School transportation is a massive undertaking in the United States, and the system has worked well for many years. Since the pandemic, various forces have created a pervasive problem where almost all school districts face challenges with retaining experienced drivers and attracting new talent. This article will explore strategies and considerations to attract bus drivers given the current labor market with an eye toward the future and a new employment model for bus drivers.

The challenge of retaining employees in just about any career area is real and has forced changes in most organizations. These same post-pandemic workforce challenges—along with some unique factors—influence school transportation. Historically, bus drivers work irregular hours, often on a split shift, and have an enormous responsibility that, increasingly, is not aligned with the compensation available in most school districts.

The abundant availability of other higher-paying driver jobs further erodes the number of school bus drivers. Reimagining the employment model for bus drivers will be critical for school districts to start reducing the number of driver vacancies. As districts enter into collective bargaining processes, there is probably no better time to consider these issues.

New employment model for a new era

As school employees increasingly choose careers outside of education and other potential employees choose careers in different fields, school districts must recognize the importance of competitive wages and benefits packages to retain employees at all career stages. School bus drivers carry the most precious cargo in every community and should be compensated at a level consistent with that responsibility.

While offering pay increases and benefits can make the work more appealing and better match the level of responsibility, this is only a starting point. School districts must look to the future and recognize that there is not much of a future if we fail to attract a new generation of drivers. The reality is that nationally, the average school bus driver is 57 years old, with only 5% of all bus drivers under 40 (Zippia, 2022). There are few occupations with an average worker age nearing 60. The ability to meet the needs of future drivers will be a crucial consideration when negotiating employment contracts.

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Considering that older workers value most of the same things in a workplace as younger workers, it is unnecessary to look at negotiations as a generational dichotomy. Instead, a holistic evaluation of workplace conditions can lead to the best proposals at the bargaining table while recognizing some minor differences.

What generational differences exist in the workplace that can considered in the negotiating process? Generation Z and Millennials value a workplace that allows for an excellent work-life balance, opportunities for growth, mental health support, and alignment with their values (Peterson, 2023) (O’Boyle, 2021).

Older workers value the same things but also seek to share what they know. Older workers also tend to be the most dedicated employees in any organization (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2015) but they often have concerns about age-related medical conditions. The good news for most school districts is that real progress can be made in these critical areas that can attract the next generation of drivers with various employment options while retaining those valuable, experienced school bus drivers.

Contractual considerations:

• While evaluating how competitive salaries are against other school districts is essential, considering compensation in private or non-student transportation businesses is important.
• Evaluate the impact of offering retention bonuses to counter driver loss resulting from sign-on bonuses offered elsewhere.
• Create career ladders where excellent veteran drivers train and coach less experienced drivers as part of their responsibilities.
• Explore flexible scheduling options to accommodate drivers’ needs, allowing them to balance work with their personal lives more effectively.
• Seek ways to fill out schedules with other work to address split schedule problems.
• Seek out strategies to enhance benefits, such as options for family coverage or enhanced dental or eyeglass coverage

Non-contractual retention strategies:

• Investing in ongoing training and support programs can enhance drivers’ skills and confidence, reducing turnover rates. It also reinforces the district’s commitment to safety.
• Recognizing and appreciating bus drivers for their hard work through awards, ceremonies, and tokens of gratitude can boost morale and job satisfaction.
• Marketing bus driving positions, using various channels such as social media, local job boards, and community events to reach potential candidates.
• If possible, streamline the process of obtaining a CDL by providing training and resources to help candidates meet the requirements.
• Engage with the community to foster a sense of civic duty and pride in becoming a school bus driver, emphasizing their essential role in education.

The shortage of school bus drivers is a challenge that school districts must address proactively. Districts must prioritize strategies to retain experienced drivers while attracting new talent.

A well-compensated, supported, and recognized bus-driving workforce will benefit the education system and provide a fulfilling career option for those passionate about student safety and community service. As the wheels of education keep turning, remember that bus drivers are the unsung heroes who keep the journey smooth and secure for future generations.

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Students are struggling with what is happening around them at school and at home, including managing their mental health and stress. District leaders are concerned about student well-being as well as how a lack of engagement is connected to other issues.

