In this week's Tracker we continue our review of market penetration of major K-12 vendors across various regions, review AI professional development patterns, look at computer science trends, and facilities grants. More below.
1. Burbio's district checkbook register database covers over 20 million PreK-12 students. The charts below compare the percentage of districts that have written a check to the supplier in question at least once in the twelve months ending February 28th. We begin showing suppliers that have higher market penetrations in California than the Midwest:
At the bottom of this email we present a second chart with suppliers that have higher penetration in the Midwest than California. For this analysis, the Midwest consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.
2. Burbio’s Signals Tracker analyzes millions of pages of district school board discussions and delivers clients highly specific district intent insights.
Below are trends we see in AI professional development across K-12 districts nationwide.
- AI governance frameworks are increasingly accompanied by educator training, reflecting district efforts to prepare staff for future student-facing AI instruction.
- Piloting AI tools before broader adoption: Districts test AI platforms through limited pilots, stakeholder feedback, and evaluation rubrics, often incorporating educator training into pilot programs while assessing instructional impact and purchasing decisions.
- AI literacy, ethics, and data privacy remain major training priorities with additional focus areas including bias detection and helping educators understand how AI may change instructional practices and pedagogy.
- Expanding AI training into specific instructional areas such as math, language development, differentiated learning, and gifted education. Some districts are developing implementation guides and micro-credential programs tied to classroom AI integration.
- Staff surveys and educator feedback to determine how AI training should be structured. AI-related training has emerged as one of the most requested professional development topics in many districts.
3. Below are trends we see in K-12 computer science instruction nationwide pulled from our Signals tracker:
- Cybersecurity programs are expanding rapidly. Districts are adding cybersecurity courses and CTE pathways, including AP offerings and industry-aligned certification tracks. Some are redesigning existing technology programs to better align with workforce demand.
- Coding instruction is starting earlier. Districts are expanding middle school coding programs and increasing access to courses focused on programming, app development, and game design. Many pathways now include hands-on software development experiences.
- Robotics and STEM labs continue to grow as districts invest in robotics platforms, coding devices, and immersive technologies to support interactive STEM learning. Schools are also expanding robotics competitions, engineering coursework, and STEM lab spaces.
- Computer science is becoming a K-8 priority. Districts are embedding coding, digital fluency, and computational thinking into elementary and middle school instruction rather than limiting computer science to standalone electives.
- AI literacy is becoming mainstream as districts introduce AI concepts into curriculum with a focus on digital citizenship, ethics, and responsible use of generative AI tools.
- Programs are aligning with workforce needs. Districts are designing computer science and STEM pathways around high-demand fields such as AI, cybersecurity, and software development, often tied to CTE frameworks and industry certifications.
4. Burbio's State-Level Funding Tracker features billions of dollars of continuously updated, state-specific grants for PreK-12 schools. Below are some of the many we see in the Facilities category:
- Alaska's FY 28 Capital Improvement Project Grant allows school districts to undertake school construction or major maintenance projects.
- The Tennessee Valley Authority School Uplift program is designed to reduce energy costs in schools across the TVA's seven-state region.
- Washington FP 286 Small District Energy Assessment grant enables small school districts to hire a certified energy auditor to conduct audits on instructional buildings to prepare for Clean Buildings Performance Standards.
- Pennsylvania's Pipeline Investment program allows public entities, including school districts, to establish and extend natural gas pipelines.
5. We continue our analysis of market penetration. Below is a list of vendors with higher penetration in the Midwest for the twelve-month period ending in February:
