Information Technology

Why introducing a smartphone ban worked for this leader

"We wished we had implemented it sooner," says Alabama's 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year, Charles Longshore, of Dothan Preparatory Academy's smartphone ban.

Data overload: 4 ways we can free up time for teachers

Educators now fill the roles of analysts, accountants and actuaries in response to the K12’s evolution into a data-driven culture.

Translating the Data: Ensuring Your Capital Planning Funds Are Cost Effective

Date & Time: Wednesday, December 4 at 2 p.m. ET

In this 30-minute DA Ed Talk, administrators will gain helpful advice on turning facilities data into actionable insights to avoid a common challenge in K-12 where districts increasingly struggle with translating data into effective capital planning decisions.

***Attendees will be able to safely download an Asset Investment Planning (AIP) Infographic and a comprehensive guide for capital planning, budgeting, and asset management.

Leading with data in today’s K12 environment: 6 best practices

Every data point you collect should connect to your school or district’s objectives. As budgets become more constrained, it’s more important than ever to focus on data that directly measures progress toward specific goals.

Make this school year your best (data) year yet

Even the most accomplished school leaders and teachers frequently express that data can feel overwhelming and confusing.

New cybersecurity technology is ideal for education

Innovative technologies are entering the market that are designed for today's work environment and threats and also often offer greater affordability and ROI.

Edtech trends: What are state leaders focused on right now?

When it comes to the biggest edtech trend of all—AI—various agencies are trying to provide districts with more support in adopting the technology responsibly.

Out-of-band management: How to minimize disruption during a cyberattack

Out-of-band management allows a school’s IT team to set up a management plane separate and independent from the data plane or production infrastructure.

Beyond Automation: Protecting Sensitive Data & Adhering to Best Practices in Document Management

Date & Time: Tuesday, September 17th at 2 pm ET

Join us for an insightful webinar to explore the successful strategies and processes implemented by Katy Independent School District to automate student records and registration processes. Learn how Katy ISD increased staff capacity to safely manage sensitive student information and adhere to state standards for public school records management.

New roadmap shows us how to navigate K12 cybersecurity

The “Roadmap to Developing a K12 Districtwide Cybersecurity Ecosystem" is a crucial guide that equips districts to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses effectively.

3 ways K12 educators can integrate emerging tech into their curriculum

To effectively integrate emerging technologies, it’s essential to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to help students understand what they’re learning.

Making the Switch: Digital Transformation in K-12 Records Management

Date & Time: Thursday, August 15th at 2 pm ET

In this webinar, the CTO of the School District of Manatee County will discuss how his school system transformed its own document management system into a digital one through an innovative strategic blueprint, a mobile mass scanning fleet, and a close partnership between district leadership and school site staff.

Get to the point! More cybersecurity funding and accelerated summers

In this new series, District Administration covers what you need to know for the coming school week: There's a new pilot program to protect schools from cyberattacks and ideas for closing the digital divide and accelerating summer schools.

How to close learning gaps with a new assessment culture

Imagine a world where a young child’s comprehension of a text written by Dr. Seuss could predict whether they will graduate from high school more than a decade later. This may sound as nonsensical as a plot from Dr. Seuss himself, but it’s not a work of fiction.

Revolutionizing special education: New partnership innovates data collection

For K12 superintendents and educational leaders, staying abreast of technological advancements is particularly important when it comes to addressing the unique needs of special education programs.

How to leverage data to bring student aspirations to life

Our “secret sauce” was connecting easy-to-access personalized information about our students to our district's overarching portrait of a graduate—our vision for success.

How to transform school cybersecurity in 4 key steps

Across my 21-year tenure in educational tech and school cybersecurity, I’ve witnessed a common issue. School district technology departments are often understaffed, leaving cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Navigating the overcrowded information highway: How to streamline school data

“Streamline” is the buzzword of the moment as the average number of tech products school districts access in a given month has almost tripled.

No. 1 school priority: Making Wi-Fi and the internet an “assured resource”

Educators are working to ensure Wi-Fi and the internet are always available to support every need, every student and every teacher. Automation is a key solution.

Data-informed decisions: 3 tips for K12 leaders from a data scientist

Data-informed decisions help administrators develop communication strategies to address individual student needs and empower parents as active stakeholders in their child's educational journey.

How one district uses cognitive data to to unlock true data literacy

An assistant superintendent explains how teachers truly differentiate instruction with data about the way students learn best.

Tech Talk: Why the ‘next big thing’ in edtech is already a thing

Despite the furor over AI and chatbots, it’s not the tools and devices at the cutting edge of edtech that are of greatest concern to K12 IT leaders as they look ahead to the 2023-24 school year.

3 ways school leaders can combine ChatGPT and K12 to save time

The chatter about ChatGPT and K12 education is pretty negative, and I get it. So, enlist ChatGPT to be your scheduler, ghostwriter and teacher support coordinator.

Top 10 states for data breaches warn of constant K12 cyber threat

If your school is in Wyoming, you might be safe—or at least a little safer—from education cyberattacks that have compromised 32 million records over the last two decades.

How collecting warm data can tell us more about our students

We’re likely to miss the root causes of drops in test scores and other issues because we don’t often collect 'warm data' about how our students are feeling.

5 ways assessment data builds a cycle of teaching, assessment and instruction

Armed with the right assessment data, educators can identify learning gaps, adjust class-wide instruction, spark discussion and collaborate with parents.

How technology supports student well-being while relieving teachers’ burdens

A.I. analytics of students' mental health data can help alleviate added burdens from teachers while ensuring their students’ well-being.

Iowa’s largest school district is shut down today due to a cyberattack

Des Moines Public Schools' cyberattack was discovered Monday morning and the school district’s internet and network services were taken offline.

Administrators, want to become an edtech savant? Register for FETC 2023

Since the pandemic, CIOs have voiced the fact that the abundance of education technology is here to stay. Our message to you is: Hop on the train.

Schools that don’t take these 3 steps remain vulnerable to cyberattacks

Schools lost more than four days on average to downtime and spent nearly a month recovering from the cyberattacks.

Students lack important data about themselves. Here’s what they want

Less than half of high school students received information about whether they’re meeting grade-level expectations or if they’re on track to graduate, a survey says.

Data breach: 6 ways to defend sensitive school data

“Data breach” is one of the scariest phrases a school administrator can hear. The leak of sensitive student and staff information can be a chilling (and expensive) problem.

How chatbots can power student enrollment and 24/7 family engagement

A chatbot can help school districts provide automatic responses to frequently asked questions, giving staff more time to provide personalized attention to more complex requests.

Why data is the key to improving your student assessments

If you're like most teachers, you've found yourself, at some point, delivering a lecture only to notice you don't have the attention of your class.

Finding a centralized voice for safe, accurate and timely school-home communications

Five key criteria we used to select a unified communications platform for our district.