Imagine a district leader tasked with selecting the ideal education technology tool from thousands of options. The stakes are high: the right choice could transform your classroom, while the wrong choice could waste valuable resources. How do you decide?
At the heart of this challenge is understanding how school districts are approaching education technology procurement decisions. Decision Lab (TDL)TDL, an applied behavioral science research and innovation firm, interviewed and surveyed over 225 EdTech decision makers from K-12 school districts in the United States. Based on the data, TDL mapped the EdTech procurement process, including multiple steps, cited by these decision makers. The survey revealed that complex behavioral and structural barriers influence purchasing decisions within school districts. To better understand the issue, let’s consider four key stages of the procurement process, what is involved in each stage, potential barriers to success, and specific solutions school districts can leverage to overcome those barriers.
1. Needfind: Identifying edtech needs
In the initial “needs discovery” stage, school districts identify their specific needs for EdTech products. This typically begins with the district exploring the gaps between existing EdTech and their identified needs for teaching and learning. After clarifying what they need, district decision makers often conduct market research to find out what products are available on the market by searching online, attending conferences, and asking other school districts.
One concern that arises during the needs discovery phase is the needs assessment itself. Does the district critically examine existing products and how they can help meet the identified needs? Districts often more The number of educational technology products is higher than optimal, and fewer products would be more effective.Another barrier is limited awareness among decision makers about the full range of products available and the quality of potential solutions.
To overcome these challenges, districts can leverage engagement data from existing products to determine which tools are redundant or underutilized. Additionally, feedback from teachers and students can provide insight into the effectiveness of current tools and identify gaps in the current EdTech suite. Educator networks can also be a way to expand market research, and professional organizations host conferences with exhibit halls, such as the annual ISTE conference, giving decision makers an opportunity to connect directly with EdTech product providers.
2. Evaluation: Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the product
During the Evaluate phase, the district reviews potential EdTech solutions and evaluates their ability to meet the identified needs. This includes narrowing down a shortlist of potential products to review, ensuring that the products meet basic integration, privacy, and technical requirements, reviewing fit to the needs identified in the Needs Discovery phase, and determining key users.
Potential barriers that may arise at this stage include a large number of options, vague evaluation criteria set by school districts that prevent direct evaluation, lack of standardized evaluation, and confirmation bias that may lead school district leaders and teachers to prioritize product providers they are already familiar with and prevent them from exploring other better options.
When evaluating potential solutions, decision makers should reference relevant curriculum and district or state standards to ensure alignment and optimal fit with student learning outcomes. Additionally, decision makers can include multiple perspectives in the evaluation process, such as curriculum leaders, instructional coaches, and classroom teachers, to provide a range of perspectives. Evaluation frameworks – for example, Teacher assessment toolsAssessment tools that focus on teacher usability can help standardize the assessment process and provide a common starting point for assessment discussions.
Verified information from trusted third-party sources will highlight important areas to consider when exploring and testing new tools. EdTech Index provide Verified Information We help decision-makers find the right edtech products for their schools based on quality markers such as alignment, badges and certifications for accessibility, effectiveness, interoperability, privacy and ease of use.
3. Pilot: Test the product and gather feedback
During the pilot phase, the shortlisted products are vetted through demonstrations, program samples, and pilot programs conducted in real classroom environments. This phase is crucial to gather direct feedback from the end users (students and teachers) who will ultimately use the tools.
Key barriers at this stage include a lack of time to adequately test the program, unstructured methods for collecting feedback, and zero-risk bias that discourages districts from abandoning the program after the first trial. This often leads to suboptimal program continuation, where districts continue with the EdTech solution simply because of the previous time and resource investment, due to the sunk cost fallacy.
To mitigate these challenges, school districts can adopt a more systematic approach to collecting and analyzing feedback from pilot programs. This includes structured survey, interview, and observation methods that provide clear, actionable data. If a full pilot program is not feasible, decision makers should ensure that product demonstrations are consistent across different tools to allow for fair comparisons.
4. Procurement: Establish a standardized procurement process
In this final stage, edtech products must be rigorously vetted before they are purchased and widely deployed across schools in the district. Challenges at this stage often result from an inadequate evaluation process or the influence of unimportant factors on the final decision. After the decision has been made on which product to purchase, additional barriers may arise, such as groupthink, lack of buy-in from key stakeholders, or resistance to change.
To strengthen decision-making, school districts should develop standardized procurement processes and use detailed product evaluation criteria, which will ensure that decisions are consistent and based on clearly defined criteria. In addition, by fostering strong collaboration with EdTech providers, they can customize professional development programs for teachers and ensure that teachers are well-prepared to effectively integrate new technologies into their classrooms.
Ultimately, navigating the edtech procurement process requires a systematic, evidence-based approach to ensure quality product selection and implementation, and a deeper understanding of the edtech procurement process reveals opportunities to improve decision-making along the way. The four key stages of the procurement process, from identifying needs to the final purchase decision, highlight the importance of thorough evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic decision-making. By utilizing the strategies and resources detailed in this article, district leaders can address common barriers experienced and adopt high-quality products.