Research shows engagement levels are closely connected to academic outcomes. Additionally, district leaders report that a lack of engagement plays a role in behavior issues, chronic absenteeism and a lack of academic progress. In a recent survey, 58% of district leaders connected disengagement to learning loss.

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To recapture student engagement and get students back on track, district leaders need to support teachers with the strategies, technology and time to personalize a student’s journey.

Enabling deeper student connections

Boosting student engagement starts with supporting teachers in what they do best: connecting with their students. Research demonstrates strong learner-educator connections can lead to students earning higher grades, building a deeper connection to school and feeling included and respected. These factor into engagement as well.

Focusing on the student-teacher relationship doesn’t mean telling teachers to connect and engage students, and then walking away. Nor is it about finding the best technology to take over as much teaching as possible.

Instead, district leaders need to give teachers the support they need to create personalized learning experiences. Yes, technology is an essential piece of enabling personalized approaches efficiently, but students still perform best when teachers are driving instruction.

District leaders need to introduce technology that enables teachers to shape the experience, including:

• Expanding choice: A lack of engagement can sometimes be a lack of emotional engagement with a subject. Teachers who can connect students’ interests with classroom content have a better chance of encouraging students to be curious, passionate and connected to what they’re learning. A digital curriculum that expands course choice can help students stay on track in school while also engaging them in topics they’re interested in learning without requiring additional teaching staff or time.
• Tailoring interventions: Measuring engagement is complicated. Educators can’t rely on just one input to determine whether a student is engaged or not. Incorporating diagnostic assessments can help educators understand on a deeper level what students know and identify ways to motivate them intrinsically and extrinsically.
• Emphasizing process with AI: The focus of using AI has often been on how students might use the tool to disengage and not complete their work. But AI can be an engagement tool that personalizes learning. Instead of punishing students for using a tool like ChatGPT, teachers can encourage them to use it to brainstorm and organize their thoughts, and then dedicate class time to analyze what the tool produced and identify ways a student should adapt it to their point of view.

Engaging students on multiple levels

Beyond adding more moments where teachers can easily draw students in, personalizing learning with technology can help educators tap into all styles of engagement. Too often student engagement is misunderstood as just basic compliance with classroom expectations.

But truly engaged students are connecting behaviorally, cognitively and emotionally. Without all three, the experience may be unbalanced, or a student’s progress may be misunderstood. For example, students who aren’t emotionally engaged, even if they are paying attention, may be less motivated when they encounter challenging topics.

Given the connections between engagement and absenteeism, classroom behavior, and learning loss, it’s essential district leaders empower educators with personalized learning strategies and smart technology. With a multi-dimensional engagement strategy, teachers can build stronger connections with students that deepen their learning and resolve some of today’s biggest classroom challenges.

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“Launch” might be the start of a new school year or the unveiling of a new initiative, but it’s all about moving forward. “Close” might be a leadership transition or a celebration of outstanding achievement results, but it’s about reflection and learning.

“Reset” has a bit of both. It raises the question: “We know what to do, but are we actually doing it?” This is the perfect time of year to reset.

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At midyear, principals, and principal supervisors can step back to check on systems, culture, instruction and people. What do student attendance and discipline data look like? Which students need intervention? Which teachers need to improve their Tier 1 instruction? Are teacher evaluations on track? How are unfilled teaching positions harming student equity? Where has leadership attention slipped away from PLCs? Is each school optimizing its spending?

It’s worth taking time as a district team to create reflection prompts for principals, establish a process for reporting back, and then discuss what needs to be improved between the district and schools for the rest of the year.

District-level reset is more strategic. It requires:

• A focus on the future
• Sustained attention to strategic priorities
• Distributed leadership

Focus on next year’s outcomes

Begin with a robust discussion of what next year will look like. What will next year look and sound like? What opportunities will present themselves? Who will the “stars” be? What will outcomes look like in June 2025?

This vision of the future is your time horizon. At midyear, a principal’s time horizon is the current year. Superintendents, boards and district leaders are already focused on next year.

