Written By: Robyn Shulman
As a former classroom teacher, I’ve long been fascinated by edtech startups and the communities they build. Over the past several years, dozens of startups have reached out for guidance, product feedback, or simple advice. I’ve met many passionate founders who genuinely want to improve student outcomes. Still, I see a recurring pattern: too many teams approach teachers only at the last minute, often just before launch. If your company designs tools for schools, involving educators early is one of the best decisions you can make.
Most edtech startups contact educators for one or more of these reasons
- Requesting a product opinion
- Seeking basic advice or answers to questions
- Running software trials and collecting feedback
- Trying to understand K–12 or higher education culture
- Figuring out how to approach public or private school systems
- Asking for contacts or field connections
- Wondering why districts are difficult to reach
I’m happy to help when I can. Yet one trend worries me: too many startups wait until just before a public launch to consult a teacher, and some never consult one at all. Not every edtech company makes this mistake, but if you’re building a product for classrooms, adding teacher expertise to your team greatly increases the likelihood of success. The knowledge teachers bring about classroom dynamics, curriculum, and school culture is essential to designing meaningful educational products.
Why do edtech startups need teachers? Key reasons and practical benefits
Teachers understand classroom dynamics and infrastructure. A classroom isn’t one-size-fits-all. During my time teaching sixth grade, my students ranged from gifted learners to those needing academic intervention, as well as English learners. Classrooms also require attention to social, emotional, and developmental needs. If your product doesn’t account for that diversity, it risks being irrelevant or unusable in real settings. Teachers can help you identify the range of student needs and how your product should adapt.
Teachers know school culture and relationships. Educators don’t operate under sales quotas; their focus is student learning and well-being. The relationships among teachers, students, and families form the foundation of school culture, which varies widely from district to district and school to school. A product that ignores those dynamics may struggle to be adopted or to produce measurable impact. Teachers can advise on how to fit your solution into existing routines and priorities.
Teachers can align your product with district missions and goals. If your solution doesn’t support a district’s mission, it will be hard to make a compelling case. Researching each district’s goals, programs, and challenges is vital. Read school mission statements, review teacher pages and program descriptions, and identify gaps your product can fill. Teachers who understand local priorities can help you tailor your pitch and demonstrate real value to decision-makers.
Teachers often open doors. School gatekeepers and district leaders are more likely to listen to an educator than to a salesperson. Partnering with teachers can increase credibility, provide introductions, and ease district conversations.
Teachers understand curriculum and lesson planning. Many teachers design curriculum or follow district-prescribed standards. Educators often use strategies like backward design—popularized by Wiggins and McTighe—which begins with the end in mind and asks:
- What is worthy of understanding?
- What counts as evidence of understanding?
- What learning experiences and instruction will promote understanding and engagement?
Knowing how teachers plan lessons helps edtech products align learning objectives, assessments, and classroom activities.
Teachers keep the student at the center. Any classroom product must support authentic student growth. If a tool fails to promote measurable learning or meaningful engagement, teachers will quickly recognize it. Building student-centered solutions requires listening to educators and grounding development in real classroom practice.
Teachers help ground your vision in reality. Founders often launch products based on their assumptions or personal schooling experiences. Effective teachers can identify misalignments between a product’s vision and classroom realities, helping you refine features, workflows, and target audiences before wide release.
Public education stakeholders are students, families, and communities. Educational outcomes are not determined by sales numbers but by student progress. The more your team works with educators—especially those transitioning into roles outside the classroom—the better your chances of building tools that truly support learning.
Bottom line: Authenticity, transparency, and a genuine focus on student success matter. Hire or consult teachers early, listen to classroom feedback, and design with educators, not just for them.
I welcome your comments and experiences: how are edtech products working in your classroom? What accelerators, awards, or startups have made a real difference for students? Share your thoughts and stories so we can learn from practical classroom results and build better tools together.