Start With the Company, Not the Product

The product demo is designed to impress you. The company behind it is what you actually need to evaluate.

A legitimate, well-run EdTech company should be straightforward to verify. For platforms based in the US, checking that the company is properly registered is a reasonable starting point. Many US businesses operate with an Employer Identification Number, an IRS-issued identifier required for legitimate business registration, tax filing, and most formal commercial activity.EINSearch allows you to look up and verify EIN details for US-registered businesses, which gives you a basic confirmation that the entity behind the product actually exists in the way it presents itself.

For UK and European platforms, Companies House is the equivalent check. A quick search confirms whether the company is actively registered, when it was formed, and who the listed directors are. A platform that was incorporated last month and has no filing history is a different kind of company from one with several years of accounts on record.

None of this tells you whether the product is good. It tells you whether the company is real, which is the more basic question and one worth answering first.

Check the Privacy Policy Before the Feature List

Most teachers read the pricing page before the privacy policy. That order should probably be reversed when student data is involved.

A privacy policy that is worth trusting will tell you specifically what data the platform collects, how it is stored, how long it is retained, and under what circumstances it is shared with third parties. Policies that use vague language about sharing data with partners or affiliates without specifying what that means are worth treating carefully. Policies that do not address deletion, either when a teacher closes their account or when a student leaves the school, are also a concern.

For US schools, FERPA compliance is the baseline legal requirement for platforms handling student education records. FERPA-compliant platforms are required to use student data only for the educational purpose for which it was provided and cannot share it for advertising or other commercial purposes. A platform that does not mention FERPA compliance in its privacy policy or FAQ is a platform whose legal obligations to your students are unclear.

UK schools should look for GDPR compliance documentation. The relevant questions are the same: what data is collected, where is it stored, how long is it kept, and what are the deletion procedures.

Look for Independent Verification

A platform's own claims about its security and compliance are a starting point, not a conclusion.

Independent certifications provide a different kind of assurance. ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised standard for information security management that requires external auditing to achieve and maintain. SOC 2 compliance, common among US-based SaaS companies, involves an independent audit of security, availability, and confidentiality controls. Platforms that hold these certifications have had their security claims verified by someone other than themselves.

Check whether the platform has been reviewed or listed by organisations that evaluate EdTech for safety and privacy. Common Sense Media's Privacy Evaluation Program reviews EdTech platforms specifically for student privacy practices and publishes its findings publicly. iKeepSafe is another organisation that certifies platforms for COPPA and FERPA compliance. A platform that appears on these lists has been assessed against a documented standard.

Your district's approved vendor list is the most direct shortcut available. If your IT or compliance team has already vetted a platform, you can skip most of the steps above. If the platform is not on the list, that is worth flagging before you start using it with students.

Financial Stability Is a Practical Concern

EdTech companies close with some regularity. When they do, the notice teachers receive ranges from a few weeks to none at all. Student data, lesson plans, class rosters, and years of progress records can all become inaccessible overnight.

A company's financial stability is not always easy to assess, but some signals are visible. Platforms that have been operating for several years, have a substantial user base, and publish regular product updates are generally more stable than recently launched tools with limited track records. Checking whether the company has publicly disclosed funding or revenue information gives a rough sense of its runway.

This is not about avoiding new tools entirely. New platforms often offer genuinely useful features. It is about being aware that the product you are building your curriculum around today needs to exist next year.

A Practical Sequence

Before adopting any new EdTech platform, this sequence covers the essential checks without taking more than twenty minutes.

Check that the company is legitimately registered. For US platforms, verify their EIN. For UK or European platforms, check Companies House or the equivalent national registry. Read the privacy policy specifically for FERPA or GDPR compliance, data retention practices, and third-party sharing terms. Look for independent security certifications or listings on established privacy review programs. Check your district's approved vendor list. If the platform is not there, ask before proceeding.

None of these checks guarantee a perfect outcome. Together they significantly reduce the likelihood of adopting a tool that creates problems you did not anticipate when you signed up.