Strategic priorities

With that time horizon in mind, identify 3-5 strategic priorities for the next year, not further out than that. Fewer than three and there won’t be enough forward energy; more than five and the energy will be too dispersed and unfocused. The priorities might be in your strategic plan but they are just as likely to come from your state’s new initiatives or board discussion. Conduct a pulse check on the progress of each initiative underway this year, based on the milestones you set earlier in the year.

Have other district leaders prepare brief but rigorous presentations of year-to-date progress for their work:

• Budget and financial projections, including federal and philanthropic funds
• Operational data such as facility, technology, and transportation
• Workforce trends and projections
• Student inputs such as enrollment and attendance
• Student outcomes by subgroup

We’ve provided an example of a tool for this purpose in the adjacent sidebar.

Using that data, with your top leaders map the forces that are moving the district in the direction of your priorities and the forces that may be inhibiting progress. Do this for each priority and then for the set of priorities. Refine the priority statements as needed to reflect these realities.

Distributing leadership

The budget process is detailed, demanding and distracting. Check your capacity. Who on the Board or cabinet will be going through this annual process for the first time? How will you teach them about the process? What support will all members need to move smoothly through debate and decision-making? Who has the best access to key stakeholders? What is the best timing for each step in the process and how can you avoid getting bogged down?

Assign clear roles and responsibilities to cabinet members and other key leaders. Have them identify data sources, create timelines, and design streamlined processes that enhance cross-team work and reduce the burden on principals. Consolidate this information into a coherent and transparent plan for planning FY25: calendars, specific meetings, stakeholder engagement and transparent processes. While the board will be the final approver of the district budget, various other leaders will be responsible for key decisions along the way. Name those decisions and those leaders as part of this process.

Name the reset

Be explicit about the reset. In all your messaging, talk about next year’s priorities. Celebrate this year’s successes and challenges. Acknowledge resource constraints beyond your direct control, such as the loss of ESSER funds, reduced state funding, hiring challenges, smaller student enrollment, and so on. Use stories to get your points across.

All stakeholders—staff members, family, students, community members, local and state policymakers, and potential applicants—should be able to find the planning, budgeting, and staffing processes easily online and in hard copy.

As the process advances, extend your stories into scenarios: clear If-Then statements. Balance aspiration with reality. Keep the Board and internal leaders on message by returning to the priorities, the specific choices to be made, and the need for contingencies. Clear communication starting now, at midyear, is the key to success.

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“Wait and see” isn’t an adequate response to the forces being unleashed, but fortunately there’s a solid new framework for progress that education leaders should consider examining and implementing. The recent US Office of Educational Technology (OET) report provides good AI guidelines to help districts adapt to one of the fastest-moving technology waves ever created.

The novel aspect of last year’s ChatGPT release was the unique ability for non-computer scientists to interact easily and extensively with an LLM, allowing access to an astonishing assemblage of much of the world’s existing knowledge base. That functionality was simple, fast and cheap, and that powerful combination has driven 180 million unique monthly users for ChatGPT alone.

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The OET report recommendations start with a strong admonition for educators to “emphasize humans in the loop.” That’s an idea that calls to mind a current saying in AI circles that goes, “If you’re worried about your job being made obsolete by AI, you shouldn’t be. It will be made obsolete by a human using AI.” Informed, involved human design and oversight are necessary for effective AI deployment.

It also calls for education leaders to develop a shared vision for AI-assisted education, and suggests building that vision on top of modern, optimized learning frameworks is critical. The report’s other key recommendations include:

• Building trust with all constituencies in mind to avoid the traps that come with LLM tendency to “hallucinate.”
• Working diligently to involve front-line educators in policy decisions and keeping lines of communication wide open during this time of rapid change.
• Driving the development of “guidelines and guardrails” that promote the safety and transparency of both the technology and educators’ policies toward it.

AI optimism is running high

Against the backdrop of the OET report, early real-world AI educational use cases are emerging—as are the problems and questions they create. Optimism runs high on using AI for personalized learning. Khan Academy is pioneering this with Khanmigo, a chatbot capable of providing individualized guidance on math, science, and humanities problems, and Harvard recently released CS50 bot to assist students with their Introduction to Computer Science course.

