K-12 Education is going through unprecedented disruptions and challenges, such as:

• Increased public scrutiny.
• Growing competition from non-public education.
• Increased safety concerns.
• Changing priorities in curricula and assessment.
• Elevated parental expectations.
• Global supply chain interruptions.
• Increased use of technology in the classroom and workplace.

In K-12 schools and districts, technology has traditionally been seen as secondary to the primary focus of education. This is a challenge for IT departments because they must compete with better-funded industries for skilled staff while still protecting their schools against the same cyberthreats. Moreover, technology is becoming increasingly important to the delivery of education and changing the way IT works with its stakeholders.

Info-Tech’s trends report on the future of K-12 education investigates strategic foresights and highlights the relevant trends for school and IT leaders in education.

Mark Maby
Research Director for Education,
Industry Practice
Info-Tech Research Group

• Schools and districts are overwhelmed by the number of unprecedented changes and disruptions.
• Leadership teams often lack insights to identify relevant and critical trends.
• There are uncertainties about transforming the digital business to adopt rapidly changing technologies.

• School and district leaders often think IT does not have an important role in defining and achieving digital business goals.
• Risk-averse school districts do not see the value of trends and how they link to the digital business plan.
• IT leaders might not think that industry trends have a significant impact on the IT organization.

• Perform a broader scan to highlight the demonstrated and relevant trends to education.
• Help schools and districts identify the trends to follow depending on their maturity.
• Highlight the impact of the trends on school and IT leaders.

Home access connectivity

A major challenge during the pandemic was the access students had to connectivity at home. This will continue to be a priority as education shifts to digital and online channels.

Interoperability

With the increased reliance on digital tools and content, there is a need for technology standards that facilitate interoperability.

Advanced wireless

Having strong Wi-Fi is a top technology priority for teachers and administrators. As devices continue to proliferate and as Internet of Things (IoT) devices increase in their capabilities, the K-12 education technology will require a strong technology infrastructure.

Hybrid integration

A hybrid integration framework to support various integration patterns such as on-premises to on-premises, on-premises to cloud, and cloud to cloud is key to enable IT capabilities.

Cybersecurity

A robust cybersecurity program covering the IT landscape is critical to ensure organizational information and assets are protected against the onslaught of various forms of attack.

Advanced data analytics

Enabling an advanced data analytics platform to support data-driven analysis is the foundational step necessary to support any core business transformation initiatives.

Comprehensive Security

Build a resilient physical and cyber security environment.

There has been an increase in both cyberattacks at districts and physical violence, especially within US schools. Districts are increasingly looking to technology to enhance the security of not only the data but also the students themselves.

Shifting Technology Priorities

The increase of digital and cloud-based technologies requires strategic changes.

Districts are adopting more cloud and mobile technologies. This requires both teachers and IT to change their work behaviors. Workload increases and funding shortages are adding additional pressures on technology priorities.

Maintaining the Digital Leap Forward

Sustain continued adoption of technology and practices post-pandemic.

The pandemic ushered in new technologies and new educational practices. Even with the return to physical classes, there is a persistent change in how education is now compared to just a few years ago.

The future of K-12 education

Trends report

Business context & IT Strategy

IT Strategy

Digital Strategy

Leverage this trends report for priorities that drive measurable, top-line organizational outcomes and to unlock direct value.

The future will bring more trends and technologies, making it pivotal that your schools or district continues to establish itself as the disrupter, not the disrupted. You must establish a structured approach to innovation management that considers external trends as well as internal processes. Info-Tech’s Define Your Digital Business Strategy blueprint and Build a Business-Aligned IT Strategy blueprint give you the tools you need to effectively process signals in your environment, build an understanding of relevant trends, and turn this understanding into action.

That schools should be a safe place is universally accepted. Without physical safety at school, the mandate of the school to deliver education will also fail. Learning and imagination cannot develop in a state of danger.

Schools who suffer a security incident risk damage to their public reputation. The public reputation can affect the jobs of school officials and parents’ decision whether or not to withdraw their children from the school.

Just as important as any preventative measures is the communication that the school has with its stakeholders. Through good communication on safety, the school or district establishes itself as a responsible public institution.

Opportunities

Increase in resources

Legislative support

Insurance standards

• IT can make the case for more resources to support security measures. IT professionals in the K-12 space often wear multiple hats, which means that strategic projects get deprioritized. As security gains visibility, IT will have a better chance of getting a dedicated resource and thus freeing up time for other priorities.
• New legislation indicates commitment from government to support safety initiatives at schools and districts. This also indicates that there may be dedicated funding to support these initiatives.
• Both cyber and traditional insurance will become increasingly common for schools. The benefit of insurance firms is that they have a vested interest in promoting best practices to ensure the security of the students and their data.

Challenges

Achievable measurements

Increasing end points

Lack of funding

• Business and IT leaders should collaborate on key performance metrics and plan viable pathways for their organizations. There are risks for organizations making commitments that cannot be monitored, tracked, and achieved.
• The number of endpoints continues to increase, including those like security cameras that are meant to provide added safety. This means the number of security vulnerabilities also continues to increase. However, despite the increased burden on IT, resourcing struggles to keep apace.
• While public funds may be coming in the future, for the time being schools and districts will need to make do with the budget that they have. It is challenging because money spent on security is money not spent on teaching and learning.

