Beyond the IT Department: The emergence of the CIO as a digital leader in K-12 districts

It's no small statement to say that our nation's K-12 schools are more dependent on technology today than ever before. From the classroom to the central office, the use of online and digital tools and resources to support learning as well as school district operations is the new normal.

While students in 3rd grade are creating their own online quizzes about the rainforest to demonstrate what they have learned in class, district office staff are creating professional learning videos to introduce teachers to the district's new learning management system. School principals are engaging parents in school activities through virtual meetings and social media posts, and their district's human resources staff are engaging with local colleges to recruit preservice teachers to an online job fair. What once seemed like an ambitious goal in terms of the effective use of technology to support both the academic and business operations within a school district is now closer to reality.

This report examines how the district technology management experience has changed and the resulting increased dependence on technology. It is the second in a special series of reports focused on technology in education from Project Tomorrow and Spectrum Enterprise.