Edtech can increase student engagement, automate grading, detect prominent trends in assessment data, and add new dimensions to classroom discussions. It can enable better communication between school leaders, teachers, students, and parents. The possibilities continue to grow as venture capital money pours into edtech startups.

While school districts spend more than $13 billion a year on edtech products, according to a report by the Jefferson Education Exchange, schools often fail to realize these products' full potential.

As much as 85% of spending on edtech goes to tools that are not a good fit or are poorly implemented, according to the report-a staggering amount of waste. A separate study by Glimpse K12 found 67% of software licenses were going unused by schools.

Why is edtech gathering digital dust? Jefferson Education Exchange points to a lack of available information for decision-makers about edtech tools and how well they work in different contexts. Administrators often rely on Googling and talking to peers when making technology decisions. As a result, despite their best intentions, decision-makers choose products that are a poor fit, and teachers and students don't use them.

Buying flashy edtech tools is relatively easy, but maximizing their effectiveness in the classroom is a challenging and often overlooked process, and clearly one that many institutions must get better at if they want to see the technology meaningfully move the needle on student achievement.