Technology has become crucial to American education, yet educators are increasingly burdened. A Pew Research Center survey reveals that 84% of K-12 educators lack sufficient time in their workday for tasks like grading, lesson planning, paperwork, and emails. This statistic should influence how schools approach new technology. The issue is urgent as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in classrooms and administrative workflows. A report by Pew Research Center shows that 25% of teachers feel AI tools harm more than help in education, while only 6% find them beneficial. These findings indicate that technology adoption is rising despite uncertainties about its impact on educational outcomes.
Cybersecurity is another pressing concern. The U.S. Department of Education reports that school districts nationwide face an average of five cyber incidents weekly and that schools heavily rely on technology for educational delivery and operations. As digital systems increase, decisions about technology must consider security, privacy, and operational resilience along with convenience. This situation raises a critical question for school leaders. After significant investment in digital transformation, the focus is shifting from adding more technology to evaluating whether existing systems support school operations effectively. Increasingly, the concern is about infrastructure. The question is no longer whether schools have enough software, but whether the technology reflects the realities of teaching, collaboration, and school operations.
Nathan Stark worked in schools for 16 years before founding FolioBridge, an education technology company developing operational and communication infrastructure specifically for educators. Stark’s experience revealed a recurring issue where teachers constantly switch between email, messaging platforms, learning management systems, student information systems, and shared documents to complete everyday tasks. FolioBridge aims to create a centralized environment for school communication and collaboration, connecting educators across different schools. Stark conceived the idea when a teacher at his school struggled to connect with someone teaching the same subject elsewhere, highlighting a lack of practical channels for such interactions. This experience also prompted him to reconsider what institutional support should include.
The lesson goes beyond any single platform. Stark believes that teachers should have more influence over technology selection and design, as they face its impacts daily. Administrators may become disconnected from classroom workflows, making regular teacher feedback crucial for identifying unnecessary friction. Time is a pertinent example. Stark highlights routine meetings, administrative requests, and professional development as areas where schools can assess whether processes respect educators’ limited time. Technology that simplifies these workflows can allow teachers to focus on preparation, collaboration, and students instead of adding another task to their schedules.
The same approach should guide AI adoption. Stark sees potential for AI to help teachers tailor lessons or accommodations to individual student needs when educators understand how to use it appropriately. He urges schools to scrutinize automated systems when technology affects critical decisions about student performance. His broader argument is that innovation works best when educational purpose dictates its role. This means treating infrastructure as part of a teacher support system. Schools should offer educators opportunities to share expertise, eliminate administrative barriers, and connect with colleagues beyond their immediate environments. Stark suggests that many schools still operate in relative isolation, limiting opportunities for inter-school collaboration while preserving each school’s unique culture and autonomy.
For education leaders, the challenge is intentionality. Each new platform involves decisions about attention, security, training, and workflow. Schools can evaluate technology based on whether it enhances the environment teachers and students need to thrive. The question increasingly becomes whether each addition makes educators’ working lives more cohesive, provides them with valuable connections, and enables their focus to remain on essential areas. As schools continue to invest in digital transformation, the next competitive edge may come not from adopting more technology but from creating systems that allow educators to spend less time navigating software and more time supporting students. “Teachers have always been the foundation of great schools,” Stark states. “Technology delivers its greatest value when it removes obstacles, enhances collaboration, and increases educators’ capacity to focus on students.”
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