Q&A with RAND Researchers about Findings from the American Pre-K Teacher Survey

The data for these reports came from the American Pre-K Teacher Survey. Can you explain what the survey is and why it’s an important source of data?

Pre-K educators are early learning experts whose voices and experiences can play a powerful role in informing education policy. RAND’s unique American Pre-K Teacher Survey (PTKS) is a nationally representative panel that captures the opinions and experiences of pre-K teachers working in public schools across the U.S. The PKTS provides critical information on an array of topics, including the use of curriculum materials and assessments to measure children’s learning, the availability and adequacy of instructional planning time, instructional alignment with kindergarten, professional learning activities, wages and benefits, well-being and working conditions, and retention.

There’s a lot of interesting information found in the report on the use of instructional materials in school-based pre-K programs. For example, 85 percent of teachers reported using multiple instructional materials and the average pre-K teacher reported using three materials. What are the policy implications of the fact that pre-K teachers are often combining multiple instructional materials to meet the needs of their students?

Pre‑K teachers often use multiple instructional materials to fill perceived gaps in any one material, but doing so can increase their workload and could lead to incoherent instruction. Based on our research, we have three recommendations for improving instruction and reducing teacher burden. First, state and district leaders should provide clear guidance and professional learning to help teachers select and use materials effectively and in ways that complement each other. Second, curriculum developers should revisit how well their materials support children with different learning needs. Third, funders and policymakers should encourage the development and adoption of domain‑specific pre‑K numeracy materials, which are currently underused.

One of the reports focuses specifically on the professional learning opportunities available to pre-K teachers. According to the survey, what kinds of professional learning do teachers find most useful and what kinds are judged by teachers to not be very useful?

According to pre-K teachers, the most useful types of professional learning (PL) are (i) observing other teachers’ instruction and (ii) getting feedback about one’s own instruction from peers. About 90 percent of teachers who received those PL opportunities reported that they find them useful. The types of PL that pre-K teachers find the least useful involve virtual coaching and online videos or webinars. Even at this low end, however, around 70 percent of pre-K teachers reported that they find these types of PL useful. Altogether, these results suggest that teachers highly value peer collaboration and in-person support.

What other findings related to professional learning opportunities particularly stood out to you?

The vast majority of pre-K teachers have received professional learning (PL) on the use of instructional materials. However, teachers sometimes need additional learning to feel comfortable with a given topic. We found that more than half of pre-K teachers who had received PL on adapting or supplementing materials to meet the needs of diverse learners (i.e., children with varied cultural backgrounds, children with IEPs, children who are English learners, etc.) felt that they needed more learning.

We also found that only 37 percent of pre-K teachers had received PL on judging the quality of educational technology products. This kind of PL is especially important as new types of AI-enabled products enter the landscape.

The use of educational technology, particularly AI, has been in the news a lot recently. What do we know about how pre-K teachers are currently using educational technology, including AI, in their classrooms?

Currently, most pre-K teachers do not use generative artificial intelligence (gen AI). In the 2024–2025 school year, nine percent of pre-K teachers used it daily or weekly and 20 percent used it less than once per week. Some teachers in our focus groups said they used gen AI to assist with family communication and with creating instructional activities tailored to students’ specific interests.

Pre-K teachers are using gen AI less frequently than K-12 teachers, especially high school teachers. One potential driver of this difference appears to be pre-K teachers’ concerns about developmental appropriateness for young children. AI-based tools often rely on computers or tablets, and teachers in our focus groups expressed concern about young children having too much screen time.

Some of the survey questions focus on pre-K teacher pay, benefits, and intentions to remain a pre-K educator. The survey responses reveal that the share of pre-K teachers who intend to leave their jobs fell by around a quarter between 2024 and 2025. Are there any theories about what might have caused this decline?

Simply comparing pay and benefits between 2024 and 2025 paints a mixed picture. On the one hand, pre-K teachers were less likely to receive certain benefits (e.g., paid parental leave and overtime pay) in 2025, and around half of all pre-K teachers experienced a decrease in their inflation-adjusted salary. On the other hand, nearly all teachers saw an increase in their unadjusted (i.e., nominal) salary, which is perhaps more salient to teachers.

Our leading theory for why intentions to leave declined is that pre-K teachers were responding to the less favorable labor market conditions in 2025. Previous research suggests that teachers can become anxious about leaving their jobs when alternative job prospects worsen.

Where can readers learn more about findings from the American Pre-K Teacher Survey?

Readers can learn more about the PKTS at this webpage. They can also use the following links to access our four newly released reports:

1. Instructional Materials: www.rand.org/t/RRA4412-1
2. Educational Technology: www.rand.org/t/RRA4412-2
3. Pay, Benefits, and Intentions to Leave: www.rand.org/t/RRA4412-3
4. Professional Learning: www.rand.org/t/RRA4412-4

Readers can also learn more about the RAND’s American Educator Panels (AEP), which is the umbrella panel for the PKTS, at this webpage.