3. For many of IT teams, challenges around cybersecurity are top of mind, with recent research revealing over half of lower education organizations were hit by ransomware in the past year. On top of this, concerns remain around cloud costs, including new limits on free cloud storage, leaving some wondering what they’re supposed to do and having to pay up. K-12 IT teams need to rethink their approach to cloud storage costs and security.
In order to modernize and innovate, education decision-makers will need to embrace hybrid or multi-cloud storage options that keep their data secure by moving away from mainstream, high-cost cloud providers. Further, to meet growing demands on schools’ IT departments, IT leaders will need to adopt a flexible cloud mindset that enables them to effectively and securely store and leverage the growing deluge of data they are inundated with–everything from student health care data to device and research data. A high performance, multi-cloud approach can help K-12 schools check major pain points off their list. [Read more]
–Kevin Warenda, Director of IT, Hotchkiss School
4. Sometimes it feels like a school district IT department doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Yes, technology is more a part of today’s education than ever before, but when tech is running smoothly, it is easy to forget IT departments and the staff that keep the infrastructure running exist.
In my six years as the director of technology for the Pittsburg Independent School District, we’ve gone through many changes, not to mention what the pandemic put us through. But when COVID-19 forced us all to remote learning nearly overnight, my six-person team was able to move 2,500 students to a one-to-one program rapidly and quite successfully. There were numerous factors contributing to the team’s stellar work. One factor was support from administration, which is vital: It’s very helpful to have someone, both at the board level and the executive level, who understands IT and is equally invested in its success as my team and I are. Listening to your team members is important, too–it validates their importance as individuals and as part of a team. [Read more]
–Nele Morrison, Director of Technology, Pittsburg ISD, Texas
5. In today’s schools, nearly all aspects of student data reside on IT systems in the K-12 ecosystem. And the seamless use of that data through various technologies is paramount in ensuring a stellar educational experience for students and teachers. When teachers and administrators need to bring in student data, protect that data, and adapt to unique needs among various stakeholders who need access to the data, often the amount of time between data entry and usage is so lengthy that end-user experiences only lead to frustration.
I envision a scenario in which students and employees who move between schools in the same state lose no data, lose no documents, no video projects, no graded assignments. Open enrollment policies illustrate why school districts need to implement a cybersecurity system that works seamlessly outside of one specific district. This is a solid illustration of the potentially negative impact that cybersecurity and, more importantly, hands-on protection tools such as user authentication can have on a student’s experience. All learners need an individual path to flourish. If the data that follows them down their educational path isn’t comprehensive or lacks details teachers need, delays or setbacks can result. Retaining and accessing vital student data that teachers need immediately upon a new student’s enrollment is a process that screams for standardized methods. [Read more]
–Diana McGhee, Former Director of Technology at Fort Thomas Independent Schools & Former President of KySTE
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