[jm20]

One thing not getting mentioned here is the outsized influence large districts have on the broader education market. A contract with a huge district like LAUSD or CPS can be worth millions, and often these go to large incumbents because they have the resources to basically lobby these districts to accept them. Their motivations for choosing a product then become largely political as opposed focused on efficacy.

Smaller districts often look (erroneously in my opinion) to these large districts to set an example of the “right” approach and adopt the same products.

This is how you end up with monoliths like Pearson and McGraw Hill making shitty products that teachers hate but schools continue to pay gobs of money for. And innovation is stifled because that money doesn’t go to better products from companies that can’t afford a giant lobbying arm/don’t have a 20yr relationship with the superintendent.

[judge2020]

> Smaller districts often look (erroneously in my opinion) to these large districts to set an example of the “right” approach and adopt the same products.

When they have teachers driving Teslas and BMWs, it probably looks quite appealing.