Sustain & Scale - Digital Promise

Sustain & Scale

Offer transparency about the pilot with school board members, community partners, and funders, including the final recommendation based on pilot results. Describe the evaluation criteria used to review the quality of the tool, the pilot planning process, implementation, and analysis and co-interpretation of data to center the voices of those most impacted by the pilot and the thoughtfulness that went into this effort. Ground the decision in data and the pilot result’s evidence of impact on clearly defined instructional needs to center decision making around strategic resource allocation. Pilot results may indicate that the piloted tool is not the right fit for your community, which is a meaningful signal to help select a better suited tool for the next pilot.

Strategies for Sustain & Scale

A list of tips
  • Consider alternatives to universal adoption, such as a phased roll out across more classrooms or schools, assessment data to determine which students would gain value from using the tool, and school preference for expansion of the tool. By focusing on targeting specific instructional needs, you can reduce costs and potentially increase outcomes.
  • Design a contract with the vendor that details expectations, including professional learning support, technical assistance response time, and expected outcomes. Include usage requirements for renewal of future contracts with the tools, and define how usage will be tracked and monitored to make this determination.
  • If the pilot result is to continue or expand use of the tool, provide school board members, community partners, and funders with transparency about the instructional need and evaluation criteria that drove the decision to engage in this pilot, the planning and implementation processes, and how results were analyzed and co-interpreted with pilot participants. Include what percentage of students met dosage recommendations, and the strategies that will be used to drive stronger implementation fidelity.

Tools & Resources

For definitions of our taxonomies, see our About section.

Cost Analysis in Practice Cost Analysis Templates (CAPCATs) 
From CAP Projects

This platform repository hosts specialized procurement, governance, and technology management templates tailored for K-12 school administration teams. It offers standardized worksheets to track tool performance, streamline organizational logistics, and enforce software alignment.

Cycle-based Budgeting Toolkit 
From Cycle-based Budgeting

This implementation guide outlines a strategic financial framework for school districts to evaluate and manage their instructional budgets using structured, cyclical reviews. It provides actionable strategies for aligning district expenditures directly with ongoing program effectiveness and student achievement data.

LearnPlatform for Administrators 
From Lea(R)n

Always free, LearnPlatform for Administrators provides access to the largest database of edtech products, including teacher grades, broken down by categories including feedback, usage, impact, and price to help them support the academic freedom of their educators while upholding resource allocation responsibilities for support, PD and implementation needs. LearnPlatform for Administrators also includes real-time organization-wide edtech usage information via easy-to-access and understand dashboards.

AI-Enabled Edtech Adoption Cycle 
From Digital Promise

This reference framework maps out the sequential stages a district must navigate when introducing, evaluating, and scaling artificial intelligence tools in an educational setting. It guides administrators from initial need scoping and risk assessment through long-term implementation and impact evaluation.

An Ethical and Equitable Vision of AI in Education: Learning Across 28 Exploratory Projects 
From Digital Promise

This research report synthesizes key findings and takeaways from twenty-eight exploratory projects focused on implementing artificial intelligence in educational environments. It establishes a practical framework for balancing technical innovation with foundational ethics, student data safety, and cultural equity.

Edtech Usage Trends Report 
From Lea(R)n

Review usage trends, aggregate data and factors that may be influencing edtech use to fidelity in the US with Lea(R)n’s 2017 EdTech Usage Trends Report.

How Do We Interpret Developers’ Claims? 
From Ed Tech RCE Coach

This case study reviews strategies to thoughtfully interpret developers’ impact claims when analyzing and deciding.

Integrating AI-Enabled EdTech in PK16 Education: Five Recommendations for State and District Leaders 
From Digital Promise

This policy brief presents strategic recommendations for education leaders to safely and effectively govern artificial intelligence deployments across schools. It focuses on establishing clear guardrails around data privacy, instructional integrity, equitable access, and professional development support.

K12 Blueprint Contract Negotiations with Vendors 
From K12 Blueprint

This practical guide outlines key strategies and best practices for district administrators during edtech vendor contract negotiations. It focuses on securing favorable pricing structures, clarifying service-level agreements, and ensuring strict protections for student data privacy and data ownership.

LearnPlatform Resource Center 
From Lea(R)n

Library of free resources with which educators and adinistrators can support momentum to find, buy, manage and measure educational technology easily and effectively. Resources include FAQs, videos, etc.

OBC District Toolkit Archives – The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting 
From The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting

This comprehensive digital archive provides tools, resources, and templates to assist school districts in planning and executing outcomes-based contracts. It helps administrative teams structure vendor procurement agreements where financial compensation is tied directly to student performance milestones.

SDP Toolkit for Effective Data Use 
From Harvard CEPR

A five-part toolkit to guide you through the collection and analysis of student achievement data.

Sign Up For Updates! Email