2025 CoSN EdTech Leadership Report: 3 Urgent Challenges Facing Districts—and How Lightspeed Is Meeting the Moment

The 2025 CoSN EdTech Leadership Survey, released in May, captures a critical moment in K–12 technology leadership. Drawing on responses from hundreds of school district leaders, the report highlights mounting challenges in visibility, budgeting, and artificial intelligence (AI). As the post-ESSER reality sets in, district leaders are under pressure to do more with less while maintaining student safety, ensuring accountability, and making smart choices in a fast-moving landscape.

At Lightspeed Systems, we’ve been listening closely to these challenges. Here’s how our solutions directly address the most urgent pain points raised in the report:

1. Visibility Is a Challenge And Districts Need Centralized, Actionable Data

According to the CoSN report, technology visibility and integration remain major pain points. Districts are juggling dozens – sometimes hundreds – of tools across apps, platforms, and devices, often without a clear sense of what’s being used, by whom, and how often.

“One technology leader described the ESSER-era purchasing surge as ‘software licenses with little thought and effort to integrate.’”

This fragmented landscape is making it nearly impossible for leaders to evaluate performance, ensure security, or make informed renewal decisions. Without centralized data, districts are stuck guessing.

Lightspeed Insight™ and Lightspeed Signal™ solve this problem head-on.

Lightspeed Insight gives districts comprehensive visibility into every app in use, across every device and campus. It not only shows what’s installed; it shows what’s actually being used, by whom, and for how long. You can identify shadow IT, uncover duplicate licenses, and get the real story behind app effectiveness.

Lightspeed Signal goes even further, delivering real-time, user-level activity data – including network performance, app outages, and student connectivity insights – so IT teams can diagnose and resolve issues before learning is disrupted.

With these tools, districts finally gain the centralized, actionable data CoSN leaders are calling for without adding complexity.

2. Budgets Are Tight And Scrutiny Is Rising

In 2025, funding is contracting while expectations are expanding. The CoSN survey found:

• 24% of districts expect cuts to software licenses.
• 35% expect reductions in cybersecurity budgets.
• Yet only 23% are currently reviewing renewals at the school level where many savings opportunities lie.

Districts need to stretch every dollar while proving the impact of every tool. At Lightspeed, we’re hearing this every day: school boards are asking for evidence, not just anecdotes. That’s why usage-based decision-making has become a critical capability.

Lightspeed Insight enables districts to:

• Analyze actual app usage by school, grade level, or user type.
• Identify underused or unused software licenses to eliminate waste.
• Compare licensing costs against real engagement and outcomes.

In a recent roundtable we hosted with large-district CTOs, reviewing software usage at the school level was cited as one of the most effective budget-saving strategies of the past year. Lightspeed Insight provides exactly the granularity needed to do this quickly and accurately, helping districts defend budgets and reclaim overspend.

3. AI Is Everywhere—And Leaders Want Help, Not Hype

Artificial Intelligence is officially part of the K–12 conversation. The CoSN report shows that:

• 80% of districts have GenAI initiatives underway.
• But 43% lack formal policies or guidance, and
• 60% report being very concerned about AI-enabled cyberattacks.

Leaders are navigating the dual-edged nature of AI: its enormous instructional potential and its equally significant risks. They’re not asking for buzzwords; they want guardrails, not gimmicks.

At Lightspeed, our approach to AI is proactive, responsible, and safety-first:

• SMART AI, part of our evolving platform, is designed to help districts integrate AI safely and securely, with controls that filter and monitor GenAI content in real time.
• With Lightspeed Alert™, districts can detect self-harm, violence, and cyberbullying risks, including those triggered or amplified by AI-based interactions.
• Lightspeed Filter™ ensures that AI tools, websites, and search engines are monitored and filtered appropriately for students, based on age and policy settings

By embedding safety and compliance into the heart of our AI strategy, Lightspeed is helping schools embrace innovation without sacrificing control.

The Time for Better EdTech Is Now

The 2025 CoSN EdTech Leadership Report doesn’t just highlight problems, it underscores a broader truth: districts don’t need more tools. They need better ones.

They need tools that integrate, inform, and improve and not complicate. They need real visibility into what’s working, the power to defend every budget line, and AI capabilities that enhance learning while keeping students safe.

At Lightspeed Systems, that’s exactly what we deliver. Our platform is purpose-built for K–12, focused on clarity, cost-effectiveness, and student-centered safety. Because when leaders have the right insights, they make better decisions. And that’s what drives better learning outcomes for everyone.