Purchasing/Procurement
IT Infrastructure & Management
Tech Purchasing Decisions Are Super Hard. New Initiative Aims to Help
ISTE and other education technology organizations are creating a hub to give district leaders in-depth information about tech products.
Classroom Technology
From Our Research Center
During COVID-19, Schools Have Made a Mad Dash to 1-to-1 Computing. What Happens Next?
Districts that purchased devices for hybrid and remote learning will have to determine how to use them for in-person instruction.
Budget & Finance
FEMA Is Spending Billions on Pandemic Relief. How Schools Can Get More of It
The agency is offering reimbursements to schools for pandemic-related purchases they've been using after Jan. 21, 2021.
School & District Management
Districts' Back-to-School Shopping List: Masks, Gloves, Sanitizers and $25 Billion to Pay for It
When his staff’s tally for buying personal protective equipment reached $600,000, one superintendent said: “stop because we’re already bankrupt.”
Assessment
Inside a Procurement Dispute in North Carolina
North Carolina officials' switch in reading-test vendors just weeks before the new school year got underway is spotlighting the often murky process of contracts and procurements for K-12 services.
Budget & Finance
From Our Research Center
How Do Teachers Fund Their Classrooms? 6 Takeaways
Most teachers say they expect to contribute resources to their classrooms, but teachers aren’t only putting up the cash themselves. In addition to old standbys like grants and bake sales, many are turning to other fundraising opportunities, including online crowdfunding platforms like DonorsChoose.
Education
Video
Strategies for Winning and Retaining K-12 Business
K-12 district leaders often feel misled by vendors during the purchasing process, especially when what’s promoted in a sales pitch doesn’t match up with reality. Having the right people at the table, providing information on data privacy and interoperability, and launching pilot projects can go a long way toward building new business and earning renewals.
School & District Management
Educators Wary of Ed-Tech Company Research
Seventy-six percent felt that ed-tech vendors were not qualified to conduct valid research about their own products, the analysis by ISTE and the Jefferson Education Exchange found.
School Climate & Safety
Firestorm Erupts as Betsy DeVos Weighs If Districts Can Buy Guns With Federal Money
News that the education secretary and her team are pondering whether school districts can spend federal money to buy guns to arm teachers and other school staff is drawing widespread condemnation.
School & District Management
Ed-Tech Leadership Is a Tough Task for Principals
School leaders face pressures about what digital learning approaches to take and what tech products to buy,
Education
Video
Don’t Buy Me a Steak Dinner
See what it takes to impress Miami schools chief Alberto Carvalho in the sales process, from how he wants education companies to behave to his views on efficacy contracting.
Curriculum
For Educators, Curriculum Choices Multiply, Evolve
How is a district to choose in a curriculum landscape that includes open educational resources, digital 'playlists,' teacher-designed lessons, and old-fashioned textbooks?
Personalized Learning
'Red Flags' to Look for When Evaluating Personalized Learning Products
Educators are asking tougher questions to sort the real personalized learning potential from the empty promises of some ed-tech products and services.