At the same time, the extent of technology development required for these tutoring bots shows that the general capabilities of public LLMs are not sufficient to directly support one-on-one tutoring, and that specialized AI applications will need to be developed.

These applications will need custom content training of LLMs and capabilities to deliver content, assess learning progress, feedback for continuous improvement and safeguard against inappropriate or unexpected responses. Development of these AI applications is non-trivial and will require significant investment. Education technology vendors and large well-funded institutions are best suited to develop these applications.

That’s just the beginning, of course. LLMs hold the potential to make significant leveraging contributions in almost all phases of education, including:

• Curriculum design
• Educational content creation
• Task automation
• Broadening education access
• Systemic performance evaluation
• 24/7 teaching/tutoring assistance

“Creative destruction” ahead

Given the reach and potential of AI, the OET’s call for a shared vision for a given district is a particularly critical one. It will require a broad rethink of what the classroom will look like in a world where each student has their own personalized and tutored learning plan. Will the academic year be structured the same way? Will students be onsite 100% of the time? Will daily schedules be more customized? Will facilities change?

In the past 12 months educational institutions have responded in varied manners toward LLMs, ranging from banning its use to actively encouraging it. But as time goes by the bans simply are not an option for education leaders. Strategy becomes paramount as the technology becomes pervasive.

Education leaders will need to establish key policies and guardrails to govern the use of AI in education. They’ll also need to consider ensuring appropriate levels of investment across differently resourced districts to help them realize the technology’s potential and ensure the greatest degree of equity possible in its deployment.

AI technology has the potential to dramatically transform education in the US. The adoption of the technology and the use cases it drives will doubtless come in fits and starts, with a kind of creative destruction that will likely be both exhilarating and painful.

Education leaders will need to up their AI game to guide their local education agencies through this turbulent period, bringing clear-eyed strategy, thoughtful policies and appropriate training to help harness the technology’s potential and avoid its worst pitfalls.

Patrik Dyberg is a managing director with Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Performance Improvement in Washington, D.C. He specializes in driving substantial business outcomes through leveraging technology.

Paul Tearnen is a managing director with Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector in Seattle, Washington. Tearnen specializes in leading complex business and IT initiatives, standing up new organizations and turning around underperforming teams. 

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Focus less on your AUP sustaining the test of time – it is a waste of your, well, time. It’s like developing policy based on surfing the perfect wave. Every time you think you have the technique figured out, innovation takes a different direction and throws you off your board. Use your district’s vision and mission as the anchor, anticipate that whatever policy is enacted, it needs to have flexibility to easily pivot as new technologies emerge.

Creating the AUP

Think carefully about who needs to be involved in this process. If you are working towards wide-scale acceptance of the committee’s recommendations, there needs to be at least one voice at the table for all stakeholders – including a student voice.

Identify the committee lead. My recommendation is to have an instructional technology coach or specialist in that position, if possible. Coaches sit in a unique position. They are the connection between the classroom, school, district, and IT. They have an invaluable perspective and are expert facilitators. They are viewed as both leaders and colleagues. They are less likely to come to the table with an agenda; real or perceived.

1. Have a starting point to level set. This first time together will set the stage for a successful outcome. Ask the committee to identify what they are excited about, as well as their concerns. This will help everyone better understand where each person is starting from the beginning.
2. Break down key vocabulary and how it translates into an educational setting. Don’t assume everyone knows the terminology, and even if they do, they may have a very different interpretation of its meaning. 3.
3. Have the team complete this short course on an Introduction to AI ahead of time.
4. Frame guidance from a positive angle. Identify key issues your district is grappling with finding solutions. How can AI support these challenges?
5. Are you only focused on academic integrity? How do social and emotional factors apply to AI policy?
6. Remember to always go back to the core values of the district as your North Star.

Getting approval

Although School Board approval is the goal to finalize your committee’s work, there is a lot of work to be done beforehand. Have you done due diligence with surveying and talking with those who will be most impacted: Teachers, parents, IT, school leadership, and most importantly, students? Be persistent in this aspect. I have never heard a teacher complain about a newly adopted policy because of too much input from them.

