Overview
- The Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter on Aug. 20, 2026 that tells schools to judge education technology by whether it improves instruction and student outcomes rather than by minutes of screen time.
- The letter is guidance not law and leaves rulemaking to state and local officials while urging them to adopt evidence-driven procurement and renewal practices.
- The department asks edtech vendors to publish rigorous independent evaluations, explain product limits, minimize unnecessary screen exposure, and provide implementation support for teachers.
- The guidance highlights state pilots in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan and Texas that tie vendor payment to performance as models for outcomes-based contracting.
- The move shifts policy choices to states and districts and could change classroom practice by making funding, vendor selection, and teacher training depend on measurable learning gains and local implementation capacity.