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| December 9, 2025 |
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| Edtech news for those building the future of Edtech
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Principals are navigating challenges such as student performance, staffing shortages and the rise of AI-driven tools, Lisa Herring, CEO of New Leaders, says in this interview. Herring stresses the importance of preparation, continuous improvement and innovation in school leadership, and advises vendors to co-create products with educators and build strong relationships.
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SmartTake: School districts use an average of 2,739 educational technology tools annually, according to an Instructure report. But because so many fail to improve student learning, people like Natasha Mir, an engagement manager at EdSolutions who wrote on the topic for The 74, recommend outcomes-based contracts, noting the importance of results rather than features.
Some other headlines about outcome-based contracts in the past year include:
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Technology is a crucial tool for closing learning equity gaps, especially for students facing challenges such as dyslexia, limited English proficiency or socioeconomic barriers, writes Brandi Solis, a computer teacher at Anna Kirchgater Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif. Solis shares her personal experience with dyslexia and emphasizes the importance of integrating technology with traditional teaching methods to foster a growth mindset and motivate students. She highlights the benefits of game-based learning and AI tools such as Prodigy Education, Read Along and Brisk to engage students and address diverse learning challenges.
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Experts emphasize the importance of introducing AI concepts to students as early as elementary school to prepare them for a digital world. Karim Meghji of Code.org and Jake Baskin of the Computer Science Teachers Association advocate teaching not just AI usage but also the underlying technology, including algorithms and data.
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Edtech in India next year is expected to grow, thanks in part to AI, according to industry leaders. Fresher hiring is expected, particularly in underserved regions, while AI-skilled workers can often get higher salaries.
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Teachers can promote deep thinking and learning without extra preparation by reusing presentation slides in innovative ways. Teacher Rob McEntarffer suggests adding blank slides after key points to encourage students to reflect before taking notes, incorporating old slides to connect past and current lessons, and creating reflection slides for all students to make their thinking visible.
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Wilmington, Del., high-school student Satya Kokonda has founded CompetifyHub, a nonprofit organization that offers free biology and math resources to students worldwide. The organization, which began as a Discord group focused on sharing math competition resources, has grown to include 1,600 participants across more than 60 countries.
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Sixth-graders took the lead in their STEM class by developing and delivering a drone coding lesson to their classmates. They created a detailed lesson plan and slideshow, and their peers followed step-by-step instructions to code drones.
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| (Metamorworks/Getty Images) |
Cajon Valley Union School District in California has taken a collaborative approach to developing an AI policy, involving students, teachers, parents and the employee union. Superintendent David Miyashiro emphasizes the importance of human connection and responsible use of AI. The district's approach, while time-intensive, aims to create a sense of ownership among stakeholders.
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| (Halfpoint Images/Getty Images) |
A House subcommittee reviewed nearly 20 bills aimed at reducing online harms to children and teens, focusing on proposals like COPPA 2.0, which would bar data collection on users 16 and under, and the Kids Online Safety Act, which targets addictive design features and harmful content. Lawmakers, witnesses and grieving parents clashed over enforcement, state preemption and age-verification requirements, while recent student-data breaches and an FTC settlement with Illuminate underscored the stakes for schools and families.
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Educators across the US are increasingly utilizing AI to support students with disabilities, leveraging tools such as Tobii eye-tracking devices and platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity to enhance communication and personalize learning. A report from the Center for Democracy and Technology shows that nearly 60% of teachers used AI to develop individualized education plans during the 2024-25 school year. However, concerns about data privacy, social skill development and potential biases remain significant.
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Beano has partnered with Comixit!, a UK-based digital comics platform, to bring its beloved characters, such as Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, into a digital, mobile-friendly format. This partnership enables Beano to reach new audiences by embracing Comixit!'s innovative approach, which includes a vertical-scroll webtoon format designed for children ages 7-12. Beano's executive director highlighted that this collaboration marks an exciting new chapter, helping the brand evolve and connect with today's digital-first generation.
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Top stories from last week's newsletter
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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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| I thought it was possible to find a way to express feeling and humanistic qualities in a building. |
Frank Gehry,
architect, designer
1929-2025 |
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