What’s New in the Challenge Map? 3 Big Reasons to Take Another Look

Digital Promise’s reimagined Challenge Map surfaces the priorities that are most pressing for education communities today. Built with direct input from students, educators, and community members, this interactive tool highlights 14 top challenges districts are facing and connects you to innovative solutions sourced from projects across the country.

Here are three key reasons to explore our reimagined Challenge Map today—and how it can support your work.

Reason #1: A Fresh Look at the Top Challenges Districts Are Prioritizing

As we integrate technology more into our daily lives, educators across the country are working to find ways to leverage new tools and resources meaningfully in the classroom. Advancements in AI and other edtech presents educators with new opportunities—and challenges—for empowering students, personalizing learning, and keeping curriculum relevant.

District leaders in Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools named creating infrastructure to support educators in leveraging technology as their top priority challenge for the 2025-26 school year. Furthermore, students, educators, and community members voiced growing concerns around the safe use of AI, access to technology, management of technology integration, and incorporating teacher feedback into decision-making processes.

Click on each of the priorities below to learn more about the challenges schools face and discover the ideas and strategies they are using to address them. As this reimagined Challenge Map demonstrates, solutions are most effective when grounded in context and lived experiences. While exploring any of the priority challenges, keep in mind how interconnected they are and how they might impact one another—you might be surprised with what you find.

Reason #2: Firsthand Insights from the People Closest to the Challenges

Digital Promise researchers spent time on the ground conducting listening tours in different geographic regions of the country to hear from students, educators, school leaders, community members, families, and caregivers. Participants shared their perspectives and experiences with the challenges, providing nuanced information on the root causes of common barriers and offering innovative solution ideas to address them.

The context expertise these groups provide are essential for understanding the heart of each issue and remind us why community input must be central when designing and implementing new initiatives. Be sure to read the testimonies and the list of school community needs on each priority page to gain insights gathered from the field.

Reason #3: Real Projects and Resources You Can Learn From (and Build On)

At Digital Promise, we work alongside school and district communities, product developers, and community-based organizations to co-design innovative solutions that better serve those closest to a challenge.

Each challenge page presents a curated list of projects and resources from Digital Promise that spotlight these collaborative partnerships in action—showcasing promising practices and creative approaches to student engagement, educator capacity-building, and systems-level improvement and infrastructure. Explore the resource links at the bottom of each page to unlock new ideas from these collaborative partnerships and ways to get connected.