Continuing the work

Use the outcome of your work to further guide curriculum and instruction. If you have instructional coaches, encourage them to work with department heads and grade-level leads to create AUP agreements appropriate for the age of the student.

Additional resources to get started:

• ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools | Common Sense Education
• How To Write an AI Policy for Schools: Examples and Resources (weareteachers.com)
• Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools (nsw.gov.au)

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Teachers used phone, email, and our student information system (SIS). The school sent out its own mass attendance notifications and we were leaving emails for parents whose kids weren’t in school. The SIS offers both text and email options, but it was very cumbersome to the point that teachers rarely used it.

Complicating the issue even further was our 1970s-era campus phone system, which doesn’t allow calls to numbers outside of the immediate vicinity. Put simply, if it’s not a Honolulu number, we can’t call it. To circumvent the problem, teachers were using their cell phones and Google Voice, both of which further complicated our communication approach.

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Ready for a change, we decided to implement the ParentSquare unified communications platform. One of our feeder elementary schools was using the program and recommended it because it was affordable, good for posting/messages and able to translate messages into different languages.

Once we put the platform in place, it was pretty obvious just how sorely we needed this tool. Here are ways the platform has helped us streamline communications, reach a wider audience, and increase engagement across all of our parents and families:

1. Overcome language barriers. We have to do annual individual education program meetings to update our special education students’ plans, and one of our families speaks Spanish. I realized that the parents were also receiving communications from school that they couldn’t understand. We showed them how to download the communications platform app. We would send them messages in English, and they would send us responses in Spanish, with the platform translating everything for it. The parents were just blown away by how easy that was.

2. Reach parents when everything else fails. Like most schools, most of our communication internally is handled via email. But for notices that need to be more urgent, it’s vital that we have a platform for disseminating that information. For example, when our power was out at school we couldn’t email or call, so we used our school-home communication platform to text all faculty about school being canceled that day.

3. Meet parents where they are. We can create groups for their student clubs and then teachers use those groups to interact with their students. Our Parent Teacher Association and Parent Community Network Center both use the platform for interacting with parents and sharing information about community events. With a percentage of our families residing in public housing—located about 1-1/2 miles from campus—we use the Parent Community Network Center for many of our community meetings.

4. Increase attendance rates. Before implementing the unified communications platform, we were dealing with very sparse attendance numbers at mandatory graduation meetings and open houses. In many cases, those low attendance numbers were because flyers were sent home with students but never made it into their parents’ hands. For reinforcement, we’d send out a message using our SIS—a tactic that also wasn’t working very well. Maybe a dozen parents would show up at those events.

That changed at the school’s first mandatory graduation meeting, which took place just after we launched ParentSquare. We gave them a choice of two different dates, and on that first night more than 70% of graduating students attended. It was pretty amazing.

5. Leverage the power of text. Our platform’s text feature is critical because no one really wants to talk to the school. If you call home, they see the school number and they won’t pick up. You leave a voicemail, and they’ll return your phone call one out of 10 times. As a result, text has been the easiest way to push out information. Parents can just respond quickly via text if they want to come to the event or absorb that information, whatever we’re trying to push out. That’s been a great engagement tool for us.

Unified communications is an easy win

We haven’t made the use of our unified communications tool mandatory, but we are working to get more teachers using the platform. I always tell them that teachers and parents don’t need training on how to use the program. You can just play around with it a bit and be good to go. When you can just jump into the technology and start using it like that, it’s always going to be an easy win for us.

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I am excited about the possibilities and the challenges that this role brings. Setting policy, working closely with our district’s outstanding superintendent, making informed and thoughtful budgetary decisions and approving curriculum (my true passion) are all parts of the role that have great impact on the education of our children. I also believe that my background, and in particular, my former positions as a school and district administrator, bring a unique perspective to the role. One area I believe I am uniquely suited to support my school district and its administrators is by helping my fellow school board members understand the natural changes in the education landscape and the innovative ideas and tools driving these changes.

Consider the integration of technology into everyday instruction. This is a new concept for most parents, and certainly for grandparents and many community members. After all, many of us have had tremendous experiences in education and we want to give the children of our communities the same, and an even better, experience. However, just as technology has changed our everyday lives, it’s changed education.

