Our Research – Digital Promise

Our Research

Product Certifications Our Research

Digital Promise launched Product Certifications to provide education leaders with trustworthy, reliable and transparent information about products and to provide products with access to clearly articulated purchaser expectations and needs.

Digital Promise launched Products Certifications after partnering with education leaders, nonprofits, and research institutes for a decade to improve the edtech market.

Select the Right Edtech: How to Leverage Certified Products During the Procurement Process

Noakes, Sierra (Digital Promise, 2023)

With over 150 certifications awarded, districts can now integrate questions about products’ certification status in existing evaluation processes. Through learning sessions with district leaders, we have developed templates to support districts in seamlessly incorporating Product Certifications as evidence in evaluation processes.

An Overlooked Indicator of Edtech Quality: The Use of Learning Sciences Research

Van Nostrand, Parker; Noakes, Sierra; Shah, Zohal; Luke Luna, Christina (Digital Promise, 2022)

This report discusses why education leaders should leverage an edtech product’s research-basis to determine the quality of the tool. Through survey results and five product case study interviews, we examine the importance of using learning sciences research as a basis for edtech design. Our analysis highlights the impact that research-based design has on both learner outcomes and the ability for a company to communicate its message. Finally, we reveal changes made to this certification for its 2022 relaunch.

Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications

Noakes, Sierra, Richendollar, Tyler, Xiao, Wendy, & Luke, Christina (Digital Promise, 2020)

By developing product certifications aligned to educators’ top priorities, we hope to add transparency and accountability to the edtech industry. Learn how we are working to achieve this vision in our latest report.

Market Signals for Research-Based Innovations

Noakes, Sierra & Luke, Christina (Digital Promise, 2019)

Download the new report on our product certification efforts, Market Signals for Research-Based Innovations, to learn more about Digital Promise’s inaugural product certification.

Designing for Learner Variability: Examining the Impact of Research-based Edtech in the Classroom

Tare, Medha & Shell, Alison R. (Digital Promise, 2019)

Download the new report to learn more about our recent study examining the efficacy of translating research-based educational strategies into a widely-used literacy edtech platform to support learner variability.

Learner Variability Is the Rule, Not the Exception

Pape, Barbara (Digital Promise, 2018)

Each of us go to school with a backpack filled with very different experiences that we draw from to master content, create meaning, work in groups, share our voice, and achieve our potential. This report defines learner variability and explains that understanding and addressing our differences will, in fact, help us be confident learners in school and beyond.

Using Research in Ed-Tech: How ed-tech companies use research to make better products

Simone, Christa & Gross, Kelsey (Digital Promise, 2017)

Check out what Digital Promise, in collaboration with Teachers College, Columbia University, learned after issuing a call for developers to tell us how they use research. Download the report to learn more.

Explore Digital Promise’s Research

Digital Promise contributes to the education and learning sciences field by publishing research, implementation, and evaluation studies. Our reports on topics of interest—including learner variability, maker education, and family engagement—put us in conversation with policymakers and thought leaders on the issues facing education leaders today.

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