Welcome to the first Virtual Office Half Hour of 2026! As districts face increasing spending challenges, the focus for this month is on critical strategies for using data and evidence to inform renewal and investment decisions. The ultimate goal is ensuring every dollar spent positively impacts student outcomes.
Recording
Presentation
Product Roadmap Updates
Before diving into budgeting strategies, the team shared important system enhancements and accessibility updates:
- VPAT Deadline: April 2026 is the deadline for vendors to provide their Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to meet compliance standards. LearnPlatform is currently undergoing third-party evaluation to meet these requirements by the deadline.
- New System Columns: Two new system columns are now available in your settings: Domain and Resources. These columns allow you to track the domains and names of resources attached to a tool directly from your dashboard.
Tackling the "Costco Snack" Problem
A relatable "mom brain" analogy was used to describe common edtech spending pitfalls:
- Underutilized Tools: This is like buying a healthy snack at Costco you think the kids will love, but nobody eats.
- Redundant Tools: This is like buying five different flavors of hummus when the kids can’t possibly eat them all before they spoil.
To avoid sinking a budget on these "snacks," districts should utilize the Inventory Dashboard to uncover inefficiencies.
1. Identifying Underutilized Tools
Review the tools you pay the most for or have invested significant time implementing.
- Filter by Date: Customize the period to look at usage for the entire current school year.
- Drill Down: Look at breakdowns by building or grade levels. Identify usage trends over time to spot low-usage periods. Determine what resources or professional development can be offered to improve usage.
- Export and Share: Export usage reports for priority products to share with additional stakeholders. Consider which tools should be renewed and/or continued next year.
2. Spotting Redundancy
Paying for multiple tools that perform the same function drains resources quickly. Duplication can also decrease usage of priority tools, because there are many other options available.
- Filter by Subject: Use filters to isolate specific categories, such as all "Math" tools, to spot duplicate programs.
- Collaborate: Export these filtered lists to CSV to discuss potential redundancies with curriculum teams, subject committees, and building leaders.
Turning Data into Dialogue
Data alone doesn't lead to better decisions; using that data to guide conversations does. To make confident, evidence-based decisions, you must share findings with internal team members and ask the right questions.
Different stakeholders will have different concerns regarding the data, and it is vital to foster conversations that address their specific lenses:
- CTO (Risk & Security): Are we using edtech tools that expose us to risk? Are the tools we are using safe and compliant with data privacy policies?
- CFO (ROI & Waste): Are edtech licenses getting used, or are we wasting money? Can we show academic return on investment from our edtech tools?
- Curriculum (Impact & Equity): Is an edtech product working for all our students, or just some? Is there evidence that an intervention leads to student growth?
Questions to guide your internal review:
- What tools are being used the most and least?
- Are free or unsupported tools being used instead of paid versions?
- Did professional development make a difference in usage?
Rapid Cycle Evaluation (RCE)
For districts subscribing to RCE, the end of the school year is the ideal time to run a comprehensive view of year-long engagement. Ensure you have results when you need them. Contact your research team member to begin/continue planning.