Backing up your board of directors

So, we have some work to do in helping our school boards, our parents and our communities understand how the education landscape has changed, the value of the edtech infrastructure that was built during the COVID-era of education, and how this infrastructure can now be utilized to support the success of all learners and improve achievement.

Here are three key things I’ve learned through my experience that school administrators can do to help school board members understand and support education technology:

1. Understand the why: It’s common for school board members to be asked by community members why certain decisions are made. When it comes to technology, it’s important to clearly articulate the why. Technology can support accessibility to different kinds of resources, provide equitable learning opportunities for students, and ensure differentiation of instruction. School administrators should help school board members understand why different technologies are an integral part of student learning by creating a compelling picture of what the district hopes to achieve through edtech innovations.

2. What’s the purpose? Remember that for the majority of school board members, the use of technology in schools is not an experience they are familiar with. While a variety of digital resources and tools are being incorporated into learning, many technologies are used for different purposes: hall passes, learning management systems, cafeteria lunch payments, etc.

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Ensure that school board members know the purpose of each technology as well as the specifics of it, i.e. Will students be tracked? Will parents be notified? These are often the types of issues that raise concerns with parents and the public. School administrators should provide a clear purpose for each of the different technologies.

A particularly useful way to do this is to have members of your board of directors shadow a student for the day to see how they use the technologies in your school before providing them a primer on each technology’s use. Seeing students using edtech is often very helpful.

3. It’s all about the research: There is clear research on the impact that technology has on different aspects of learning for students. Whether it’s the effects of digital gamification on students’ math fact fluency or the ability of digital resources to bring multimodal learning to the classroom, the research can provide important third-party validation of the use of educational technology in your district.

In addition, be prepared to answer school board members’ questions about the use of specific technologies with data that shows a comprehensive understanding of how the resource substantiates measurable student success specifically aligned with standards-based objectives. A compelling alignment to outcomes and robust evidence of learning should drive a positive decision to continue tech-driven innovations.

In my new role as a member of the board of directors, I anticipate that the integration of technology will be a current and future topic. It’s an important one for many reasons. But, as technology continues to change and innovate, we need to draw on something that’s been around for quite a while: collaboration. School administrators and school boards need to collaborate to make the best technology decisions for students and their learning.

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1. Does this assessment measure the “how” and “why” in addition to the “what?”

However useful standardized and multiple-choice tests might be for placement and grade-level analyses, they typically fail to surface how students think about the problems they’re solving. That’s one reason why, during the pandemic, teachers began “ditching answer-getting math tests” and deployed methods of assessment focused on students’ explanations. Along those lines, education leaders recently began calling for a new direction in assessment, as evidenced by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s recent announcement regarding the Innovative Assessment testing pilot.

Fully assessing students’ math strategies as well as their answers is time-consuming for teachers. Fortunately, advanced technology tools provide more nuanced assessments that surface insights about each student’s problem-solving processes. While traditional digital resources focus only on correct answers, innovative personalized learning platforms and educational apps offer students real-time feedback that develops their reasoning and critical thinking skills. This shift to focusing on the “how” and “why” of their math answers ensures students understand that success in math is about being a good thinker, not merely being a human calculator.

2. Does this assessment provide data and insights teachers can use to intervene sooner?

Throughout my career developing education technologies, educators have asked whether our math products have embedded tests. I’ve always responded with, “Why do you want to test students more?” They then clarify that they want data about students’ prior knowledge, proficiency, and growth, and they assume tests are the best means of generating that data because they are the prevalent math assessment format.

Fortunately, new technologies enable innovative assessment formats that gather deeper evidence of understanding while generating more robust, frequent, and longitudinal insights about student learning that teachers can use daily. Instead of waiting until the next high-stakes benchmark, these digital learning resources can provide actionable insights at the district, classroom and student level, ensuring educators know which concepts students are struggling with and recommending lessons to address those challenges. Administrators and teachers get the useful data they want—not the tests they don’t.

