EdTech Digest

As schools rethink screen time and digital learning, one model shows how technology paired with authentic relationships can help vulnerable students persist toward graduation. GUEST COLUMN | by Diana Good Solis NUTHAWUT SOMSUK Much has been written about how technology distracts young people from focusing on schoolwork. Far less attention has been given to how educational technology can engage one of the most vulnerable groups in our education system: high school students who struggle to graduat

Adolescents can focus deeply when they feel competent. The challenge for schools is making reading feel rewarding instead of revealing. GUEST COLUMN | by Matt Bardin FAHMI RUDDIN HIDAYAT Today’s adolescents grow up in a world engineered to deliver constant, low-friction stimulation. Videos explain ideas instantly. Feeds scroll endlessly. Games reward quick responses and short bursts of attention.  Reading asks something fundamentally different. It slows students down, exposes confusion, and dema

Concentric Educational Solutions has launched a new 90-Day Summer Pilot Program designed to help school districts tackle chronic absenteeism and reconnect disengaged K–12 students before the new academic year begins. The initiative combines human-centered outreach with Concentric’s proprietary voice-to-narrative technology, transforming conversations with students and families into actionable insights that schools can use to strengthen support systems and improve attendance outcomes. The nationa

AI can spark curiosity and expand learning—but when chatbots start acting like friends, the line between education and emotional manipulation quickly disappears. GUEST COLUMN | by Chris Rohlfs and Keanon O’Keefe MARTA SHER The most dangerous thing an AI can say to your child isn’t violent or explicit. It’s “I love you.” You’ve seen the news: teenagers whose weeks-long attachments to companion chatbots end in tragedy; lawsuits against platforms that let conversations spiral. These extreme outcome

GUEST COLUMN | by Vishal Gupta MUHAMAD CHABIB ALWI The fundamental problem with keyword-based filtering is that it mistakes words for meaning. It flags students researching suicide prevention for a health class project while missing those consuming harmful content that never uses a concerning term. It blocks academic inquiries while letting genuine risks slip through undetected. ‘…keyword-based filtering … mistakes words for meaning. … And most school safety systems are s

Why school districts are becoming edtech creators. TRENDS IN EDTECH | by Victor Rivero For years, the relationship between school districts and edtech companies has been relatively straightforward: vendors built the tools, and schools bought them. But a new shift is emerging—one that could fundamentally reshape the education technology landscape. District leaders are no longer just technology buyers. Increasingly, they’re becoming builders. In a recent episode of The Boys of EdTech podcast, Wi

New Codio CEO Doug Hughes argues universities must move beyond theory and start teaching students how to work inside real AI systems before the workforce leaves them behind. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero As colleges and universities race to prepare students for an AI-driven workforce, the pressure to move beyond theory and into hands-on technical learning is accelerating fast. Institutions across the country are expanding applied AI instruction into programs ranging from business and finance to

GoGuardian Discover cuts through edtech sprawl at budget crunch time. Districts are heading into budget season with a problem that’s no longer manageable: too many tools, not enough clarity, and shrinking dollars. The average system now juggles nearly 3,000 digital tools—and roughly 70% of licenses go unused. Meanwhile, funding has become the top unmet need for most district leaders, just as federal support is expected to decline. The disconnect between spending and accountability is reaching a

Early learners are disappearing into AI’s cognitive Divide GUEST COLUMN | by Chris Holoka I recently spoke with a high school English veteran of fifteen years from a small rural district in central Michigan about her frustrating experiences with AI. What really keeps her up at night, however, isn’t in the classroom. It’s at home, with her second-grade daughter, now surrounded by an AI ecosystem that threatens to “rescue” her from the struggle that creates strong readers. As AI

Velina Lee, GM of Career & Technical Education at Vector Solutions, explains how workforce-aligned learning, durable skills, and real-world readiness are reshaping what it means to prepare students—and why the moment for CTE is now. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero As Career and Technical Education (CTE) moves from the margins to the mainstream, few leaders have had as front-row a seat to its evolution as Velina Lee. As General Manager of Career & Technical Education at Vector Solutions, Le

