SETDA Finds Technology Professional Learning Needs Enhancement
The State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has just released Improving Professional Learning Systems to Better Support Today's Educators. The report argues that while most U.S. schools have achieved near-universal access to digital devices, many have not yet realized technology's potential to transform teaching and learning. The report identifies a persistent "digital design divide," where educators lack the sustained, high-quality professional learning (PL) needed to use technology for deeper, student-centered instruction.
Drawing on national research, SETDA finds that PL is often fragmented, tool-focused, and compliance-driven rather than strategic or coherent. The guide highlights Title II-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act as a flexible funding model that can help state and local education agencies align PL investments with shared instructional goals. It calls for coordinated leadership, braided funding across federal and state sources, and job-embedded PL—such as coaching and professional learning communities—to create lasting instructional capacity.
Ultimately, SETDA urges education leaders to shift from short-term training toward systemwide, evidence-based strategies that ensure technology meaningfully supports equity, engagement, and student achievement.