3. Does this assessment reduce anxiety and cultivate curiosity?

Eliminating stress and sparking curiosity are keys to student engagement and learning. Unfortunately, math assessments typically increase stress and reduce curiosity—most students think math class is a place where they are given answers to questions they’ve never asked. Because students learn what teachers care about by looking at what is put in the grade book, we can use new assessment approaches to change this mindset.

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For example, using a wider variety of non-traditional formative assessments can curb some of the anxiety surrounding math tests and quizzes. By providing constructive feedback “just in time” along the way, educators can reduce stress by supporting students’ improvement without making every assessment a consequential event. In addition, teachers can create assessment items that invite students to ask questions about a situation to assess their curiosity and understanding of the situation.

Every student should feel engaged and confident as they develop their capabilities in math. This feeling is especially necessary during assessments because stressed students cannot perform their best. By using different forms of assessment, we can send a powerful message to students that success in math is not confined to memorizing formulas and remembering procedures—it’s about how they think about problems and remain engaged as they grow.

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A sometimes-overlooked part of the CIO’s role is providing input and guidance during the selection of the digital curricular resources that students and teachers are using every day. These tools are used on district devices, across wired and wireless networks. Additionally, they utilize student information and data for learning, assessments, and reporting, and the CIO’s input on the selection of these resources is important.

The acquisition of powerful, effective edtech resources is best achieved when curriculum leads and technology leads partner to select products and solutions. During my time as the CIO in Kentucky’s Marshall County Schools, as the director of instructional technology in Naperville Community Unit School District 203 in Illinois, and now as the director of educational partnerships at Discovery Education, I’ve been a part of numerous collaborations that have brought high-quality digital resources to students.

Here are my thoughts on what CIOs need to consider when they participate in evaluating digital curricular resources. As school administrators, it is important these questions be answered.

1. Data security

How is the prospective partner protecting your most valuable assets, such as student and teacher personal information? Most school districts across the country don’t have the staff or budgets dedicated to cybersecurity. Combined with a nearly 85% increase in cyberattacks in the education space over the last year, it is clear security is a critical consideration.

To minimize the impact of this burden on already stretched IT staff and budgets, CIOs depend on trusted partners to help protect their data and information. Your CIO should be considering if their prospective edtech partners hold all the appropriate security standards and certifications. Furthermore, they need to have industry best practices and protocols surrounding intrusion detection, end-to-end encryption, training & auditing, annual penetration testing, and more firmly in place.

2. Interoperability

Does the digital learning resource under consideration work well with existing software and applications? Are students and teachers able to easily use an SSO to access the resource? How does data flow from your SIS to the resource? Your CIO should consider having the systems integration leaders participate in the early stages of the review process to ensure a smooth integration. This will help avoid potential delays during implementation that can often derail the use of a quality digital resource.

3. Accessibility

Can ALL students access the resource? Does the resource provide text-to-speech, line readers, support for language learners, magnifiers, and the ability to be used across multiple devices? The CIO should consider if the proposed resources are accessible to ALL students, no matter where they are and what device they are using. Accessibility is non-negotiable in today’s world of digital resources.

4. Alignment to teaching and learning goals

What does the collaboration between the CIO and the teaching and learning team look like? The CIO is charged with ensuring all of the items above for ease of use, access, and security. A district’s teaching and learning team is charged with ensuring the resources meet the needs of the learners and provide best-in-class support to the teachers.

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When the CIO and the teaching and learning team are in regular communication, have a shared vision, and have clearly defined roles during a digital resource evaluation process, the winners are the students and teachers. Before beginning an edtech review process, have your CIO and teaching and learning leaders consider if they are on the same wavelength, and where necessary, have them work to build alignment.

5. Trusted partner?

Do you view your vendors as a partner? Is the company person you are purchasing the digital curricular resource from someone who understands the needs of your district? Are they aligned to the district’s mission, vision and strategic plan? Are your vendors actively listening to ensure alignment?

As a CIO, I’ve seen this scenario too many times: An excellent product is purchased, and then I don’t hear from the company again until it is time for renewal. That isn’t a partner; that is a vendor. Ensure your CIOs are establishing regular modes of communication with your edtech partners. They should consider their edtech partners an extension of their own district and technology department teams. If your edtech vendors are averse to your CIO’s efforts to build close relationships, you may not have found the right relationship for your district.

