AI Policy Adoption Rising But Implementation Gaps Remain
The 2026 CoSN State of EdTech report, based on responses from 607 K-12 leaders across 44 states, found that cybersecurity and data privacy have returned as top priorities after artificial intelligence briefly topped the rankings in 2025. Three quarters of respondents said they were very concerned about AI-enabled cyber attacks, while 65 percent cited insufficient budgets as their biggest barrier to effective cybersecurity. 2026 CoSN State of EdTech
Nearly 80 percent of districts reported having established official AI guidelines, up sharply from 57 percent the prior year. However, the report identified a significant gap between operational IT capacity and instructional support — 66 percent reported adequate staffing for core network functions, while 58 percent said they were understaffed for the actual instructional use of technology in classrooms.