Getting Tech Managers and School Administrators to Work Together

During the CoSN session, Just recalled an unnamed school district that put forth a proposal to buy iPads funded by a grant. That district left the their technology leader out of the loop and he had no idea. This is a bad decision under any circumstance, but it’s made especially worse because the district is now tied to federal or state money they accepted and you can bet they’ll be held accountable for what they do with it. Superintendents and administrators don’t do these things to create problems, they often simply don’t understand the ramifications of their actions.

The intention is always good,” said Just. “But, it’s a lack of awareness, quite frankly, about the details.”

That’s why it’s so important that superintendents and technology leaders stand shoulder to shoulder. It’s also why The National School Boards Association (NSBA), The School Superintendent’s Association (AASA) and CoSN advocate for the technology leader to be a district cabinet level position.

Technology decisions have to be well thought out and district administrators need to understand that initiatives take time to come to fruition. It’s typically a smart idea to pilot tech before jumping in with both feet. This allows technology managers, teachers and stakeholders to assess whether a particular solution will work in the district and whether it really meets their educational goals. Again, that takes time. Tech leaders need to gather data and feedback from those involved to really make the right decision and ensure the best use of district money. That can’t be done overnight.

Technology leaders also need to understand that the world of education is wildly different than that of corporate America. Most people find this out pretty quickly. Working in education means you have to consider issues that don’t exist in the business world. According to Jamerson, one of the biggest lessons he learned after moving into education was that school timelines are very different.

“In a business, at the end of the month things have to happen. At the end of the quarter things have to happen. In schools there are a different set of pressures,” he said.

Teachers are the busiest at the beginning of the year and then around December or May/June as the year wraps up. In other words, don’t plan any major projects during those times. Teachers and administrators already have too much on their plates.

In education, tech leaders also have to contend with students who find ways to bypass firewalls, etc. When that happens, a tech leader becomes a teacher in a sense and has to decide how to handle the situation and turn it into a learning experience.

“If an employee were to circumvent the filter, they don’t get sent to the principal’s office. They get fired,” Jamerson said. That teacher role doesn’t really exist in the corporate world. You break the rules and you’re out.

The takeaway from Just and Jamerson’s session was that conflict between tech leaders and school leaders can be overcome with communication. That was my interpretation anyway. If the two sides work together and understand one another’s different perspectives technology leaders and school leaders don’t have to be odds.