Today’s CIOs have big jobs and at no time have they had more responsibility. You can help them, and your district make great digital learning selections, help them keep these considerations top of mind.

The post Here are 5 priorities for choosing digital learning resources appeared first on District Administration.

From year to year, our students have gone to college at a measurably greater rate than the national average. However, our research project uncovered that some of our students were “stopping out” of college altogether. Those who did graduate shouldered significant debt and many were not working in their chosen field of study. Many had settled into jobs close to home to pay off college debt. It seemed that for many of our students, college had become a very expensive sandbox.

In response, we have been developing several programs giving students opportunities to explore careers while still in high school so that—whether college-bound or not—they have greater direction upon graduation. One of the most successful of those is a training program giving our students an industry-recognized credential in the high-demand field of healthcare.

Their training is online, and additional hands-on clinical experience is provided at local employers. This article published in our local business journal shares more details, but for any school leaders interested in replicating the model, there are several important points to keep in mind.

Tie into local workforce development needs

As in many communities around the country, Cumberland Valley has a shortage of skilled workers in healthcare. Usually, employers look to local community colleges to develop skilled training programs, but high schools can also fill this need.

Getting such programs off the ground can be the most difficult part so having a knowledgeable workforce development partner is critical. Our partner is Emerge Education, which specializes in healthcare workforce development including the training, certification, and employer needs that give our students the best chance at landing good jobs.

Find a specialized training program and consider the long-term options for college

The specialized training needed in healthcare goes far beyond what the schools can provide. We turned to MedCerts because they specialize in online training that prepares individuals to take the industry-recognized certification exams in healthcare.

Our students also have an “articulated credit” option at several universities available to them through MedCerts’ network of university partners. That means any of our students could complete the training, land a well-paying entry-level job with a local employer, and also articulate up to a semester of college when they graduate from high school.

For those who want to go to college and perhaps couldn’t afford it, this could be the program they need. They can already be working in a well-paid, skilled healthcare job while attending college. It is a win-win: cutting down college costs while also boosting the certainty of their college degree choice.

Students are looking for career guidance so be prepared for overwhelming interest

Originally, our goal was to enroll 15 students in our first cohort. Interest was extraordinary, however, and we enrolled 66. This supports my observation that students are looking for more engaging opportunities in their senior year or are looking for a more direct pathway to a career upon high school graduation.

News literacy: The one subject this superintendent believes should be taught in every district

College is often a de facto choice in our district but it isn’t for every district and—as we discovered—it isn’t always cost-effective or even the right choice. Students are looking for something to help them narrow down their career path. Discovering what fits—or what doesn’t—in high school before your family has invested tens of thousands of dollars in a college education is a much wiser choice.

Invest district resources wisely and hire a manager

Behind the scenes, keeping this program going required a dedicated manager to work with partners and provide continuity for the students. In our original plans, we hadn’t fully realized how much management time would be needed. With the outside partners involved, it quickly became apparent that we needed one dedicated person to manage the training, the students, and the workforce connection.

Emerge Ed and MedCerts track our students through online training, but the on-the-ground work of assessments and hands-on experience requires a dedicated person at the school site.

Make the workforce connection solid

Our local healthcare employer partner is UPMC, which sends HR leaders to meet with our students during informational sessions and throughout their coursework. The UPMC team also offers in-person clinical and job shadow experiences. That alone is a worthy lesson and a terrific opportunity.

We have full confidence that our students will land these jobs. This is the first year so we don’t have employment statistics yet, but all indications suggest this is going to be a very successful, long-term program for Cumberland Valley. All students are at or ahead of their progress in the online course and no students have dropped out of the program. They are 100% engaged with each other and the content in their group sessions.

There is an enthusiasm among these students that is often lacking among seniors. It is no wonder why that is, either. Our students are motivated and see a career pathway offering a good wage, interesting work, and a pathway to advancement, more certifications, and possibly, also a college education.

The post Our seniors are training for healthcare jobs. That might also lead to college appeared first on District Administration.