Learning from Denver Public Schools’ Innovative Approach to EdTech Procurement

Across the nation, edtech purchases continue to boom: schools used over 2,900 distinct edtech tools on average in the 2024-25 school year. With this oversaturation of options, schools lack the capacity to rigorously evaluate each one, putting learner and educator safety and privacy, and learning outcomes, at risk. Denver Public Schools (DPS) took on the evaluation challenge to ensure they are centering both learner outcomes and safety in every edtech decision the district makes. Digital Promise’s new report documents DPS’s journey through development and implementation of their edtech evaluation process, highlighting successes and offering recommendations to district leaders looking to develop similar processes in their communities.

DPS assembled a cross-functional, collaborative team to design a robust evaluation process —which each edtech product must undergo before being approved for use across the district—and created an approved product repository to transparently share which tools have been approved or denied through this process, and why.

Denver Public Schools’ Edtech Evaluation Decision Tree

The innovative procurement process has already led to several early successes, including:

Prioritizing access to high-quality and secure edtech products

By establishing a standardized review process, the DPS team evaluates technology based on cybersecurity standards, such as which data the tool collects, especially from students, as well as content review to determine whether the tool is aligned to grade-level state standards, district curriculum, and has evidence of positive learner outcomes.

Better understanding of product impact

Through this evaluation process DPS is strategically limiting the number of edtech tools in the district, better positioning the district to understand each tool’s impact on student achievement. The narrowed number of options can lead to more focused evaluations and conversations about effectiveness.

Increasing the effective use of edtech

This process has enabled DPS to consolidate the number of tools available to schools, leading to more intentional professional learning that may drive more effective implementation.

Financial savings through cohort purchasing

The district pre-negotiates bulk license rates, often at a 50% user discount, and establishes a district contract with the vendor. DPS then offers these rates to any school in the district that chooses to opt in and leverage these tools. In the first year of developing cohort purchasing, the district saved nearly $200,000 while maintaining or increasing the number of purchased licenses.

Ready to bring rigor to your district’s edtech decisions? Read the full report to learn more about DPS’s experience developing and implementing their evaluation process and repository.