Moderated by Doug Roberts, Founder and CEO of Educational Solutions Consulting, this session featured five superintendents and technology decision-makers:

• Susan Enfield (Highline Public Schools)
• John Krull (Oakland Unified School District)
• Randy Bridges (Florence School District One)
• Richard Carranza (San Francisco Unified School District)
• Stan Rounds (Las Cruces Public Schools)

The speakers explored strategies for edtech developers interested in partnering with school districts.

They emphasized the importance of edtech developers being “partners” rather than “vendors” – successful partnerships hinge on human relationships and willingness to understand and respond to districts’ specific needs. Edtech developers must also explore the technologies a district is already using and prioritize interoperability with existing systems.

The panel also discussed how the creation of learning opportunities that support languages other than English is essential for edtech developers. In Oakland and San Francisco, for example, over 100 languages are being used by students and their families.