Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absenteeism through edTech Product Design Jessica Lewis January 10, 2025 As the pandemic’s impacts on education become clearer, our user experience research uncovered a challenge plaguing educators and students across the country: chronic absenteeism. EdTech product owners can do more to design strategies for chronic absenteeism that empower schools, teachers, and families. After all, reducing chronic absenteeism isn’t just good for students—it’s essential for the longterm success of your EdTech products and the communities they serve. What is chronic absenteeism? According to the American Federation of Teachers, chronic absenteeism is “defined as missing at least 10 percent of days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences.” Chronic absenteeism has a negative impact on both absent students and their peers. Chronically absent students struggle academically, drop out of school at higher rates, and experience decreased feelings of connection with their teachers and peers. When students are frequently absent, their peers also make slower academic progress, disengage academically, and are more likely to be absent themselves. In order for EdTech companies to support student learning, we first have to find ways to get students in school and ready to learn. How chronic absenteeism impacts EdTech products When students miss school frequently, they are less likely to use learning tools consistently. This leads to incomplete learning paths and lower active user metrics. Sporadic usage makes it challenging for responsive EdTech products to track student progress accurately, distorting analytics and affecting the product’s ability to deliver personalized learning experiences. Gaps in attendance also create learning disparities, making it harder for the platform to meet students’ needs and leaving teachers struggling to bridge these gaps. The result? An underutilized EdTech product at risk of churning users and upsetting buyers. When they look at product usage data, school administrators won’t just see a low return on investment. They’ll see an ineffective learning tool—even if the root cause of low engagement or efficacy is absenteeism. Download the report and design recommendations Download our report and design recommendations, and get our best strategies for mitigating chronic absenteeism. By thoughtfully addressing this challenge through product design, you’ll strengthen your overall educational experience, improve student outcomes, and unlock new potential for your products. You’ll get: 7 pages of digestible research about chronic absenteeism and how it impacts the EdTech industry, so you can make more informed product decisions 5 common challenges chronic absenteeism poses in the classroom 5 design strategies you can use to support students and teachers Whether your team decides to leverage data analytics to identify at-risk students, build communication platforms to strengthen school-family connections, or create innovative attendance-tracking and incentive systems, the possibilities for helping educators combat chronic absenteeism are vast. EdTech leaders who rise to this challenge will be rewarded not only with loyal customers and growing market share, but you’ll also play a vital role in transforming the lives and communities of students and educators who need your support. To download this resource, please enter your email and information. 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Teacher Council Report: How to Give Your Users Better Tools for Back-to-School Monica Sherwood October 6, 2023 Is your edTech product easy to use during the busiest time of year? Year after year, we see edTech companies set product or feature launch dates for the fall. But user research—and the edTech buying cycle—shows this isn’t the best move for you or your users. Teachers are busy and overwhelmed once a new school year begins. They haven’t bought in to new edTech products purchased by their school or district administrator. They don’t have time to complete complicated product trainings—making it harder for your product to see meaningful engagement. Getting a strong ROI for new features and new edTech products is crucial to business success. So where do you invest your design and development budget to see the biggest returns—and build the best learning tool for your users? Teacher persona research will help you prioritize your MVP for fall—and beyond Backpack Interactive’s Teacher Council was designed to give you practical insights into the challenges teachers face every day. Thanks to the input of our council, we’re able to share professional user research that reflects the needs, pain points, and goals of the teachers who use your edTech products. Download your user research report and design recommendations Our latest Teacher Council findings will help you foster team discussion, align on your feature priorities, and create better tools for busy teachers. You’ll get: Validated user pain points about using edTech products at the beginning of the school year 8 pages of first-person insights from the teachers on our Teacher Council you can use to anchor your design decisions 10 tactical take-aways you can apply to your own products ASAP To download this resource, please enter your email and information. "*" indicates required fields First Name*Last Name*Email* Country*CountryAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland IslandsCAPTCHAPhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Teacher Council Report: How to Design Better Adaptive Learning Tools Milagros Montalvo August 19, 2022 Are your adaptive edTech tools missing the mark? In an ideal world, adaptive edTech products provide students with personalized support based on their needs and input. These learning tools help teachers work more efficiently in the classroom and address learning gaps. But edTech products are falling short. X They don’t anticipate a wide range of learning gaps. X They don’t offer teachers enough customization. X They don’t provide enough context for student answers, making data less helpful. You already know you want to build more effective edTech tools. So where do you start? User research is the key to better adaptive tech Backpack Interactive’s Teacher Council was designed to give you practical insights into the challenges teachers face every day. Empowering you to make more informed product strategy, insights from our Teacher Council lay the foundation for your own user research. Download your free report on adaptive learning tools Our latest Teacher Council findings offer everything you need to design incredible adaptive features in your own edTech tool and align your stakeholders on the right path forward. You’ll get: 2 research-backed personas 65 pages of first-person insights from the teachers on our Teacher Council, including validated user pain points around adaptive edTech tools 1 mini competitive audit 10 tactical take-aways you can apply to your own products ASAP To download this resource, please enter your email and information. "*" indicates required fields First Name*Last Name*Email* Country*CountryAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland IslandsCAPTCHANameThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Competitive Audit: Comparing SEL Features in Epic, Lalilo, and Khan Academy Kids Monica Sherwood July 19, 2022 Mini Competitive Audit: 3 edTech Tools with Great SEL Features Assess the marketplace and prioritize your next feature roll-out with our mini competitive audit, where we compare SEL Features in Epic, Lalilo, and Khan Academy Kids. Use this free market research to: Learn which edTech features support SEL growth Consider how to integrate SEL features into academic content Discover the importance of learner agency, persistence, and positive feedback To download this resource, please enter your email and information. "*" indicates required fields First Name*Last Name*Email* Country*CountryAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland IslandsCAPTCHAEmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
