“This is the first time we’ve noticed this correlation between the type of math and science instruction and the students’ interest in STEM careers,” said Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow’s CEO. “For a nation concerned with developing the next generations of scientists, engineers, and innovators, this finding should raise some eyebrows.”
Evans noted that many students today still learn as their parents learned, in teacher-centered classrooms without much freedom to explore personal learning preferences.
“Think about that in contrast to what is being called for by the new Common Core Standards for math,” she said. “The Common Core approach is based on teachers laying out a specific task and inviting the students to dig in and solve the problem using appropriate tools and resources. If our schools are able to implement this type of teaching and learning, the potential for interest in math and science should grow.”
Obstacles to school technology use
Major obstacles that prevent students from using technology at school include inability to access social media, lack of computers, important websites being blocked, and inability to student student-owned mobile devices.
In fact, using personal devices for learning is gaining traction, although students and parents do not see eye-to-eye with administrators on this topic.
More than half of students in grades 6-12 (58 percent) said they want to use their own mobile devices in school, and 62 percent of parents said they would purchase a mobile device for their child if schools used them for learning. Sixty-five percent of school principals said they are unlikely to allow personal mobile devices for learning.
More than half (52 percent) of district administrators do not currently allow the use of any student-owned mobile devices in school.
Students said they think mobile devices will help their learning by allowing them to check grades, take class notes, conduct research anytime or anyplace, access online textbooks, collaborate with peers and teachers, and more.
If students, parents, and administrators were able to design their own school, ubiquitous internet access at school would top students’ and administrators’ needs, They also ranked school-provided tablets very high. Parents identified access to eBooks and ubiquitous internet access at school among their top wants.
- Children learn best on paper: We need better technology, not less of it - July 13, 2026
- In districts, reaching readiness, retention, and success - March 5, 2026
- AI use is on the rise, but is guidance keeping pace? - January 2, 2026
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