduct, we monitor a number of scholar engagement indicators, and with our efficacy analysis we have now been in a position to reveal our merchandise’ means to help tutorial achievement.
Earlier this yr, we enhanced our merchandise with extra real-world connections, extra personalised content material, and extra revolutionary tutorial methods as a part of our ongoing efforts to make sure our assets proceed to gasoline scholar engagement. That work will proceed as we improve our assets.
However that isn’t sufficient.
As we transfer ahead, Discovery Schooling will add to its ongoing work to help scholar engagement and its connections to scholar success and achievement. Along with our efforts to create the highest-quality edtech options available in the market, we are going to search to construct consensus on the strongest indicators of engagement within the classroom, discover how greatest to observe scholar engagement by our services and products, and start analysis on find out how to quantify the connection between engagement and achievement.
‘…work to help scholar engagement and its connections to scholar success and achievement.’
One of the crucial essential findings of this report—that engagement is seen as important to studying, however inconsistently outlined, noticed, and supported in Ok-12 lecture rooms nationwide—highlights the necessity for a extra standardized method to measuring and fostering scholar engagement throughout all academic settings—and particularly with edtech services and products. Attaining such a standardized method might be problem, however it’s one which Discovery Schooling embraces readily.
Thanks to your time, Brian. The place can educators keen on studying about this report study extra?
Schooling Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Studying Via Engagement is now obtainable at www.discoveryeducation.com.
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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com
