When schools shifted to remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic, districts adopted digital platforms at breakneck speed. Some were essential, others were chosen simply because they were available on short notice. Now that emergency funding is fading and leaders are being pressed to show results, many districts are undertaking a new kind of cleanup: reducing their overwhelming collections of edtech tools.
A recent LearnPlatform study found that during the 2023–24 academic year, the typical U.S. school district interacted with nearly 3,000 different digital products. That number has forced administrators to reassess what they’re using, what’s duplicative, and what genuinely supports teaching and learning.
Looking closely at how districts are streamlining their approaches to technology choices we are seeing a stronger focus on instructional vision, data-proven efficacy, accessibility and support for all students, and careful implementation of generative AI.
Building intentional and sustainable digital ecosystems in K-12 schools starts with effective planning, goals, and evaluation processes, including input from the school community.
Start with Purpose, Not Products
A recurring message from school procurement officers is that any effort to streamline tech must start with a clear instructional vision. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has created an extensive EdTech Systems Guide that provides a step-by-step approach to purchasing and implementation that walks school leaders through an ongoing cycle involving selection, rollout, and evaluation. The focus of the guide it to help administrators trim their digital inventory by understanding and evaluating the goals of each tech tool.
Move from Digital Overload to Measured Use
When COVID hit many schools switched from a restricted purchasing plan to a quick adoption and ask questions later plan. School leaders approved the quick adoption of hundreds of new apps with little formal review or evaluation. Today districts are pulling back and creating vetting processes and tools such as 1EdTech’s TrustEd Apps, Lightspeed Insight, and internal service logs to evaluate privacy practices, classroom impact, and real-world usage. These systems help screen for data protection, interoperability, and alignment with instructional priorities.
Many districts now building a data-informed system to measure tool effectiveness using assessments from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and other sources. NWEA has been invaluable in creating an accountability culture around digital purchases.
Use Equity to Filter Out Tools that are not Accessible
For some schools, the explosion of digital products during the pandemic led to overlapping systems with similar features. Many schools are starting to trim their list of tools by centering the review process on equity and access.
District and school leaders need to be involved in updating evaluation rubrics including making sure they focus on usability, privacy, and alignment. Specifically, school policies now spell out that evaluation needs to ensure that tools are accessible for students with disabilities, that they provide support for multilingual learners, that AI-related features and implications are reviewed, and that they prioritize transparency around vendor practices
A major tool needs to go through a full-year pilot that gathers teacher input, training needs, and student learning data in a consistent format. Sometimes hard choices need to be made. Tools that are loved by some community members may no longer serve the wider schools’ priorities and needs.
Cut Redundancy and use Community Input
Taking measure of how often a tool is used is essential to the process of de-cluttering your tech tool collection. Many schools find they have been paying for tools annually that are rarely if ever used. Lightspeed and ClassLink can be used to review usage combined with feedback from students and teachers to help identify which products truly support engagement and which fall flat. School leaders are working on cutting down on excessive screen time and gauge active versus passive tech use. Google Gemini integrations can also provide some analysis of usage patterns and academic growth.
Vendor redundancy is another are to focus on. School administrators are asking companies to demonstrate newer features that might replace other tools their districts pays for. Even cutting your tech tools by five or ten percent can provide meaningful savings without impacting student learning.
Focus on Evidence and Greater Selectivity: More is not Better!
The next phase of edtech adoption needs to focus on input from the wider school community. Tools that seem appropriate for a district because they seem to meet all the evaluative criteria should not be adopted if there are clear indicators from the community that the tool does not serve their needs. The ultimate goal isn’t just reducing the number of tools — it’s building a digital environment that costs less, works better, and supports learning for every student.
This article is based, in part, on the following sources:
Ullman, E. “Trimming the Edtech Fat: How Districts Are Streamlining Their Digital Ecosystems.”EdSurge, May 16, 2025.
Instructure.com. New LearnPlatform by Instructure Report finds Increases in More Unique Digital Tools Accessed by K-12 Institutions, Students and Teachers.
Leslie Stebbins is the Director of Research4Ed. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in higher education and K-12 learning. Her clients include Harvard University, the U.S. Department of Education, Tufts University, and the Gates Foundation. She has an M.Ed. from the Technology Innovation & Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliestebbins/
