K-12 EdTech Survey Points to Barriers to Growth Attributed to Insufficient Leadership Depth

Key points:

He latest national survey conducted by edtech Leadership Collective has identified a stark misalignment in expectations when it comes to the preparation of emerging leaders to reach the executive suite. For the second year in a row, very few C-level executives (9 percent) expressed confidence in their ability to hire from within for vacancies on executive teams. In contrast, one in two (58 percent) of department heads considered that he is prepared for the executive position.

The trust gap regarding management depth comes at a time when 78 per cent of C-suite leaders consider the work of their non-executive leaders to be critical to the success of their company. However, C-suite leaders also acknowledge that they have failed to provide mentoring, constructive feedback, and clearly defined paths to advancement.

Conducted in December 2023, the survey reflects the perspectives of 157 edtech leaders regarding talent gaps, business risks, and employee pain points associated with leadership development in the K-12 edtech industry. The edtech Leadership Collective has published the survey results in a report titled “The State of Talent Development in edtech: Executive Perspectives on the Challenges of Business Growth.”

“We know that leadership depth continues to be a critical factor in company growth, and respondents clearly indicated their concerns regarding potential struggles for their teams,” said Collin Earnst, Founder and Managing Partner of edtech Leadership Collective. “Recent economic changes and evolving work environments have introduced new levels of complexity for K-12 educational technology executives, which is why organizations must continue to cultivate talent that can lead, communicate and collaborate.”

As edtech companies strive to maintain aggressive growth goals, more than half (54 percent) of respondents indicate their company has made layoffs in the past year. Meanwhile, leaders at all levels reported high levels of stress and anxiety, and nearly half (48 percent) considered themselves at high risk of burnout.

The full edtech Leadership Collective report includes additional data on:

• Waning executive confidence in leadership depth and succession plans
• Leadership Skills Gaps Cause the Biggest Obstacles to Company Growth
• Strategies to accelerate leadership development and address vulnerabilities
• Worrying levels of burnout, stress and anxiety among educational technology leaders
• Continued deficit in support for members of historically marginalized populations
• Impact of remote work environments on leadership dynamics
• Using artificial intelligence (ai) to address resource scarcity
• The consequences of recent layoffs and reorganizations

“Our 2024 report identified some pretty alarming statistics about the elevated risk of poor company performance and employee burnout; however, the data also clarified practical steps that will enable companies to strengthen leadership capacity across their organization. “Earnst continued. “Leadership depth has become a competitive advantage and data shows that K-12 edtech companies are ready to invest in their emerging leaders.”

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Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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