Responsible PK-5 EdTech Task Force
The expansion of educational technology (EdTech) in early elementary classrooms marks a critical juncture for the youngest learners. We recognize that PK-5 education requires a developmentally appropriate approach that is distinct from secondary and postsecondary EdTech integration models. For PK-5 models, policy and practice should prioritize the evidence-based, developmentally appropriate use of technology, reinforce support for children's developmental milestones, including physical, social, and emotional well-being, and recognize the essential role of human connection in learning.
The Responsible PK-5 EdTech Task Force has been established to develop a "Pedagogy-First" framework for technology integration in early childhood and elementary education. With the accelerating adoption of generative AI and as state legislatures shift from bans on devices and screens to model guidance, this initiative will provide a comprehensive framework grounded in the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) for PK-5 learners. The balance between digital skills and learning is paramount—technology must not displace the foundational sensory, social-emotional, and cognitive learning experiences essential for healthy development.
Key Themes and Ideas the Task Force Will Explore
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The Science of Learning and Development highlights the importance of active, meaningful, socially interactive, iterative, and joyful learning experiences. Playful learning environments support deeper understanding, persistence, creativity, and knowledge transfer while fostering positive developmental outcomes. Recommendations will encourage technology uses that enhance children's curiosity, agency, imagination, and sense of purpose while preserving ample opportunities for child-directed play and exploration.
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Learning is fundamentally relational. Decades of research in developmental science demonstrate that children learn best through responsive relationships with educators, caregivers, and peers. Technology should strengthen, not replace, the human connections that support learning, belonging, trust, and well-being. Recommendations will prioritize technology uses that foster collaboration, conversation, mentorship, family engagement, and meaningful social interaction while discouraging uses that substitute for essential human relationships.
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Early childhood and elementary years are critical periods for developing executive function skills, including attention control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and self-regulation. Recommendations will promote technology experiences that support sustained attention, reflection, productive struggle, and goal-directed learning while minimizing designs that encourage distraction, interruption, multitasking, or compulsive engagement. Technology should strengthen children's capacity to focus and learn rather than compete for their attention.
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Language is a foundational driver of cognitive, academic, and social development. Recommendations will prioritize technology experiences that support rich conversation, storytelling, reading, oral language development, and meaningful communication among children, educators, and families. Technology should expand opportunities for dialogue and expression rather than reduce the frequency and quality of human interaction. Special attention will be given to multilingual learners and early literacy development.
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Young children learn through movement, exploration, play, and interaction with the physical world. Research increasingly demonstrates that cognition is deeply connected to sensory and motor experiences. Recommendations will ensure that technology complements rather than displaces opportunities for hands-on learning, creative play, outdoor exploration, physical activity, and the development of fine and gross motor skills. Technology should serve as one tool within a broader ecosystem of embodied learning experiences.
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As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into educational experiences, children must develop age-appropriate understanding of digital systems and their limitations. Recommendations will support the development of curiosity, critical thinking, digital and human literacy, and learner agency. Technology should empower children to ask questions, evaluate information, create knowledge, relate to others, and exercise judgment rather than fostering passive consumption or overreliance on automated systems. Human judgment, creativity, human connection, and ethical reasoning should remain central to learning.
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The developmental impact of technology depends not only on the amount of time children spend with devices, but also on the quality, purpose, context, and outcomes of those experiences. Recommendations will focus on measurable indicators of healthy development, including learning, language growth, social connection, well-being, engagement, and agency, rather than relying solely on screen-time measures. The goal is to shift the conversation from how much technology children use to how technology contributes to their growth and flourishing.
The State of Play: From "Bans" to "Frameworks"
The legislative landscape is rapidly shifting. Tracking over 32 legislative proposals across the country, we see a macro trend moving away from blunt, statewide restrictions or prohibitions toward sophisticated, state-set guardrails paired with local policy requirements. The Task Force provides the technical and pedagogical expertise to inform hybrid governance between state and local education agencies; targeted restrictions and carve-outs for technologies used for assessment, accommodations, and computer science; and accountability measures for vendor standards, parent transparency, device opt-outs, and state-run quality controls.
The Responsible PK-5 EdTech Use Pillars
Centering our work is the development of deliverables built according to our strategic pillars:
The Active vs. Passive Usage Definition: Defining exactly what constitutes "responsible use" (creation, collaboration, and critical thinking) versus "distraction" (passive consumption, addictive loops, and mindless scrolling).
Inclusive Access & FAPE Protection: Explicitly protecting the rights of students with disabilities and multilingual learners, ensuring that the technology required for a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) remains unrestricted and accessible.
Science of Learning & Development (SoLD): All recommendations will be vetted against the core principles of child development, with a priority on active engagement, play, and social interaction.
The "Tactile-to-Digital" Continuum: Establishing a clear framework for the PK-5 transition to ensure that technology does not displace foundational tactile learning in grades PK-2.
Cognitive Load Management: Developing guidance to protect young learners from "sensory overstimulation" and "dark patterns" in software design.
Key Deliverables
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A formal framework for state education agencies and school districts to fulfill legislative requirements.
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Evidence Strategy Primer
Model policy documents
Stakeholder engagement protocols
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Protocols for ensuring assistive technologies remain unrestricted for IEP/504 compliance.
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A tool for educators to evaluate the efficacy and evidence based on learning sciences.
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Educator training and development
Developmentally appropriate EdTech use models by grade band
EdTech Procurement Rubric and Considerations
Governance and Leadership
To support this work, we have assembled an Executive Board of international experts in PK-12 education, the learning sciences, industry, and civil rights advocacy to ensure that our work is theoretically and practically viable, evidence-based, and supportive of front-line practitioners.
