4 Big Topics from ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual

by Scott Sterling, Edmentum 

We just finished an exciting, illuminating week in San Antonio, Texas, for ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual 2025, the first time these major education conferences have been concurrent and co-located. There was plenty of action across the four days at Edmentum’s exhibit booth—including a number of in-booth sessions showcasing our latest product developments in Exact Path, Edmentum Career, EdOptions Academy and more, along with countless wonderful conversations with educators (check out our chat with a Hopkinsville, KY educator on our LinkedIn page!)—and an incredible amount of content all around the conference.  

Each day, we took note of the discussion topics that rose to the top—those that were surfaced most frequently, with the most curiosity and interest—and we reflected on those that stood out over the course of our time at the conference. Here are four of the highlighted critical conversations from ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual 2025: 

Evidence of Efficacy: Do You Have It? 

Our own Dr. Michelle Barrett spoke on a panel that largely addressed one of the persistent questions in school districts: How do you give educators the data they need to evaluate edtech impact rigorously, and ensure those insights lead to action? One of the first questions educators ask when evaluating edtech tools is whether there is evidence of the product’s efficacy and, if so, how it reflects the needs of their district. Will this product work for my students? Studies can only reflect the students who were studied. The panel was widely praised for keeping the focus on data that is meaningful and actionable.  

The Exact Path Impact Report was designed with this objective in mind. In particular, it is a first-of-its-kind solution to help district administrators make real-time instructional decisions at scale, informed by their own data. Another reality addressed in the panel is that “trial-and-error" is no longer a valid approach in districts; funding has changed post-pandemic and administrators need to know they’re investing in tools that drive results. The Exact Path Impact Report answers this need as well, enabling district leaders to clearly demonstrate their student growth and return on investment.  

Career-Connected Learning Continues to Pop 

Regardless of your role in education, you’ve no doubt been involved in a number of discussions about career-connected learning (CCL) in recent years. It’s atop the list of federal and state policy objectives, school district goals, and it’s been consistently requested by employers. ISTELive + ASCD Annual featured a wealth of sessions concentrated on bridging the gap between graduation, college, and career to reflect the dozens of states that are moving toward bolstering their CCL and CTE (career and technical education) offerings.  

Conversations at the event spanned from ways to give students real-world experiences while they are still in class, such as building a student tech team that troubleshoots IT issues around campus, to how AI is changing those career pathways. Special consideration was given to soft skills—those skills that will help students succeed whether they are moving toward college, career, or both, and how those can be taught in the classroom setting. On that last point in particular, we’re proud to have durable skills embedded in Edmentum Career, ensuring students can develop the most in-demand skills for success across industries while gaining exposure to career options and building toward employability. 

The Engagement, Agency, Attendance, and Enrollment Cycle 

With declining enrollment combined with persistent attendance challenges occurring in many districts, it was no surprise that educators were thinking about how to best engage students in their learning. Part of engaging students is building their agency in their education. These topics were points of discussion on the expo floor and in session rooms, with attendees from the classroom to the district office looking for ideas.  

A robust course catalog, including the career-connected learning courses that reflect students’ interests in in-demand jobs of the future, and greater opportunities to explore their interests in a more self-directed way, can go a long way toward helping students engage with their future and undertake coursework aligned with their interests. 

AI Continues to Impact Schools. What Now? 

The key questions being asked about AI have shifted from “Should students (and educators) be using these tools?” to “How do we educate students to use these latest technologies safely, responsibly, and effectively?”  

This is a process that the teacher and student can undertake together through strategies like learning how to tell AI content from original work and exploring new ways of using AI tools together. Make it a habit to ask the students something like “How do you think AI could help with this?” whenever you come across a sticky problem in the classroom. 

Now that ISTE and ASCD are presented together, there’s a little something for everyone at a conference that features over 500 sessions, panels, keynotes, and other events. And when 17,000 educators get together, like they did this year, it’s always a good time to learn and grow.