# Teachers and Students Should Drive EdTech Decisions, Not Vendors

American schools spent roughly $30 billion on educational technology in 2024, with spending projected to nearly double by 2033. Yet teachers and students report feeling excluded from purchasing decisions that directly affect their classrooms.

The core problem is structural. School administrators and district leaders make technology purchasing decisions based on vendor pitches and budget cycles, often without meaningful input from the educators who will actually use the tools daily. Teachers rarely get veto power or substantive consultation. Students have almost no voice despite being the primary users.

This creates a mismatch between what schools buy and what works in practice. A tool that looks impressive in a vendor demo may frustrate teachers during implementation or distract students in the classroom. When educators lack agency in technology adoption, they often resist or underuse the systems, wasting district resources and limiting potential benefits.

The stakes are high. With edtech spending approaching $60 billion annually by 2033, decisions made today will shape learning environments for years. Teachers spend hours troubleshooting poorly integrated platforms. Students navigate fragmented tools that don't communicate with each other. Classroom time gets consumed by technical problems rather than instruction.

Schools should shift power toward educators. Districts can establish teacher committees that evaluate edtech tools before purchase. Classroom pilots involving actual students can reveal real-world usability issues. Teachers should have binding input on major acquisitions. Student feedback mechanisms can identify tools that interfere with learning rather than support it.

This approach costs nothing but requires cultural change. It means treating teachers as experts on classroom needs rather than passive implementation staff. It means acknowledging that vendors optimize for sales, not student outcomes.

Districts that center educator and student voices in edtech decisions spend smarter. They adopt tools that teachers will actually use well. They avoid expensive failures. They build staff buy-in from the start. Reversing