From Rocketship to Flourish, John Danner explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping instruction—and what that means for teachers, students, and systems. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero John Danner has a habit of showing up early to the future—and building it. From co-founding the world’s first internet ad server to pioneering blended learning in K–12 schools, his career has consistently traced the edge of transformation in both technology and education. Now, he’s focused on what he believe

A former broadcast news leader on crisis communications, trust, and why school systems must think—and communicate—like modern brands to survive and thrive. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero For more than two decades, Greg Turchetta shaped narratives in high-pressure newsrooms, where speed, clarity, and credibility defined success. Today, as a strategic communications advisor at Apptegy, he’s applying those same instincts to a very different audience: school communities navigating scrutiny, declining

Instructional coaching is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways to improve teaching practice. But even in strong systems, a persistent question remains: who supports the coaches? Edthena’s AI Coach for Instructional Coaches offers a compelling answer. Named a TIME Best Invention of 2025 for its innovative use of AI in teacher reflection, this new module extends coaching support to the coaches themselves—on demand and at no additional cost within the platform. Designed for flexibili

Rising digital threats are exposing stark disparities among school systems, where limited resources hinder recovery efforts and leave the most vulnerable learners facing the greatest consequences. GUEST COLUMN | by Björn Hall When Baltimore County Public Schools got breached in November 2020, the district stayed offline for three days. And while it might not seem like the worst outcome, the attack had deeper consequences: the school payroll data was compromised, leaving retirees affected by iss

As AI becomes part of students’ daily lives, one advocate argues schools should focus less on the tools—and more on understanding the systems behind them. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero Artificial intelligence is quietly becoming part of students’ everyday lives. It shows up in the search results they see, the videos recommended to them, the apps they use—and increasingly, in tools that can write, solve, and create on demand. For many students, AI isn’t a future technology; it’s already woven int

It’s the system every tool relies on—yet it’s the one districts review the least. That blind spot is costing more than you think. GUEST COLUMN | by Douglass Mabry    Let me paint a picture you might recognize. Your district has invested in a new AI-powered tutoring platform. You’re piloting a social-emotional learning tool. The professional development budget and PLC days went toward a data analytics dashboard. The school board applauded every line item. And your SIS? Still running on the same

As expectations rise, Nigel Nisbet of MIND Education explains why edtech’s future depends on productive struggle and experience-first design. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero With a background that spans mathematics, music, and classroom innovation, Nigel Nisbet brings a uniquely interdisciplinary lens to edtech. After earning a mathematics degree and launching an early career as a rock musician, he transitioned into education, teaching mathematics, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science at Van Nuys S

We have built better ways to track readiness. We still have to help students develop it. GUEST COLUMN | by Alan Brusky and Grace Brusky THAI DUY HOANG For more than two decades as a marketer, I have helped organizations clarify their message: who they are, what they offer, and why it matters. That work taught me to notice the gap between the jargon and what people actually experience. That gap is at the heart of the college and career readiness conversation. We have built readiness systems witho

Developed by New York Times bestselling authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, DailySpark reimagines professional learning as a simple, sustainable daily habit. This 30-day digital experience delivers short, high-impact sessions—just 5–8 minutes each—combining focused video insights with practical reflection, all conveniently delivered via email. DailySpark shifts professional development from overwhelming to doable. By breaking down complex instructional practices into manageable daily actions,

Eighteen years after launching Lumos Learning, Krishnaswamy now works alongside the very son who inspired it—continuing a mission to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes for millions of students. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero When Mukunda Krishnaswamy’s third-grade son came home from school and declared that the test prep materials his dad had purchased were “useless,” it wasn’t just a passing complaint. It was a defining moment. At the time, Krishnaswamy had zero background in education technolo