Three key opportunities to address education's biggest challenges

Key points:

While most students say they are eager to learn and feel a strong sense of belonging at school, teachers still face challenges that hold back improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes, according to a new report from Discovery Education.

Teachers are eager to adopt changes that produce positive outcomes, but significant barriers to achieving those outcomes remain, according to Discovery Education's Education Insights Report.

The report reveals key areas of opportunity to address student engagement and captures the prevailing attitudes and beliefs of superintendents, teachers, parents and students.

Three areas of focus emerged in the report:

1. All stakeholders should encourage student engagement to motivate curiosity, inspire exploration, and activate effective learning. Research shows that engaged students are more likely to find learning interesting and empowering. Sixty-eight percent of teachers say that getting students excited about learning is a big challenge for them. What's more, nearly all teachers and students (94 percent) agree that curiosity is key to unlocking learning, but 80 percent of students say there aren't enough opportunities to be curious. Students should be appropriately challenged in their learning, and prioritizing curiosity and exploration can boost student engagement.

2. Career exploration and development of 21st century skills are increasingly critical as teachers, parents, and students are concerned about preparing students for the future as the workforce evolves. When students see how their current studies connect to potential career paths, they are more likely to feel motivated and invested in their education. This integration of curiosity-driven learning and hands-on exploration of future opportunities guides students toward academic and career success. Sixty-seven percent of students are concerned that their education is not evolving to meet future workforce needs. Seventy-four percent of superintendents believe that students' preparation for job opportunities has improved compared to five years ago, while only 41 percent of teachers agree. As educators work to engage and motivate students, the survey results suggest they should focus more on two key areas to better prepare students for the future: career readiness and interpersonal skills development.

3. Providing more targeted support to teachers and students can increase confidence and improve results.. Studies show that teachers who feel supported are more likely to experience job satisfaction and stay in the profession longer, creating a more stable and effective learning environment for students. Research consistently shows that personalized learning approaches, where
Instruction is tailored to students' unique strengths, needs, and interests, leading to better academic outcomes, greater engagement, and higher levels of motivation.

“While Discovery Education's Education Insights Report “found that students, parents, teachers and superintendents have a generally positive outlook on the current state of education, it also found that there are obstacles to overcome,” said Brian Shaw, CEO of Discovery Education. “Educators worry about keeping students engaged, and students feel insecure about their preparation for the future. Discovery Education’s goal with this research is to highlight opportunities for improvement so that all stakeholders can collaborate to solve these challenges and create brighter futures for all students.”

Additional findings include:

• Curiosity is important for everyone. There is broad agreement on the importance of curiosity in learning: more than 90 percent of stakeholders surveyed agree that curiosity is critical to learning. However, 82 percent of students and 75 percent of teachers believe there are not enough opportunities to be curious in today's classrooms.
• Students want to learn more life skills. Eighty-eight percent of district leaders, teachers, parents, and students rate life skills as very important, but only 57 percent of students believe their schools adequately teach the life skills necessary for future success.
• Teachers see promise in adaptive learning. Ninety-three percent of teachers believe that adaptive learning resources would help students learn more effectively and 75 percent of students say that learning at their own pace would increase the likelihood of engaging in lessons, feel empowered in school and more prepared for the future.
• Time is of the essence. Ninety-four percent of teachers surveyed reported that they are looking for classroom tools that give them back time to focus on students.
• ai tools from education experts are more reliable. When it comes to artificial intelligence, 72 percent of teachers and parents, as well as 85 percent of superintendents surveyed, believe that ai-powered personalized learning materials are more reliable when made by education experts. Additionally, 84 percent of teachers and 90 percent of superintendents believe that as teachers receive more training on how to use ai, it will become a more reliable tool in education.

Survey data was collected by The Harris Poll, an industry-leading research organization, on behalf of Discovery education in August 2024. It included 1,524 responses from K-12 students, parents of K-12 students, and K-12 teachers and superintendents.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. He graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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