Engaging Teachers with Technology Increased Achievement, Bypassing Teachers Did Not

Using two RCTs in middle schools in Pakistan, we show brief, expert-led, curriculum based videos integrated into the classroom experience improved teaching effectiveness–student test scores in math and science increased by 0.3 standard deviations, 60% more than the control group, after 4 months of exposure. Students and teachers increased their attendance, and students were more likely to pass the government high-stakes exams. In contrast, similar content when provided to students on personal tablets decreased student scores by 0.4SD. The contrast between the two effects shows the importance of engaging existing teachers and the potential for technology to do so.