Report: Student Engagement is the Key to Learning
The report Education Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Learning Through Engagement, published by Discovery Education, revealed that student engagement is a critical element of learning but that there are serious inconsistencies in its definition and measurement in K-12 classrooms. The study, which surveyed 1,398 teachers, administrators, parents, and students across the U.S., showed that while there is consensus on the importance of engagement, observation, and support mechanisms remain weak.
According to the report, 93 percent of educators see student engagement as a key metric for understanding achievement, while 92 percent of students said engaging lessons make school more enjoyable. However, 72 percent of teachers identified asking meaningful questions as the strongest indicator of engagement, whereas 54 percent of administrators emphasized performance on exams. In addition, 99 percent of principals said their districts had systems in place to measure engagement, but only 60 percent of teachers agreed.
Students also rated their own engagement higher than that of their peers: 70 percent versus 42 percent in elementary school, 59 percent versus 36 percent in middle school, and 61 percent versus 39 percent in high school. The report further highlights differences in views on artificial intelligence. While two-thirds of students believe AI can help them learn faster, fewer than half of teachers share this opinion.