Half the fun of back-to-school season is shopping, isn’t it? It sure was at this year’s ISTE+ASCD conferences in Orlando, where educators crowded the exhibit floor to see and test-drive the latest tools and technologies hitting schools now. Everyone we talked to emphasized the importance of evidence-based tools that support rigorous learning and instruction, and meet students where they are. As we kick off the 2026-27 school year, we bring you a few of our edtech favorites that support this endeavor.
Edmentum Courseware
Edmentum Courseware offers Digital Promise-certified curricula with 500+ courses used by districts for original credit, catalog expansion, and credit recovery. Catalog includes courses approved by ISTE and Quality Matters. Career storytelling videos embedded into core curricula through Roadtrip Nation partnership help students see the “why” behind their learning. ESSA-rated impact on attendance and achievement.
“Relevance is the catalyst for learning transformation,” says Jamie Candee, president and CEO of Edmentum. “It changes students’ perception of school – no longer simply a station they must visit along their life’s journey, it becomes the launchpad into their future.”
BBC News Bites
BBC News Bites is a daily media literacy routine built into BBC Learning Hub’s free K–12 platform. Each day, middle schoolers watch a real BBC news story and respond to two structured challenge questions. New this fall: interactive news games and a classroom dashboard tracking streaks and scores.
“In a world flooded with information, the most important skill we can give students isn’t content knowledge. It’s the habit of asking whether what they’re reading is true,” says Dana Truby, executive director of content and partnerships at BBC Learning Hub.
Lexia Science of Reading Classroom
Lexia showcased enhancements to the Lexia Science of Reading Classroom, including LETRS Insights, Lexia Assignments, enhanced Skill Check reporting, embedded instructional guidance and integrated professional learning. The new capabilities connect instruction, assessment, educator support, and student performance data to help districts implement science of reading practices more consistently, streamline classroom workflows, and support personalized instruction.
“The next challenge in literacy education isn’t understanding the science of reading – it’s implementing it consistently across classrooms, schools, and districts,” says Alyson Deutsch, senior vice president of product at Lexia. “Science of Reading Classroom is designed to help educators turn research into effective, productive daily practice.”
Share-A-Cart
Share-A-Cart, the platform that lets educators, schools and school districts create shareable shopping carts across hundreds of online retailers, debuted Deals for Schools. The new feature automatically surfaces exclusive educator discounts and coupons, while expanding retailer partnerships with Vistaprint, Epson, Canon, Microsoft and Michaels. New AI integrations for ChatGPT and Claude also enable users to generate shopping carts, compare prices and build purchasing lists directly within AI workflows.
“Our analysis of shopping data from 2022 through 2026 shows the cost of school supplies has increased 64%,” says Share-A-Cart CEO Ed Kozek. “As budgets struggle to keep pace, districts are being forced to find smarter ways to purchase everything from classroom essentials to technology.”
ClassDojo Websites
ClassDojo Websites is a new platform that automatically updates school and district websites with content shared through ClassDojo. Built on CatapultCMS and WP Cloud infrastructure, the platform integrates with existing systems and enables districts to post once and publish everywhere. The system includes built-in accessibility support, role-based permissions, and automatic publishing of stories, events, and announcements.
“School district websites are vital for communication, but too often create unnecessary administrative friction,” Chad Stevens, head of partnerships & growth at ClassDojo. “ClassDojo Websites help reduce staff workload while keeping websites accurate, current and consistent across schools.”
LEARN Standards Framework from Kelly Education
Kelly Education’s LEARN Framework brings structured, standards-based learning pathways to substitute teachers. Five competency-based tiers align to short-term, long-term, and specialized placements, giving districts a way to turn substitutes into a reliable instructional resource.
“Substitute teacher readiness is a data and equity issue, not just a staffing problem,” says Stephanie Wall, director of learning services at Kelly Education. “When districts invest in structured learning pathways for substitutes, they protect the continuity of everything else they’ve built.”
Redcat by Lightspeed
Lightspeed’s Redcat is an all-in-one instructional audio system designed to ensure every student can clearly hear classroom instruction. Recent enhancements include a modernized plug-and-play design, even sound distribution, flexible tabletop or wall-mounted deployment, an optional rechargeable battery and a Bluetooth-enabled Media Connector for wireless multimedia streaming.
“Every classroom is an inherently busy environment, which means students constantly deal with background noise and competing stimuli. With instructional audio solutions, no student has to struggle to hear the teacher. So, they all focus on learning, and their classroom becomes a more inclusive, engaging environment,” says Shaun Fagan, senior vice president of product at Lightspeed.
EduverseSTEM by Avantis Education
Avantis Education, creators of ClassVR, previewed EduverseSTEM, an immersive AR/VR STEM learning solution for ClassVR Xcelerate headsets. Available in September, the library includes 500+ standards-aligned experiences spanning biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and technology, and computing, plus Gold Standard Project-Based Learning.
“Virtual reality removes many of the barriers to practical STEM learning, giving students access to experiences that would otherwise be too expensive, too complex or too unsafe to deliver in a school,” said Huw Williams, CEO of Avantis Education.
Classwise by Photon Education
Photon Education debuted Classwise, a student response system that comes with a library of lessons, educational quizzes and teaching resources, including an AI assistant that helps teachers create quizzes, questions and polls. The system also features a set of Classpad handheld controllers with four response options that students use to respond to prompts.
“Educational technology should be simple, affordable, and accessible for all schools,” says Chris Klein, vice president of North America at Photon Education.
Epson display solutions
Epson launched 10 new display solutions, including laser projectors and its first dvLED offering, with superior image quality and large displays.
“As schools look to reduce the total cost of ownership of display technologies, Epson’s more compact projection solutions simplify transportation and installation while generating less electronic waste over the product lifecycle,” says Remi Del Mar, group product manager of Epson America.