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| July 28, 2026 |
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Edtech platforms often prioritize English, creating a significant barrier for Spanish-speaking families, writes Marisa Gomez-Garcia, parent and founder of Cloud6 Academy, a bilingual K-12 learning platform. Many platforms claim to support Spanish but only translate interfaces, not instructional content. A truly bilingual product requires simultaneous development in both languages, including audio and parent communications, Gomez-Garcia says, suggesting five questions edtech vendors should ask themselves.
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SmartTake: "There is a world of difference between a product that has been translated and a product that is bilingual. Most edtech tools that advertise Spanish support only translate the interface -- the menus, the buttons, the navigation -- but the instruction itself stays in English. To a district evaluating the tool in a demo, it looks bilingual. To a parent sitting down with their child at the kitchen table, it isn't," Gomez-Garcia writes.
"This is the part I think edtech keeps getting wrong. ... Taking access seriously isn't complicated. It means treating a second language as a design requirement, not a stretch goal. It means making the platform bilingual from the first line of code, in the text and the audio, so a parent and child can move through a lesson together. It means making sure the highest value subjects -- the ones tied to a student's economic future -- are the ones that exist in both languages first, not last. None of this is exotic. It's just a decision about who you're building for, made early enough to matter."
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Are you still relying purely on traditional SEO? Search behavior is shifting away from question-based queries and toward zero-click AI answers. Learn how to adapt your digital strategy in our upcoming SmartPanel on August 12th. Register now. |
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Generative AI has become a staple in classrooms, with nearly two-thirds of teachers using such tools by 2026. However, the surge in adoption far outpaces the availability of robust evidence supporting their impact: Only 1 in 5 edtech products offers evidence of improved teaching or learning outcomes, according to a Brookings commentary. The authors say this disconnect highlights the need for education leaders and researchers to develop faster, more iterative approaches to evaluating AI's effectiveness, ensuring that adoption is guided by timely and actionable evidence rather than lagging behind technological advancements. They recommend using implementation R&D and offer five guidelines for building evidence of AI tools.
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The Salamanca City Central School District in New York put on hold plans to bring an AI-powered robot named Sally into its high school after facing public criticism over the $58,000 project. Superintendent Mark Beehler defended the effort at a recent school board meeting. Still, the pause came shortly after New York's state education commissioner raised concerns that the robot could mimic a teacher's role in the classroom.
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| (Halfpoint Images/Getty Images) |
Edtech tools such as Google Notebook and Snorkl can significantly aid neurodivergent learners by adapting the format of educational materials to suit their needs better, writes Holly Clark. Google Notebook allows teachers to transform text-heavy materials into podcasts, infographics and videos, making content more accessible, while Snorkl enables students to express their understanding through drawing, writing or speaking, with instant AI feedback to help students understand concepts.
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A three-year initiative funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Maryville University has introduced AI education to under-resourced elementary schools in St. Louis using Smart Motors, which do not require Wi-Fi. This approach aims to shift students from passive technology users to active inventors, focusing on understanding the math and logic behind AI, and the project has shown improvements in students' self-efficacy and problem-solving skills.
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Edtech spending in Nevada school districts remains difficult to track, with costs often spread across various budgets and lacking transparent itemization -- particularly for AI platforms. The move from textbooks to digital subscriptions has led to recurring expenses, some of which start as grant-funded trials and become long-term district obligations. Parents and advocates argue that districts should fully disclose total technology spending, specify grant-funded products and clarify approval standards. Concerns persist about whether these costly platforms are improving student outcomes, as usage data does not necessarily reflect educational effectiveness.
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| (Maskot/Getty Images) |
Much of the frustration and pushback against education technology is justified, but bans and regulations that "make no distinction between distraction and instruction" are not the answer, writes Alexandra Walsh, chief product officer at Amplify. Teachers remain critical to the learning process, and digital tools should enhance learning in ways that print cannot. "The answer to bad ed tech isn't no ed tech," writes Walsh. "It's higher standards, better tools and a philosophy that keeps teachers at the center."
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Time magazine's list of top 500 edtech companies in the world is created in conjunction with Statista and is based on industry impact and financial performance. The US companies in the top 50 include Duolingo, Coursera, Superhuman, ClassDojo, Frontline, Class Technologies, Learneo, Age of Learning, Evelyn Learning, Capism, Instructure, Echo 360, Barobo and Penda.
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A new tool called Absence Forecast, developed by the American Enterprise Institute, predicts students' likelihood of becoming chronically absent before the school year starts by analyzing past attendance data. The tool has proven to be accurate in pilot tests in Indiana and Rhode Island.
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Top stories from last week's newsletter
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In this episode of the Global EdTech Leaders Series, hear from ISTE's Romeo Ramirez, Director of International Partnerships, about one of the biggest misconceptions in education technology: the belief that better tools alone lead to better outcomes.
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| About ISTE Solutions Network |
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| The Solutions Network a member-based community that aims to 1) connect innovative solution providers to one another to learn, explore, and share best practices, 2) engage with the ISTE/ASCD member community to gather feedback and increase the impact of high-quality learning solutions, 3) engage in thought leadership conversations and 4) provide benefits for the annual ASCD + ISTE conference, where approximately 16,000 educators, decision-makers, and vendors convene. This community is made up of edtech companies of various sizes that are interested in engaging with each other and with ISTE to discuss Edtech’s role in teaching and learning, industry trends, and solve common challenges. Members of this network can benefit from connecting with industry experts and thought leaders, as well as from gaining key buyer information and insights.
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| Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual ASCD + ISTE endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of ASCD + ISTE.
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