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| May 12, 2026 |
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| Edtech news for those building the future of edtech
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| (Richard Drury/Getty Images) |
Edtech's cybersecurity can of worms keeps getting biggerCanvas parent, Instructure, paid a ransom to ShinyHunters in the hopes of protecting 3.65TB of data accessed on April 29, and more hacked on May 7, that affected nearly 9,000 organizations, several of which, along with some individual students and employees, reportedly received their own ransom demands. Many school districts and higher education institutions took the learning management system offline to prevent an ongoing problem -- an enormous disruption during end-of-session grading and final exams -- and some have reconnected it since Instructure's ransom payment. Education organizations are reviewing cybersecurity protocols, warning families about scams and considering how to maintain instruction if digital tools have been compromised. The incident has reignited concerns about underfunded school cybersecurity efforts and the urgent need for better resources and planning.
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SmartTake: Hacks are a growing and costly threat in education. Not only is Instructure making a ransom payment, it's facing at least seven lawsuits over the incident. Illuminate Education and PowerSchool are still mired in grief from hacks in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Developers and vendors need to understand just how disruptive these incidents are. In Canvas' case, many students were likely in the midst of exams when the system was taken offline. Canvas is not a niche product; bringing an entire learning management system offline affects course management, assignment submission, grade viewing and communication. A breach occurring at semester's end is bad enough -- but when the entire education sector is rethinking the benefits of edtech given a host of other reasons, a hack just provides more ammunition for the opposition.Remember that, while AI was the top concern for state education leaders last year, cybersecurity is their primary concern for 2026, according to the Consortium for School Networking's US State of Edtech Report. Districts are focusing on detection, identity detection, monitoring, firewalls and incident response but are hampered by shrinking budgets for hardware, software and training.Edtech developers should note that procurement has become a first-line tool for product safety, with districts demanding specific product safety details and reassurances before purchasing. Several organizations, including ISTE+ASCD and CoSN, teamed up on the EdTech Index, which lists five common quality indicators. Districts that aren't starting their procurement process there are increasing their cybersecurity risk.
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Between 2020 and 2024, US school districts invested an estimated $15 billion to $35 billion in technology using federal pandemic relief, which helped 88% of public schools provide every student with a device, among other hardware and software additions. Now, however, growing scrutiny around the effectiveness and consequences of such rapid, large-scale tech adoption is prompting limits to screen time and a general edtech reevaluation due to limited academic gains and concerns about student distraction, data privacy and student wellness. People on both sides discuss the issue.
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| (Alistair Berg/Getty Images) |
Sean McKenna, superintendent of Griswold Public Schools in Connecticut, writes that schools should focus on teaching digital wellness and responsible technology use rather than relying on outright device bans, noting that students still spend significant time on smartphones during the school day. He says policies that emphasize "distraction-free" learning and embed digital literacy into instruction can better build long-term self-regulation and responsible use.
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Ruston High School and Louisiana Tech University are piloting the M-2 robot in classrooms to record teachers' lessons for evaluations and to provide feedback that helps student teachers improve their instructional methods. "I think it’s especially been really helpful because ... it tells you exactly what you need to improve on," student teacher Macy Hemphill says.
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| (Thing Nong Nont/Getty Images) |
Marion County Public Schools in Florida is introducing AI education, starting with South Marion High School, which is set to open in August. The Florida Department of Education has awarded a $260,000 grant to support the program as part of a $40 million initiative to focus on in-demand industries.
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The Peninsula School District in Washington state is using "vibe coding" with AI platform Claude Code to create custom digital tools, including LessonLens, which provides teachers with feedback on instruction. This approach has the potential to save the district about $220,000 annually by reducing the need for commercial software, but experts warn that AI-generated code can introduce vulnerabilities and requires careful oversight.
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States including Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont are proposing legislation to improve the vetting process for educational software amid concerns about screen time and student safety. Vermont's bill requires annual registration and certification of educational technology products, Utah's law mandates a study on software use and screen time limits and Rhode Island's legislation focuses on privacy by restricting the activation of audio and video functions on devices.
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Board members for the Lower Merion, Pa., School District rejected parents' opt-out request for one-to-one take-home technology and didn't appear to directly address parents' "Screens Down, Pencils Up" initiative that urge devices be used solely for educational purposes without replacing traditional teaching. "[An opt-out] is not going to happen, because in this district we are not set up to be able to provide individualized learning plans for students who do not have access to computers," Lower Merion School Board Director Anna Shurak says.
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| (Halfpoint Images/Getty Images) |
Los Angeles Unified School District is conducting a comprehensive review of all classroom technology contracts as part of a broader initiative to limit student screen time. The district will create an itemized report distinguishing between school-purchased and centrally-purchased technology, and review contracts to ensure robust student privacy and protection measures. Alongside a contract review, LAUSD is developing a new district-wide policy to set screen time maximums for students, including directives to eliminate digital device use in grades 1 and below and to prohibit student-led use of video streaming platforms such as YouTube.
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Connected Classroom workshops hosted by CDW show educators how to use Gemini for Education, an AI tool, to support differentiated instruction by quickly generating customized study materials. Using Gemini for Education rather than consumer versions ensures that teachers are safely integrating AI into instruction while adhering to school compliance policies and security standards.
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Top stories from last week's newsletter
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Congratulations to the newest ISTE Seal holder, Curriculum Genie! The ISTE Seal provides third-party validation of an edtech product's alignment with digital pedagogy, technological usability, and the ISTE Standards. To learn more about the Seal and how these tools support student learning and educator development, visit the ISTE Seal webpage. |
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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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| If we are to continue to exist, we will require more than intelligence. We will require wisdom. |
David Attenborough,
broadcaster, writer, producer, conservationist, natural historian |
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