School districts are trying to clean up "edtech bloat," the thousands of digital learning apps and software programs accumulated over the last decade. As budgets tighten and parents worry about screen time, schools are shifting from blindly adopting new technologies to evaluating what actually helps students learn.
What Happened
Over the past ten years, school districts collected digital programs rapidly, often without evidence that they improved student learning. According to LXD Research, the average U.S. school district uses between 2,500 and 3,000 digital tools every year. Among the 2,135 edtech products indexed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 85% have no formal, evidence-based certification. Only 40% of the top 100 most-used tools carry any level of evidence under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
This lack of clear impact is forcing schools to change how they manage technology. According to EdSurge, school districts across the country are auditing their software portfolios to cut costs and reduce classroom distractions. For instance, Community Consolidated School District 15 in Illinois recently formed focus groups with parents, teachers, and administrators. The district used these meetings to establish a "Portrait of a Digital Learner" for evaluating which tools deserve a place in the classroom.
This cleanup effort comes as schools also struggle to manage the dizzying array of communication apps used to connect classrooms with homes. To help districts make better choices, experts Lina Eroh and Anu Malipatil argued in The 74 that technology must earn its place. They state that software should solve a specific instructional problem, support teachers instead of replacing them, and show evidence of results.
The Bigger Picture
Selecting tools with rigorous scientific backing leads to real academic benefits. For example, high-dosage virtual tutoring helps struggling students. A study published by the Centre for Economic Performance found that scaled-up online mathematics tutoring increased student math test scores by 0.11 standard deviations. The program also boosted student confidence and reduced math anxiety.
However, the study also revealed a "voltage drop," meaning the academic gains at scale were only about one-third of what researchers saw in smaller, tightly controlled pilots. To combat this drop, successful programs build in physical safeguards. A virtual tutoring program evaluated by the Overdeck Family Foundation in New Mexico found that virtual tutoring works best during the regular school day. The most successful setup features a classroom supervised by an in-person proctor and a low ratio of one tutor to four students.
Artificial intelligence also presents new choices for schools. General tools like ChatGPT can raise data privacy concerns and hallucinate information, but specialized educational tools are highly efficient. According to GradingPal, teachers typically spend 10 to 15 hours a week grading papers. Specialized, FERPA-compliant grading tools can save teachers up to 80% of that time. Another tool, Inspera Graide, reduced marking workloads by up to 90%. This reduction allowed teachers to increase their written feedback from an average of 23 words to 166 words per paper, which returned hours back to face-to-face instruction.
What This Means for Families
For parents, this national audit means fewer redundant logins and reduced screen time. Technology use in the classroom will become more intentional. Instead of using computers for passive "babysitting" tasks, students will interact with evidence-tested software that complements the teacher's lesson. Teachers can also spend less time grading behind a screen, leaving more time for direct, personalized support.
What You Can Do
To take action, parents can start by asking their school board or principal if the digital programs their children use have an official ESSA evidence rating. They can also encourage their school district to follow models like the "Portrait of a Digital Learner," which includes parent and teacher input during software purchases. Finally, parents can ask teachers how the district evaluates software usage, ensuring they measure actual learning time rather than simple administrative logins.