Key points:
- AI, student enrollment, and CTE are top priorities
- Career readiness in the AI era needs decision practice, not just tool access
- A new approach to middle school math data boosted our state test scores
- For more news on predictions, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub
As students and educators settle into the 2026-27 school year, K-12 leaders are navigating a landscape shaped by rapid technological change, persistent academic challenges, and growing pressure to demonstrate that new tools and strategies actually improve teaching and learning. Artificial intelligence remains at the center of many conversations, but the focus is shifting from simply adopting AI to determining where it adds genuine value, how it can be used responsibly, and what students and educators need to use it effectively.
At the same time, familiar priorities are taking on new urgency. Districts continue to grapple with cybersecurity threats, chronic absenteeism, student engagement, educator workload, and persistent gaps in academic achievement. Schools are also paying closer attention to digital accessibility, data privacy, career-connected learning, and the skills students will need in an AI-influenced workforce. As education experts look ahead, their predictions point to a school year defined less by the arrival of the “next big thing” and more by how effectively schools turn emerging technologies, better data, and lessons learned over the past several years into sustainable practices that support educators and improve student outcomes.
This school year, as the adoption of structured literacy continues to grow across states, we will see more students plateau in reading as they reach third grade. While the implementation of phonics instruction in the early grades is important, it does not necessarily mean that all students are becoming automatic and fluent readers. Many students need systematic, structured, and varied practice to develop automaticity. Without structuring this practice correctly in second and third grade, students will continue to struggle to integrate the complex skills of decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension which are required to become successful, skilled, and continuously developing readers. Providing teachers with the right technology and support to deliver this type of practice—and to build their own capacity to deliver more effective reading instruction—will be essential.
– Dr. Carolyn Brown, chief academic officer and co-founder of Foundations in Learning, creator of WordFlight
As declining enrollments and tighter funding become the new reality, districts will have to be more intentional about investing in initiatives and tools that can be sustained and scaled over time. Technology that can help districts extend the capacity of the teachers, coaches, and administrators they already have, rather than requiring more people or creating another layer of work, will be incredibly valuable. Choosing the right technology can help districts make limited resources go further without compromising quality.
– Adam Geller, CEO of Edthena
As more schools move toward distraction-free classrooms, we will see a shift from simply asking whether technology belongs in the classroom to asking whether it meaningfully contributes to learning. Technology is an inescapable dimension to how we work and we are expected to use it proficiently in the modern world, and students need to learn how to apply technology with purpose. The key is choosing thoughtful, well-designed tools that help students do the work of learning and reasoning in developmentally appropriate ways. The strongest classrooms will use technology intentionally, connecting students to real-world applications and making learning more relevant, engaging, and meaningful.
– Jill Hedrick, CEO of Vernier Science Education
This school year marks the transition of AI from a fun novelty to a daily tool for personalizing how students learn. As safety standards improve, AI programs will help teachers quickly identify individual learning gaps and adapt lessons in real time to fit each student’s needs. Rather than replacing traditional teaching, AI will act as a sidekick, helping educators give every student the targeted support they need.
–Tim Klan, administrator of information and instructional technology at Livonia Public Schools in Livonia, MI
By 2027, K–12 classrooms will continue moving away from the “virtual” and back toward the “actual” as more districts implement screen-time mandates. Educators will increasingly embrace face-to-face instruction, project-based learning, and experiences that allow students to learn by doing. AI use will continue to grow and will be considered most valuable when it supports teachers, not when it replaces meaningful instruction, human interaction, and authentic feedback. The EdTech solutions that thrive will be those that strengthen classroom teaching and make student learning tangible, visible, and measurable.
– Chris Klein, VP North America, Photon Education
The nation continues to grapple with a critical shortage of skilled workers in fields like engineering, agriculture, technology, and healthcare. In order to solve this shortage, school districts, communities, businesses and policymakers will need to come together to expand in-demand CTE programs. Whether the conversation is about greater investment in CTE programs, state policy changes, or strategic partnerships between K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and industry; CTE will continue to be center-stage in discussions on how to prepare students for the future.
– Dusty Moore, CEO of iCEV
Unfortunately, I believe we will continue to see an increase in absenteeism and enrollment declines, especially in urban school districts. Because of this I expect there will be a rising need for counseling, attendance outreach, and know-your-rights protocols. Districts will need to make greater investments in building trust with their communities, and in providing culturally responsive support for students. On a positive note, I believe that there will be a rise in Latino leadership across the country and this will lead to an increase in Latino student success. For ALAS, this means our members will be called on more than ever to protect, advocate for, and champion the students and families who are counting on us, because representation and steady leadership will carry our communities through these times of uncertainty.
– Ulysses Navarrete, executive director of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS)
With jobs in STEM fields expected to grow at more than double the rate of jobs in non-STEM fields over the next decade, tools and technologies to support STEM instruction will be a continued area of focus for schools. Immersive learning technology such as virtual reality will be a key part of this conversation because it enables teachers to provide access to hands-on learning without the cost or safety concerns of operating a laboratory. Students can virtually run chemistry experiments, complete dissections, and build and test their own robots and circuits – repeating an experiment as many times as they need, or moving on to more challenging experiments once they’ve mastered the basics.I expect we will see more schools adopting VR, AR and XR technologies in the coming years in order to expand access to hands-on STEM training and prepare the next generation of STEM leaders.
– Gillian Rhodes, Chief Marketing Officer, Avantis Education, creators of ClassVR