EdTech Digest

Velina Lee, GM of Career & Technical Education at Vector Solutions, explains how workforce-aligned learning, durable skills, and real-world readiness are reshaping what it means to prepare students—and why the moment for CTE is now. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero As Career and Technical Education (CTE) moves from the margins to the mainstream, few leaders have had as front-row a seat to its evolution as Velina Lee. As General Manager of Career & Technical Education at Vector Solutions, Le

From Rocketship to Flourish, John Danner explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping instruction—and what that means for teachers, students, and systems. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero John Danner has a habit of showing up early to the future—and building it. From co-founding the world’s first internet ad server to pioneering blended learning in K–12 schools, his career has consistently traced the edge of transformation in both technology and education. Now, he’s focused on what he believe

A former broadcast news leader on crisis communications, trust, and why school systems must think—and communicate—like modern brands to survive and thrive. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero For more than two decades, Greg Turchetta shaped narratives in high-pressure newsrooms, where speed, clarity, and credibility defined success. Today, as a strategic communications advisor at Apptegy, he’s applying those same instincts to a very different audience: school communities navigating scrutiny, declining

Instructional coaching is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways to improve teaching practice. But even in strong systems, a persistent question remains: who supports the coaches? Edthena’s AI Coach for Instructional Coaches offers a compelling answer. Named a TIME Best Invention of 2025 for its innovative use of AI in teacher reflection, this new module extends coaching support to the coaches themselves—on demand and at no additional cost within the platform. Designed for flexibili

Rising digital threats are exposing stark disparities among school systems, where limited resources hinder recovery efforts and leave the most vulnerable learners facing the greatest consequences. GUEST COLUMN | by Björn Hall When Baltimore County Public Schools got breached in November 2020, the district stayed offline for three days. And while it might not seem like the worst outcome, the attack had deeper consequences: the school payroll data was compromised, leaving retirees affected by iss

As AI becomes part of students’ daily lives, one advocate argues schools should focus less on the tools—and more on understanding the systems behind them. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero Artificial intelligence is quietly becoming part of students’ everyday lives. It shows up in the search results they see, the videos recommended to them, the apps they use—and increasingly, in tools that can write, solve, and create on demand. For many students, AI isn’t a future technology; it’s already woven int

It’s the system every tool relies on—yet it’s the one districts review the least. That blind spot is costing more than you think. GUEST COLUMN | by Douglass Mabry    Let me paint a picture you might recognize. Your district has invested in a new AI-powered tutoring platform. You’re piloting a social-emotional learning tool. The professional development budget and PLC days went toward a data analytics dashboard. The school board applauded every line item. And your SIS? Still running on the same

As expectations rise, Nigel Nisbet of MIND Education explains why edtech’s future depends on productive struggle and experience-first design. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero With a background that spans mathematics, music, and classroom innovation, Nigel Nisbet brings a uniquely interdisciplinary lens to edtech. After earning a mathematics degree and launching an early career as a rock musician, he transitioned into education, teaching mathematics, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science at Van Nuys S

We have built better ways to track readiness. We still have to help students develop it. GUEST COLUMN | by Alan Brusky and Grace Brusky THAI DUY HOANG For more than two decades as a marketer, I have helped organizations clarify their message: who they are, what they offer, and why it matters. That work taught me to notice the gap between the jargon and what people actually experience. That gap is at the heart of the college and career readiness conversation. We have built readiness systems witho

Developed by New York Times bestselling authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, DailySpark reimagines professional learning as a simple, sustainable daily habit. This 30-day digital experience delivers short, high-impact sessions—just 5–8 minutes each—combining focused video insights with practical reflection, all conveniently delivered via email. DailySpark shifts professional development from overwhelming to doable. By breaking down complex instructional practices into manageable daily actions,

Eighteen years after launching Lumos Learning, Krishnaswamy now works alongside the very son who inspired it—continuing a mission to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes for millions of students. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero When Mukunda Krishnaswamy’s third-grade son came home from school and declared that the test prep materials his dad had purchased were “useless,” it wasn’t just a passing complaint. It was a defining moment. At the time, Krishnaswamy had zero background in education technolo

In most industries, UX is often used to drive engagement at any cost—but in education, aligning design with real human needs isn’t just ethical, it’s a strategic advantage. GUEST COLUMN | by Jonathan Mann YULIYA PAULIUKEVICH I have worked in user experience (UX) design for decades. Like education, UX tends to attract people who want to make a positive contribution to the world. We work to make the complex simple and the difficult manageable. When we do our job well, we get the satisfaction of kn

Edlio, a K–12 communications platform serving more than 19,000 schools across North America, has introduced Edlio Chatbot—a native, AI-powered assistant built directly into its website content management system. Designed to meet families where they are, the tool delivers instant, around-the-clock answers, lightens the load on school staff, and gives district leaders actionable insights to strengthen community engagement. For most schools, the front office fields a steady stream of repeat questio

As AI reshapes workforce expectations, Bloom co-founder Gary Hensley explores how schools can move beyond transcripts and test scores to make student skills visible, measurable, and actionable. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero As artificial intelligence accelerates change across industries, the definition of “readiness” is rapidly evolving. Traditional markers—GPA, credits, even standardized assessments—are increasingly insufficient to capture what students can actually do. In their place, a new em

AI is reshaping college admissions—not by replacing people, but by helping institutions see students more clearly, act earlier, and build more human-centered enrollment strategies grounded in empathy and insight. GUEST COLUMN | by Ryan E. Gregg AHMAD JULIYANTO What if the real innovation in enrollment isn’t about speed or scale, but something quieter—something more human? As conversations around AI in college admissions evolve, the technology itself is no longer the headline. What’s more compell

Deledao’s Dave Barclay on balancing innovation and protection, the rise of AI literacy, and what responsible AI really looks like in schools. INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero Dave Barclay, Director of Product at Deledao, brings a rare blend of classroom experience and technical leadership to the evolving conversation around AI in education. A veteran educator and former CIO who has worked with districts across the U.S. and UAE, Barclay now helps shape solutions that aim to keep students safe while

A new white paper from Concentric Educational Solutions is reframing one of K–12 education’s most persistent post-COVID challenges: chronic absenteeism. Redefining the Attendance Paradigm: A Systemic Analysis of Chronic Absenteeism, Economic Impacts, and Human-Centered Interventions argues that attendance is not simply a compliance issue—but a reflection of deeper systemic conditions. Authored by Chief of Research Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., and informed by 17,000 ethnographic home visits along

The real advantage may be what leaders notice next. GUEST COLUMN | by Chad A. Stevens, Ph.D. ANTON WINARYO There’s an old leadership concept called “management by walking around.” For school principals, it has always been less about management and more about presence. When I was an elementary principal, being in classrooms wasn’t a task on my checklist — it was the job. If you want to shape culture, retain teachers, motivate students, and build trust with families, you have to be visible. You ha

What AI is exposing about career preparation. GUEST COLUMN | by Velina Lee YUTTHANA GAETGEAW Artificial intelligence didn’t create the readiness gap in American education. It exposed one that was already there. For decades, the dominant measure of student success has been completion: a diploma, a degree, a credential earned and a box checked. But completion has never guaranteed readiness. ‘For decades, the dominant measure of student success has been completion… But completion has ne

As education leaders assess the potential for AI to transform K-12 classrooms, many face a similar challenge: too many tools and not enough clarity about what actually moves the needle. Discovery Education addresses this challenge with the Discovery Education Connected Ecosystem: a unified K-12 framework that embeds AI, instructional resources, adaptive learning, and professional readiness directly into the daily flow of teaching a unified K-12 framework that embeds AI, instructional resources,