The Education Technology Joint Powers Authority was born out of frustration with the procurement process. It could become a national organization in 2024 and expand to public colleges and city governments.
The different needs of technical operation and pedagogy sometimes put school IT and education-technology departments at odds, but leaders can reduce friction with regular open communication and shared priorities.
Eight months after launching LASAR, a bespoke app for students and community members to send anonymous tips about dangerous or suspicious behavior, Los Angeles Unified School District has logged 591 reports.
As artificial intelligence ushers in a sea change that touches all aspects of education, schools might keep up by convening a council of stakeholders to discuss good ideas and get district-level buy-in.
School IT departments could make progress on backlogs of device repairs by availing themselves of student tech-support teams, like those being piloted at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education through Vivacity Tech.
Some legal questions around generative AI in schools have yet to be resolved, but in general, schools must vet their vendor contracts carefully and get parental permission for students to use the technology.
To prepare students for a future in which various forms of artificial intelligence will be ubiquitous, schools will need to impart foundational knowledge about how the tools work and what they produce.
