Joan Ganz Cooney Center Identifies Rising Digital Games Sector as Possible Solution for Student Engagement Crisis

 Digital Innovation Center Releases Analysis of K-12 Marketplace in Conjunction with the Games and Learning Publishing Council

New York, January 28, 2013 – The explosion of investment in educational technology of the past five years represents a significant opportunity for innovation, but school adoption of technological change has been slow due to long adoption cycles, weak evidence of impact, and the dominance of existing publishers. Meanwhile, 97 percent of teens in the United States are playing digital games[1]. Many of these youth are heavy media users, but are disengaged from school and at high risk of academic failure. With the national emphasis on personalized learning and dropout prevention rising, publishers of high quality games have a new opportunity to enter the schools market. These are among the findings of a new comprehensive analysis of the marketplace for learning games titled Games for a Digital Age: K-12 Market Map and Investment Analysis released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and the Games and Learning Publishing Council.

The report identifies significant barriers for games developers to enter the school market such as the changing policy landscape, a lack of teacher professional development on the uses of technology and a need for low-cost, data rich assessments. Key trends that are favoring game-based innovations include one-to-one computing and “bring-your-own-device” initiatives, adoption of interactive whiteboards, a new focus on personalized learning environments and expanding research on the efficacy of engaging digital games.

“Games are more popular than ever with youth today with many students spending hours a day playing them. What we don’t know yet is whether and how they can be a key ally in driving pathways to academic success,” said Michael H. Levine, executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. “This report documents new trends and prioritizes multi-sector action steps that developers, investors and policymakers can use to advance learning in our digital age.”

Games for a Digital Age details research and educational technology trends including the move towards Common Core standards and deeper assessments, blended learning models and e-based professional development. It also offers guidance for developers to help overcome the complex systemic barriers that have made entry into the schools marketplace challenging.

Conducted and written by Dr. John Richards, Leslie Stebbins and Dr. Kurt Moellering, the report synthesizes findings from extensive market research and a series of fifty interviews with leaders in the developer and publishing industries, and from the government, foundation and research sectors.

 Games for a Digital Age was produced for the Games and Learning Publishing Council (GLPC), a group founded by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and E-Line Media in 2011 to acquire a deeper understanding of the game-based education market. The GLPC is identifying gaps in research and public understanding of digital games, documenting the impact and potential they have for “next generation” learning models and identifying market-based strategies to improve the ability of producers to create games aligned to the Common Core standards.

With the support of a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Council has launched its next phase of activities including analyses of game-based learning assessments, convening learning institutes for teachers on games, conducting surveys and studies of how teachers use video games, and developing an online community that will make research and market information freely available.

The GLPC is chaired by Dr. Milton Chen, Senior Fellow and Executive Director, Emeritus, the George Lucas Educational Foundation and comprises of a cross-section of members from the education, gaming, and media industries and philanthropic and policy organizations. A full list of members and more details on the GLPC’s activities are available on the Cooney Center website.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is an independent, non-profit research center that is fostering innovation in children’s learning through digital media. The Cooney Center conducts and supports research, creates educational models and interactive media properties and builds cross-sector partnerships. The Cooney Center is named for Sesame Workshop’s founder, who revolutionized television with the creation of Sesame Street. Core funding is provided by Peter G. Peterson and Sesame Workshop. Learn more at www.joanganzcooneycenter.org.


[1]Amanda Lenhart,  Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, Alexandra Macgill, Chris Evans and Jessica Vitak. Teens, Video Games, and Civics, Pew Internet and American Life Project, September 2008.