• Effective communication practices are essential. It is essential to share information about cybersecurity incidents and best practices in school security in general.
• Communicate with parents, guardians, and students about the security measures the school and district has taken to ensure their safety.
• Prioritize both physical security and cybersecurity. The IT department is often left to make the case for better cybersecurity, but their voice doesn’t carry the same weight as leadership when dealing with faculty, administration, and unions.

• Implement commonsense baseline cybersecurity controls and work with vendors serving the K-12 market to improve their cybersecurity practices.
• Work with district and school officials to develop emergency procedure plans and identify the areas where technology can improve accountability and overall increase safety.
• Implement an emergency response system that can integrate with security technology, such as video surveillance and panic buttons. This system should also support the execution of school safety plans.

Changing technology services require new skills from IT staff to better support not only the faculty but also the new technology itself.

As technology is increasingly adopted in the classroom, IT will need to find effective ways of supporting the teachers’ instructional needs and securing privacy compliance.

With the increase in technology requirements for education come equity concerns about digital poverty. All students need to be treated equally.

OPPORTUNITES

Technology coaches

Leadership buy-in

Application rationalization

• Technology coaches are becoming increasingly prominent. The technology coach is becoming a standard FTE in many districts. Technology coaches are often teachers who have decided to take on a new role. They adhere to a code of standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
• IT now has more opportunity to work strategically with leadership. With the increased prominence of technology in education, leadership in K-12 is more likely to engage with IT at a strategic level since the impact of technology on educational outcomes is now more defined.
• Cloud-based applications are common but costly. As applications continue to proliferate, IT needs to set strong policies on procurement and limit the duplication of functionality across products.

CHALLENGES

Budget constraints

Siloed operations

Relevant training and professional development

• The funding for hybrid instruction is uncertain. During the pandemic, public funds were made available to support technology initiatives to maintain instructional continuity. While the funding may not continue, the cost of supporting the technology does.
• The lack of cross-functional collaboration has been highlighted during the pandemic. Going forward, better methods will be needed to support departments working together.
• Both faculty and IT staff need more training. However, with the increased budget items for technology, funds for training will often be the first to get cut.

• Establish a shared vision between the faculty and IT. Regular communication is essential for effective use of instructional technology.
• Involve IT in the strategic planning process. The strategic plan should include a technology-specific vision and plan.
• Prioritize professional development for both instructors and IT. Leadership has to prioritize the professional development initiatives because training too often falls between the cracks of other priorities. A technology coach might be required as a new FTE.

• Stakeholder focus. IT needs to establish strong connections with both administration and school principals. These relationships are key to any type of technology planning and implementation.
• Develop new career paths for IT professionals. As cloud adoption increases, traditional infrastructure roles become more obsolete. IT staff need to have a clear idea of where their career progress will be, as older paths are no longer viable.
• Replacement cycles will become increasingly important to maintain a 1-1 device-to-student ratio. Proactive districts will keep a number of older devices in inventory as temporary replacement devices for students.

With the increased adoption of technology in the classroom, districts must address the economic disadvantages that this change brings.

Technology is becoming more and more an integral part of the education value proposition. No longer is IT a nice-to-have service for the classroom.

Parents, teachers, and administration will expect a higher degree of interaction post-pandemic, and IT will be expected to provide the communication tools.

OPPORTUNITIES

Accessibility checklists

Privacy guidance

Stakeholder focus

• Voluntary accessibility checklists are a useful tool for checking vendor compliance with accessibility requirements for new edtech.
• IT can support teachers with clear policy guidance on protecting student privacy. It’s useful to indicate how some practices make students’ personal information more vulnerable than others.
• Build stronger relationships and trust with stakeholders as the IT department becomes more strategic and visible, particularly around technology planning and implementation.

CHALLENGES

Accessibility with learning tools

Alternative tools

Inventory

• If new classroom technology does not consider accessibility, it can limit learning opportunities for students with physical or learning challenges.
• The more available the tool, the more privacy concerns. Students in the US are using over 70 digital learning tools, which means that there are more ways information can be leaked (THE Journal).
• New inventory methods are needed. As districts adopt a 1-1 student-to-device strategy, they may need new methods of inventory. Accounting for devices at the end of each year may be too much burden on the IT department.

• Leadership and vision will be required for the intersection of technology and instruction.
• Strategic planning will need to include both the instructional and technology stakeholders.
• Teachers will need a forum to discuss technology. Teachers have a range of abilities when dealing with technology. A forum to discuss best practices will be beneficial to professional development and will also support IT in its needs analysis.

• Replacement cycles and inventory audits of devices will require increased attention.
• Service ticketing will become increasingly important. Create accountability structures around ticket management and resolution.
• Managing communication to parents about technology support is likely to continue. The website will be the primary source of technology information for parents from an IT point of view.

John Armstrong

Chief Officer for Technology & Innovation,
Joliet Public School District 86

Michael O’Leary

Assistant Director-General,
Department of Education, Queensland

Andy Canty

Director Of Information Technology for Learning,
Greater Victoria School District

Abby Wolf

IT Strategy and Process Analyst,
Minneapolis Public Schools