"At a time where we need an education experience to be anything but average, we continue to see students give their schools neutral scores on the metrics that matter most," pollster says

This year's EdTechTop 40 list shows districts, teachers and students are continuing to experiment with a wider range of digital tools.

Community and two-year technical colleges have been proposed as a new pipeline for preparing new teachers. Florida has provided an example.

Louisiana is set to adopt a tougher rating system for K-12 schools in an effort to raise standards and spur improvements that could leave many schools with lower grades.