In the New York Times, Natasha Singer and Danielle Ivory take a long look at the way tech companies woo superintendents and other school district officials to get them to buy hardware and software.

Silicon Valley is going all out to own America’s school computer-and-software market, projected to reach $21 billion in sales by 2020. An industry has grown up around courting public-school decision makers, and tech companies are using a sophisticated playbook to reach them, The New York Times has found in a review of thousands of pages of Baltimore County school documents and in interviews with dozens of school officials, researchers, teachers, tech executives and parents.

An article in the latest issue of EdNext by an industry insider advises school districts “How To Avoid Getting Ripped Off by Ed-Tech Vendors.”

Rob Waldron writes:

In today’s increasingly crowded market, school administrators need to see beyond glittery promises and learn how to invest in cost-effective programs that will drive the greatest gains for students. With hundreds if not thousands of students affected by a single purchasing decision, the stakes could not be higher.

— Education Next