Today, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) released new guidance to help states, school districts, educators, families, and education technology providers make informed decisions about the responsible use of technology in classrooms.
As technology increasingly plays a key role in education, states and local communities should continue to lead decisions about how such tools are used. Today’s guidance, a “Dear Colleague Letter (DCL),” encourages a focus on instructional value over recreational engagement when selecting and using technological tools in the classroom. It also urges states to pair innovation with evidence, educator judgement, transparency for parents, and a relentless focus on student outcomes.
As states chart their path forward, the Trump Administration calls upon them to preserve the human-centered core of teaching while seizing the powerful opportunities our modern world offers to nurture every student’s academic potential.
“Cell phones and algorithm-driven social media distract students from learning and undermine the focused classroom environments they need to succeed. States and schools are right to take steps to remove those distractions,” said Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler. “In contrast, instructional technologies should be judged by their impact on learning, not simply whether they happen on a screen. The same tools that can distract during recreational use can also expand access to advanced courses, support students with disabilities, and help close learning gaps, when used wisely. The Trump Administration hopes that as states ground their decisions in evidence and educational value, technology is a meaningful tool to improve student outcomes.”
Background:
The DCL maintains that technology use should have a clear instructional purpose, be backed by independent evidence, be transparent in design and data use, and be supported by strong implementation:
- States and districts should focus on learning impact, choose tools with proven results, review effectiveness regularly, and support educator training.
- Providers should build evidence-based tools that strengthen instruction, minimize unnecessary screen time, and offer practical implementation support.
- Schools and providers should build opportunities for greater transparency around how and when technology is used, including how much time students spend on screens, how tools are being implemented, and whether that use is contributing to meaningful learning outcomes.
- When evidence shows a tool is not improving learning, schools must be willing to change course, and when repeated findings confirm persistent shortcomings, they should remove it altogether.
Every education technology product should be able to satisfy five straightforward questions:
- What learning problem does it solve?
- When should it be used?
- For whom should it be used?
- For how long should it be used?
- What evidence demonstrates that it improves student learning?
This letter follows a July 2025 letter to states from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon that outlined five principles for the responsible use of AI: education technologies should be educator-led, ethical, accessible, transparent, and protective of student data.
Read the full letter on the use of education technology here .