There was a lot of discussion on the panel about cybersecurity. When I worked in a district it would make me crazy-teachers would ask me to spend money and then I’d find out they really weren’t using it.įrom an IT department perspective, then you start being the “no” person because the product is not being used and you want to spend that money on something else. If a district makes an investment, we want a way to track to make sure a product is being used. How closely are you looking at the usage data of products in the districts you work with? I’m happy to view a demo if it’s a niche need that’s going to make teachers’ lives easier and it’s going to engage students and let teachers personalize. They should contact us and tell us what makes them a viable product and what makes them stand out from other vendors. If a company wants to get on your recommended list what should they do? If we can mitigate some of that pricing to bring it down as a consortium, that’s even better, so that small district doesn’t feel like there’s no way we can afford it. It’s also important that they’re priced well and can’t be out of the ballpark for districts. As an ESC, we don’t want to recommend something to districts unless it’s compliant. Teachers are still not aware or thinking about it, especially when it’s something free. One of the first things is compliance with like FERPA and COPPA. What are some of things you’re looking for in vendor that you recommend to the districts you work with? Pique spoke with EdWeek Market Brief after the panel to discuss the role that K-12 companies can play in helping CTOs overcome their biggest challenges. Even when top district leaders are not talking directly about tech, she said, “there’s probably a tech component.” It’s critical for CTOs and tech leaders to have a seat at the decisionmaking table, said Arline Pique, the director of technology for the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, which works with more than 50 districts in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. “In the past I’ve had to ask for or lobby for an audience with the cabinet,” Klinge said. But after pushing for change, he now has regular meetings with his district’s leadership-level administrators. The district tech officials also say they’ve struggled with not always being at the educational leadership table for discussions or not having enough access to top district decisionmakers. He has to reassure parents that not all screen time is the same: screen time at school using digital tools is much different than kids spending hours using social media and gaming, he said.
Media hype over concerns regarding screen time for students is also on Scrisci’s radar screen. Several said they used lengthy campaigns that involved face-to-face training, online training and even the use of products like KnowBe4, which promotes security awareness, to help continue that education. “They don’t understand what private means.”Ĭrisci and other CTOs on the panel say they’ve done extensive training of their staff this year on cybersecurity steps. “It’s a challenge for CTOs to make teachers understand this information,” said Gerald Crisci, the director of technology for the Scarsdale Public Schools in New York.Ĭrisci noted that he’s had educators say they weren’t sharing any private student data with an app, for example, then say they were “just entering student names, ages and emails, ” he said. In addition, the district tech chiefs on the panel said cybersecurity is a huge concern, and that they need companies to help them train educators on best practices, such as avoiding phishing and malware, and basic privacy measures such as not putting passwords on sticky notes taped to their computers. Districts, he said, are collaborating and sharing language around data-privacy policies with each other, “so they can put it in front of vendors and say you have to comply with that before we onboard your tool.” Many districts are adopting strict policies for vendors to protect student data, and it’s helpful when companies are aware of and attentive to these concerns ahead of time, said panelist Cory Klinge, the technology director for the Richfield, Minn., public schools. Businesses and other organizations looking for intel on the school marketplace should check out EdWeek Market Brief, a service that provides news, analysis, and original data on the ever-changing needs and priorities of schools.
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