Kindergarten teachers use generative artificial intelligence the least among K-12 educators, but are starting to use it more despite the lack of guidance, according to a new report.
A study by nonprofit think tank RAND found that 29% of pre-service teachers use generative artificial intelligence in their classrooms, but 20% of them use it less than once a week. Comparatively, 69 percent of high school teachers use generative AI, 64 percent of middle school teachers, and 42 percent of elementary school teachers use this technology.
“For me, this raises the question of how the use of AI will evolve before kindergarten,” Jordy Byrne, an associate economist at Randland and co-lead of the study, said in a press conference. “Are we going to learn more about the developmental effects that will prevent it from becoming even more common? Or will we find ways to use it really productively and that will be a huge boost for teachers and preschoolers?”
A key factor is the concern that for the youngest students, technology, especially personal devices such as iPads, can undermine the development of communication and social skills.
“One of the main concerns is developmental appropriateness,” Byrne says. “Teachers expressed concern that too much screen time for children could harm relationships, which are necessary for social skills.”
Plugged in
However, the preschool teachers are fully supportive.
In addition to questions about AI, the RAND survey, called the Spring 2025 U.S. Public School Preschool Teacher Survey, also asked preservice teachers about their use of education technology products and services related to instruction, curriculum, and management. The survey was conducted among approximately 2,000 pre-service teachers working in public schools.
Almost all of those surveyed (98%) use online video or audio with their students, and 92% do so daily or weekly. Many teachers reported using videos and music to give students a break between lessons and dance time.
Interactive whiteboards were the top educational technology tool used by students at 77%. Teachers reported using these tools because they are visually stimulating and tactile, but researchers estimate that usage is high because the tools have been around for more than a decade and teachers are familiar with them. The researchers added in their report that whiteboards are typically used in large group settings to help with socialization, rather than games on devices that focus on the individual.
Electronically enabled games are also used in more than half (64%) of preschool classrooms, and 37% report using digital education programs. The report found that usage was lowest among teachers, but those using the program found it very helpful, especially for students learning English as a second language and children with disabilities.
How pre-school teachers can use edtech in their classrooms
And when it comes to administrative ed-tech products, the majority of teachers surveyed (82%) use platforms for family communication, and 75% use these tools daily or at least weekly. Most teachers (84%) agreed that edtech could be particularly useful for communicating with families.
About the same amount (83%) used online and digital curriculum resources, but less than half (48%) used them daily or weekly. More than half also used assessment platforms and learning management systems (60 percent and 56 percent, respectively).
The majority said it could help bring the “outside world” to students, such as going on virtual field trips. There was also optimism that sharing resources with other teachers through digital platforms would prevent teachers from “reinventing the wheel,” according to one teacher.
Usefulness of educational technology as considered by pre-school teachers
One of the RAND researchers' biggest concerns was the “significant gap” between what we know about educational technology products and how those products are actually evaluated. Seven in 10 preservice teachers reported receiving specialized training in the use of educational technology, but less than four in 10 received specialized training in evaluating the quality of educational technology products.
Percentage of pre-service teachers with educational technology training
“Especially as AI advances and education technology as a whole evolves, it becomes harder for teachers to know what is high quality and what is low quality,” Byrne said. “So this is probably more important than ever.”
