SETDA’s 2024 State edtech Trends Survey reveals that state edtech leaders are increasingly focused on ai, but remain concerned about cybersecurity and connectivity issues.
SETDA, a nonprofit organization representing state and territorial educational technology leaders, recently released its Annual report on statewide educational technology trends. While there were few surprises in the report, Julia Fallon, executive director of SETDA, says it paints a clearer picture of where edtech stands from the perspective of state edtech leaders.
These are the top edtech trends for 2024 that emerged from the report.
<h2 id="1-states-are-issuing-ai-policies-3″>1. States are issuing ai policies
artificial intelligence was the second most important priority for state leaders, behind only cybersecurity. The survey also showed that states are taking their response to ai more seriously.
In last year's survey, the number of respondents who said their state had developed a roadmap for ai in education was just 2%. This year, that number rose dramatically to 59%. States like Washington and California led the initiative with artificial intelligence policiesbut now more than 20 states have official policies.
Fallon expects more states to release guidelines before the end of the school year. She notes that these policies need to be flexible. For example, Washington has had several iterations of its policy as ai evolves.
“This is not a static policy. It will be a policy that will evolve as problems are solved or new things emerge in the ai space,” Fallon said.
2. Cybersecurity remains the top priority
ai may get more headlines, but cybersecurity remains the top concern among state education leaders.
“It’s the nerd thing,” Fallon says. “It’s something that IT people are always very concerned about. But unless you’re affected by a cybersecurity breach or something, you probably don’t think about it too much, but everyone is involved in mitigation.”
Despite how serious the cybersecurity problem is, fewer state leaders believe their state is providing sufficient funding to support cybersecurity efforts compared to previous years when the survey was conducted.
Fallon says state education leaders should look for areas where they can support schools and districts in their cybersecurity mitigation efforts, particularly rural and underfunded districts. This will be different in different contexts, but may include helping smaller districts hire the work of a cybersecurity specialist or providing statewide support, she adds.
3. Home connectivity remains the top unmet need
Home internet connectivity for students and their families was the top unmet need across all states. This was closely followed by funding concerns, as federal pandemic funding is set to expire this fall.
“People really need to understand why access to homes is still a reality,” Fallon says. “A lot of people think, ‘Well, the pandemic is over, or at least almost over, and we’re all back out in the world.’”
As educators are well aware, internet access for students remains vital for completing assignments, research, communicating with teachers and peers, and more. Fallon says educators must continue to reinforce the need to other stakeholders, and state leaders must be reminded of how critical it is to continue providing internet access to students.
<h2 id="4-state-office-of-educational-technology-are-on-the-rise-3″>4. State educational technology offices are on the rise
The percentage of state leaders who reported their state has an educational technology office increased by 10 percentage points over the past two years (from 55% to 65%). Fallon says states should continue to add these positions.
“The national edtech plan“The plan, which was released in January 2024 by the U.S. Department of Education, recommends that states have an Office of edtech,” Fallon says. The plan also called for districts to have someone to coordinate edtech initiatives.
The head of this office can change depending on who is elected governor, so continuity can be a challenge during an election year. But Fallon says the key to making these positions successful is providing meaningful, individualized guidance to districts rather than any kind of blanket approach, which tends to not be applicable across different contexts.
