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Digital technology, including information technology, is widely available in K–12 classrooms across the United States, and its adoption has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and by substantial investment in technology for education. However, various factors, including student needs and access and the availability and utilization of quality professional learning opportunities to support effective technology use, impact public schools’ return on investments in that technology.

This paper is a thought piece on how the emerging concept of technology-enabled instruction can bridge the gap between instructional practice and technology integration, resulting in unique benefits for students. The paper explores the conditions under which such instruction can best be deployed, the barriers to adoption, and the role of system leaders in supporting teachers to use effective technology-enabled instructional practices.

The paper provides the following key insights:

•  Effective technology-enabled teaching requires consideration of both instructional practices and technology integration strategies.
• Technology can provide benefits in helping enable better learning outcomes as part of effective technology-enabled instructional practices—not simply on its own.
• Barriers to effective technology-enabled instructional practices exist at both personal and system levels.
• Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about pedagogy and technology affect whether and how teachers deploy practices associated with technology-enabled instruction.
• School and district leaders are essential in supporting teachers’ technology-enabled instruction in several ways.