In a brand new particular report, EdWeek Market Temporary seems to be in school districts’ greatest shopping for priorities over the approaching 12 months, and the forces which might be shaping these choices.
College District Buying Priorities, 2025-26 makes use of authentic survey knowledge and evaluation by EdWeek Market Temporary’s editorial group to offer our members insights on what’s across the nook available in the market.
Many college district leaders have advised our editorial group that they’re returning to one thing approaching pre-stimulus-era budgetary norms. However that doesn’t essentially imply that they see the subsequent few years as steady.
College District Buying Priorities 2025-26 is our 4th annual particular report inspecting Okay-12 spending priorities throughout product classes, in addition to ache factors, and components influencing shopping for choices.
Like previous reviews, it’s based mostly on a nationally consultant on-line survey carried out by the EdWeek Analysis Heart. We additionally use different analysis collected over the previous 12 months to discover further questions that matter to firms Okay-12 leaders’ expectations for distributors, the largest skilled challenges district directors and lecturers face, and what sort of messaging from firms appeals to patrons in class programs.
Moreover, the report seems to be at how college district leaders assume distributors might help them handle notably vexing issues—similar to staffing chaos, and protracted cultural battles enjoying out over curriculum.
Particularly, the report presents EdWeek Market Temporary members intel on the next:
• Whether or not college district leaders anticipate spending extra, much less, or the identical quantities in fiscal 2025-26 as through the present 12 months in varied product classes – together with core and supplemental curriculum, evaluation, social-emotional studying, units, and extra.
• The extent to which college districts anticipate to see their spending altered by components such because the lack of federal stimulus support; inflation; modifications in state funding; and shifts of their scholar enrollment.
• The greatest skilled challenges district and college leaders and lecturers face, from challenges with staffing to maintaining college students engaged to bettering their skilled abilities.
• What steps Okay-12 officers consider distributors can take to assist them successfully handle staffing turnover.
• How college districts’ total appetites for particular sorts of ed-tech merchandise are altering.
• The options that directors anticipate to see in merchandise utilizing synthetic intelligence – targeted on college students’ studying experiences, help for educators, and extra.
• What sorts of messaging about merchandise – round pricing, the usage of knowledge, adherence to state or native requirements – appeals most to directors and educators?
• How a lot time per week college district leaders spend researching merchandise, and how lengthy it takes them from figuring out a must committing to buying a product.
It’s value noting that regardless of the prevailing uncertainty they face in navigating the expectations of college districts amid altering market circumstances, many schooling firms are comparatively optimistic about what lies forward.
Separate EdWeek Market Temporary surveys taken of schooling firms have indicated that whereas companies anticipate powerful circumstances for gross sales over the subsequent 12 months, they foresee a rebound in years two and three.
When you’ve had the possibility to undergo our findings, tell us how they align with what your group is listening to from college programs, and what questions you have got about what’s forward.
Obtain the Report