As the School Year Ends, Districts Confront a Critical Crossroads for Staffing, Funding, and Student Success
- Kevin Kuckkan, M.Ed.
- May 19
- 5 min read
As the 2024–25 academic year draws to a close, school leaders are not easing into summer but instead preparing for a critical period of decision-making. Pressing issues in staffing, funding, and student achievement are converging into a perfect storm, leaving districts with limited time and resources to chart a path forward. However, if chosen wisely and strategically, technology can be a powerful ally in addressing these challenges.
Table of Contents
Staffing Pressures Continue Despite Stabilizing Turnover
The End of ESSER Funding Spurs Tough Fiscal Choices
Achievement Data Sends Mixed Signals
The Growing Concern of Smartphones and Student Engagement
Technology Spending Must Prioritize Impact
The Content Filter: From Compliance Tool to Catalyst for Change
Deledao: The AI-Powered Solution for Engagement and Achievement
A Call to Action for District Leaders
Staffing Pressures Continue Despite Stabilizing Turnover
The RAND Corporation's 2024 State of the American Teacher survey indicates that while teacher turnover rates have begun to decline toward pre-pandemic levels, significant challenges persist regarding teacher well-being and job satisfaction. A staggering 60% of teachers report experiencing burnout, and 59% face frequent job-related stress. Additionally, 22% of teachers indicated difficulty coping with these struggles, raising serious concerns about retention and recruitment.
For school administrators, this means that simply reducing turnover isn't enough. Maintaining a pipeline of well-prepared, passionate educators requires intentional investments in teacher well-being, professional development, and support systems that address the causes—not just the symptoms—of burnout.
The End of ESSER Funding Spurs Tough Fiscal Choices
At the same time, districts are also contending with tightened budgets and fluctuating funding streams. The expiration of ESSER funds is leaving many school systems without the cushion they relied on to implement interventions, hire support staff, or purchase supplemental programs.
This budget tightening arrives just as student achievement recovery remains incomplete, forcing tough decisions about what to cut and what to preserve.
Achievement Data Sends Mixed Signals
The 2024 NAEP scores paint a nuanced picture: Fourth-grade math proficiency has climbed to 39%, a 4-point gain since 2022. However, reading proficiency fell to 30%, marking a 2-point drop.
While there has been some improvement in mathematics proficiency, reading proficiency has continued to decline, illustrating the need for focused, sustained investments in effective educational strategies and resources.
Leaders know that the pressure is on to ensure every child receives the resources they need to succeed, whether academic intervention, mental health support, or differentiated instruction. Yet achieving equity in access and outcomes requires more than just intention; it requires the ability to adapt systems, reallocate resources, and make evidence-based decisions about what works. The goal isn’t just catching up, it's building better, more responsive schools than existed before the pandemic. As such, schools are being called to make strategic, thoughtful decisions, especially regarding technology.
The Growing Concern of Smartphones and Student Engagement
One emerging topic in the conversation about student achievement and focus is the pervasive presence of smartphones in schools. Several state legislatures—including Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida—have introduced or passed legislation restricting phone use during school hours.
A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that 72% of middle and high school teachers believe smartphones negatively affect student learning, and school leaders report major concerns about cyberbullying, social isolation, and reduced academic focus. Additionally, the study highlights that many school leaders are increasingly concerned about the broader implications of smartphone use, including cyberbullying, social isolation, and reduced academic focus, which have prompted discussions and actions at various levels to address the impact of cellphones on student learning and well-being.
At Deledao, we’ve conducted extensive research into the digital habits of today’s youth and the overwhelming impact of constant online connectivity. A 2023 report by Common Sense Media found that 45% of 13 to 15-year-olds say they are online “almost constantly.”
Despite such findings, many schools still expect students to instantly shift their behavior upon entering the classroom, as if they can effortlessly disconnect from the digital deluge and focus solely on learning. Dontré’s research underscores just how unrealistic that expectation is; for many students, disengaging from digital distractions proves nearly impossible.
Across thousands of Chromebooks and student devices, Deledao’s behavioral analytics reveal a clear pattern: students who attempt to access social media, gaming, or entertainment platforms during instructional time show a marked decline in academic engagement. Social and emotional health also suffers, as many of these students report diminished satisfaction with peer relationships and increased anxiety, both signs of prolonged digital overstimulation.
School leaders cannot afford to overlook the implications. The online environment students navigate daily follows them into the classroom, and standard filtering tools often fall short in managing the complexity of today’s internet. Expecting digital neighbors or basic compliance filters to control this overload is a flawed assumption. Effective technology deployment must focus on tools that truly support learning. Solutions should filter distractions, measure engagement in real time, and be backed by sound research. Anything less risks further disengagement and missed opportunities for student success.
Technology Spending Must Prioritize Impact
As budgets tighten, the question isn’t whether to invest in technology, it’s how to invest wisely. The U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 National Educational Technology Plan urged school districts to invest only in tools that are research-backed, evidence-based, and rooted in sound implementation science. In the post-COVID rush to digitize classrooms, many schools purchased ineffective platforms, not due to a lack of effort, but because of poor design, insufficient training, or flawed deployment models.
Now, there’s no room for trial and error. Every purchase must move the needle on achievement, safety, or wellness.
The Content Filter: From Compliance Tool to Catalyst for Change
Content filtering has evolved far beyond static, rules-based web blockers. Traditional filters—some virtually unchanged since the 1990s—struggle to detect evasive behavior like proxies, creative spelling, or hidden browser tabs.
Consider this: According to the 2022 PISA study, students distracted by digital devices scored 15 points lower in math—a full year’s worth of lost learning. Today’s filters must go beyond compliance. They must actively protect attention and promote learning.
Deledao: The AI-Powered Solution for Engagement and Achievement
That’s where Deledao steps in. The ActiveInsights™ suite, powered by patented InstantAI™ technology, does what no traditional filter can: it interprets web content the way a human would—recognizing nuance, context, inventive spelling, and even proxy code hidden beneath the surface.
InstantAI’s real-time AI capability ensures that students stay focused on educational content, not the latest viral trend or game.
Deledao’s three-part solution includes:
ActiveScan for advanced content filtering
ActiveInstruct for real-time classroom management
ActivePulse for wellness detection and alerts
These tools give educators the visibility and control they need to support engagement, focus, and early intervention.
A Call to Action for District Leaders
As you prepare for the 2025–26 school year, we encourage you to have candid conversations with your IT and academic teams. Ask about the challenges they’re seeing. Explore how legacy systems may be limiting student growth. And explore research-backed, AI-powered tools that empower students to build digital self-regulation skills.
Don’t settle for outdated solutions. Schedule a Deledao demo today and see how modern technology can transform your classrooms—one focused student at a time.
