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Stimulus and budget crunches are dominating the IT spending conversation and dictating a 'non-traditional' education buying season. The usual heavy K-12 buying curve with many integration purchases in the early spring and more consumable box sales coming into fall is no longer.

With the pandemic, we have seen things level out, with purchases happening every month. The global education technology market size is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.1% from 2020 to 2027 ^{( 1 )}. COVID-19 didn't invent the ed tech space, but it has accelerated growth and IT directors are looking for ways to save money during the education buying season. While teachers and students have had to adjust to online learning, hybrid schedules and other changes in the classroom, when schools re-open, there will likely be many variances, with several questions arising. Will schools move to full-time, in-person instruction? Will all students get inoculated? Will teachers and students have adapted to hybrid schedules? These questions dictate the kind of education technology that IT directors purchase.

Question: Describe what the typical education buying season looks like?

Tracy: Typically, I start making large purchases in July for the following school year. We also have a few all-year-round purchases depending on the need. However, I like having a buying period that usually falls around the end of the school year into the summer.

Question: What is the best way to purchase educational technology to get the most value from it?

Tracy: It's important to keep your students and faculty in mind. Ed tech should be there to support, not drive instruction. It is not about having the latest and greatest technology. We, as IT support, need to find tools that teachers can implement easily, with minimal training, and that will be able to support what they are doing every day in the classroom. The tools need to help prepare students for the world they will be entering after high school and beyond, not the world they are in now.

Question: How often do you recommend IT directors buy ed tech products?

Tracy: It varies by school or district. Previously, schools would have a budget time to buy technology – typically in the summer – to prepare for the following year. We currently purchase technology throughout the year and as the needs arise. IT directors should consider ongoing purchases for products that will help support learning and consistent refresh cycles for Chromebooks. We need to remain flexible.

Question: How can IT directors address these challenges?

Tracy: Schools can take advantage of the many grants available. IT directors should be creative in using funds by pulling them from different budget lines or funding sources. I recommend being creative with the money they already have and reaching out for more funding. Teachers are the best resource we have. Teachers training other teachers to adopt the new technology works really well.

Question: What solutions and services do you expect from technology partners?

Tracy: We're looking for devices that enhance what we are already doing or what we already have in place and want to know if there is a better solution. I do not see hybrid learning going away at this point. We are still going to have students learning virtually this fall, so most schools are preparing for that. We need products that will bridge that gap and ensure that the students at home have access to the same instruction and everything that the students in the classroom receive. I want my technology partners to get to know our school and our population. I do not just want to hear about what other schools are buying and the next best device. I want them to: