Preschool teachers use generative artificial intelligence the least among K-12 educators, but they are starting to use it more despite a lack of guidance, according to a new report.
According to a study by the nonprofit think tank RAND, 29% of preschool teachers use generative artificial intelligence in the classroom, although 20% of them use it less than once a week. For comparison, 69% of high school teachers use generative AI, while 64% of middle school teachers and 42% of elementary school teachers use the technology.
“To me, this raises the question of how the use of AI is going to evolve in pre-kindergarten,” Jordy Berne, associate economist at RAND and co-leader of this study, said during a press briefing. “Are we going to learn more about the developmental impacts that will prevent this practice from becoming more common? Or are we going to find ways to use it in really productive ways, and that will be a big boost for kindergarten teachers and students?”
A significant factor is the concern among younger students that technology, particularly personal devices like iPads, will harm the development of their communication and social skills.
“One of the main concerns is the relevance of the development,” explains Berne. “Teachers have expressed concerns that children are spending too much time in front of a screen, which can undermine the human interaction they believe is necessary for social skills.”
Branch
But kindergarten teachers are very hip.
In addition to asking questions about AI, the RAND research, called “the Spring 2025 Survey of U.S. Public Kindergarten Teachers“, also surveyed kindergarten teachers about their use of educational, curricular, and administrative edtech products and services. The survey surveyed approximately 2,000 kindergarten teachers working in public schools.
Nearly all respondents (98%) use online video or audio with their students, and 92% use it daily or weekly. Many teachers reported using videos or music for their students to give them breaks between classes and dance time.
Interactive whiteboards were among the top edtech tools used by students, at 77%. Teachers reported using them because they are visually stimulating and tactile, while researchers believe usage is high because teachers are familiar with these tools, having been around for more than a decade. The researchers added in their report that whiteboards are typically used in large group settings, facilitating socialization, as opposed to gaming on individual-focused devices.
Gaming on electronic devices was also used in more than half (64%) of kindergarten classes, while 37% reported using digital educational programs. Although it is the least used by teachers, the report indicates that those who use the educational programs find them very useful, particularly with students learning English as a second language and children with disabilities.
How Kindergarten Teachers Use Edtech in the Classroom
And for administrative edtech products, the majority of teachers surveyed (82%) use family communication platforms, with 75% using these tools daily or at least once a week. Most teachers (84%) agree that educational technology could be particularly helpful in communicating with families.
Roughly the same proportion (83%) used online and digital educational resources, although less than half (48%) used them daily or weekly. More than half also used assessment platforms and learning management systems (60% and 56%, respectively).
A majority say it could be useful to introduce their students to the “outside world”, for example by taking part in virtual field trips. There was also optimism about sharing resources with other teachers via digital platforms, to prevent them from “reinventing the wheel”, according to one teacher.
How Kindergarten Teachers Think Edtech Is Helpful
One of the RAND researchers’ biggest concerns was the “critical gap” between familiarity with education technology products and how to actually evaluate those products. While 7 in 10 preschool teachers reported receiving professional training on using edtech, fewer than 4 in 10 have received professional training in evaluating the quality of edtech products.
Share of kindergarten teachers who have received Edtech training
“Especially as AI evolves and the entire edtech landscape evolves, it becomes more difficult for educators to know what is high and low quality,” Berne says. “So it’s probably more important than ever.”