Five Takeaways for Post-Pandemic District Technology Practices

For many K-12 districts, the role of technology took a major step forward during the pandemic. Now that districts are shifting back to hybrid and in-person learning, what technology practices will remain for the long haul?

Our Chief Strategy Officer and CoSN Board Member, Dr. Chad Stevens, recently interviewed Jason Borgen, CTO, Santa Cruz County Office of Education (CA), and Andrew Marron, Sr. Program Manager for Technology & Systems Development, Braintree Public Schools (MA), as part of a program presented in partnership with CoSN, the Consortium for School Networking. Along with many challenges, there were significant silver linings to the pandemic for Andrew and Jason, especially in terms of technological advances in family communications. 

Here are five takeaways from their conversation, from how their roles shifted during the pandemic to what it means for their districts moving forward. 

For Jason and Andrew, the pandemic caused a digital transformation in their districts. Advancements they want to keep and maintain: 

• Continuing the distribution and use of district devices and hot spots for all students (especially those who are economically disadvantaged). This allows every student to complete school work with a reliable device and Internet access and gives parents a chance to stay connected with their child’s school and teachers. 

• Live-streaming important meetings so a higher percentage of families can take part. Andrew and Jason’s districts realized that many parents find it easier to join over Zoom than drive over to the school for an in-person event. Both agreed that it would be beneficial to continue offering virtual access to PTA meetings, Board of Education meetings, and other key gatherings for their school community next year. 

• Remote learning. While students typically have to be present in the classroom for funding purposes, maintaining a remote component for students who thrived during the pandemic should also be considered. As we venture into another school year, Jason expressed that it’s essential to continue re-shaping school systems to work for all students. This could look like long-term hybrid or asynchronous learning for some, so having the right technological resources for these learning scenarios is vital.

• Accelerating technology adoption. Both Jason and Andrew noted that the adoption of digital tools accelerated, and many individuals who were reluctant to change didn’t have a choice due to school closures. Now, they report that many educators are comfortable with the new technologies implemented during the pandemic due mainly to a shift in mindset. The former “tech resistors” simply don’t exist anymore, and both Jason and Andrew will look to continue leveraging their digital pioneers to advocate for future tech improvements. 

At the onset of the pandemic, the traditionally behind-the-scenes role of IT quickly took center stage. Some of the role changes Andrew and Jason experienced: 

• Supporting remote teaching. Jason explained that at his district, teachers needed tech support daily. While MOT (maintenance and transportation) used to set up classrooms and materials, the IT team has become the “digital custodians” at his district—setting up Zoom calls, coordinating translators, and more.

• Shifting to direct support for all families. With students learning from home, the way tech leaders supported their users dramatically changed. Tech leaders had to be even more available to provide direct, personalized support because users were encountering issues that they had never dealt with before. With so many users submitting tickets, tech support had to shift their focus to directly responding to these issues.

• Expanding support channels. In addition to directly responding to help tickets, both districts created additional opportunities for families to ask questions and get help. They used an “all hands on deck” approach, hosting virtual office hours and family help desks—similar to call centers—to support students and their families with tech requests.

• Continuing to meet community expectations. Now that districts are returning to in-person learning, Andrew and Jason reminded us that you can’t abandon the new role that you’ve stepped into and the strides you’ve made regarding technology support and improvements. Chad echoed this from his past experience as a CTO when he said, “Once you deliver a service, it’s there and it becomes an expectation.” The role of tech leaders will never be the same. 

With remote learning scenarios and students and parents accessing more cloud-based services than ever before, there are inherent risks and vulnerabilities involved. Andrew and Jason explained that making cybersecurity a priority is of paramount importance. What they’ll continue doing post-pandemic: 

• Maintaining memberships and accessing best practices for security and privacy. Andrew touched on his district’s membership with the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). This globally recognized nonprofit specializes in best practices for securing IT systems and data for government entities. Jason’s district is part of the California IT Association, which partners with the National Student Data Privacy Alliance. Both districts find value in these memberships and rely on the organizations to serve as an added layer of protection in addition to their district security and protocols. 
• Ensuring vendors protect data. When it comes to student privacy and personally identifiable information (PII), the highest standards have to be maintained. Jason explained you “must make sure all of the vendors you use protect your data.” And both agreed that tech providers should adhere to federal student privacy laws such as FERPA and COPPA. 
• Proactively training users. While a firewall was a reliable source of protection for staff and students using on-campus networks, with the uptick in cloud-based resources, both Jason and Andrew expressed the need for educating users on the dangers of online security breaches. They’re training staff and students to keep themselves safe online through continued education and phishing simulation programs. Now, staff and students are more vigilant and regularly reach out to IT when they have or receive questionable interactions or communications. 
• Creating greater governance of communications. Stevens commented that before platforms such as ParentSquare, there was a lack of technology governance. (For example, if teachers are setting up free apps to communicate with families and IT isn’t aware, those tools aren’t being vetted for privacy or security by the district.) All agreed that there has to be more governance of communications for privacy and to ensure all parents are receiving critical information because districts have the right contact information.

Andrew and Jason expressed that using data to drive decision-making is critical, especially in communications. How they use data to support their comms efforts: 

• Utilizing the ParentSquare platform allows both Andrew and Jason’s districts to have full insight and reporting into who they’re not reaching. This data enables them to quickly identify those families and reach out to them in alternative ways to see if they need assistance with broadband access or other technical support. 
• Conducting annual registration processes and information audits, where parents can update contact information, help both districts tackle out-of-date or inaccurate contact data. Andrew’s district was also an early adopter of the ParentSquare Pure Contact contact data management and verification feature, which allows parents to easily confirm or correct the contact information their district has on file. 
• Accessing all communications and archives. The ability to access all communications from school staff and teachers with a particular parent or family member keeps everyone safe. It even allows administrators to pull positive examples of past messages to share with staff members. 
• Analyzing results to pinpoint what works. When it comes to technology use, Andrew and Jason both expressed that having data that allows you to know your audience and how they access your materials is critical. 

With varying learning scenarios, it’s important to use equitable technology that meets parents where they are and allows them to receive communications when and how they want. How Jason and Andrew use technology to serve all parents: 

• Recognizing you can’t reach all parents with one communications channel—you must use a multi-channel approach to accommodate the varying preferences and needs of parents. Whether it be on a computer, tablet, phone, text message, or email, districts and schools should ensure that communications are optimized for parents’ preferences. 
• Optimizing messaging. Jason explained that the best way to communicate is to keep messaging brief but include hyperlinks for those who want to learn more. The use of media-rich communications that incorporate images and video is also highly effective, but you must use a communications platform that provides these capabilities. 
• Empathizing with parents and their needs. Jason discussed that through a continuous needs assessment on communications strategy, his district can make sure their plans take into account feedback from key stakeholders such as parents and learning guardians. 
• Supporting two-way translation for more personal and equitable school-to-home communications. Both agreed that ParentSquare’s two-way language translation provides the ability to forge greater connections and bridge the equity divide. All ParentSquare users can communicate with teachers and staff in their native language, powered by Google Translate. 

As we shift towards a post-pandemic world, tech leaders are examining what they’ve learned throughout the last year and are holding onto the positive components. 

To view the entire interview—and hear more of Jason’s and Andrew’s valuable reflections—click below.