Key points:
- Edtech investments should support better student outcomes
- How to direct a districtwide tech transformation on a budget
- The modern CIO’s role is changing–here’s how to keep up
- For more news on tech management, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub
Ask anyone involved in public education right now and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: “Too many technology tools.” Almost every K-12 district brought on new technology solutions during the pandemic, accelerating an already fast pace of tool adoption. With the pressure to solve problems fast, many of these ended up being separate, niche point solutions. In the 2022 to 2023 school year, school districts used an average of more than 2,591 different solutions. It’s no wonder so many K-12 families, educators, and staff members are exhausted and stressed by technology overload. Help is coming, but not necessarily in the ideal way: with ESSER funding running out, districts are re-evaluating the impact and scope of edtech solutions.
Evaluating the impact of edtech solutions is a logical thing to do. But there’s a reason why so many of these solutions were adopted. In many cases, they’re innovative and deeply aligned to what educators need to do their jobs well. With consolidation and cuts, I fear a return to the old days of dated, clunky, poorly built tools that get in the way of the work educators do.…Read More