The survey, launched in partnership with the Ed-Fi Alliance and other partners, is based upon a national survey of nearly 400 school systems and supplies a nuanced appearance at the obstacles K-12 IT leadership has actually faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Broadband access and the ever-growing equity space are among K-12 IT leaders top concerns, according to CoSNs annual IT Management Study.

” We were happy to as soon as again work alongside the CoSN team in establishing this report,” stated Sean Casey, manager of strategic partnerships at the Ed-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit devoted to assisting school districts and states achieve data interoperability. “At Ed-Fi, our objective is to define information requirements to resolve issues shared by all educators and to equip the knowing community with beneficial info, as found in this report, for diligent decision-making that causes better outcomes for learners all over.”

1. Efforts to broaden broadband gain access to beyond school have increased dramatically. In 2020, 49 percent of participants did not supply off-campus services, compared to simply 5 percent in 2021, suggesting 95 percent of respondents are offering off-campus services of some kind. The most popular method for increasing broadband gain access to beyond school is releasing district-owned hotspots, with 70 percent of respondents taking this route– this compares to just 17 percent the previous year. Thirty percent work with their communities to supply Wi-Fi hotspots compared to 19 percent who did so in 2020, and 27 percent provide house gain access to by means of subsidized or totally free programs to low-income households– more than double the prior years rate of 10 percent.

2. Issues about digital equity have increased. Ninety-seven percent of participants stated their issues about trainees home access to devices and the internet for remote learning functions have actually increased given that the pandemic. And for the first time considering that CoSN started this study, respondents said digital equity is amongst their leading issues, ranking it as their third most important issue. The homework gap progressed into an “everything gap” for disadvantaged trainees.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents stated their issues about students house access to devices and the internet for remote learning functions have increased since the pandemic.

In 2020, 49 percent of participants did not supply off-campus services, compared to just 5 percent in 2021, implying 95 percent of respondents are offering off-campus services of some kind. The most popular method for increasing broadband access outside of school is releasing district-owned hotspots, with 70 percent of participants taking this route– this compares to simply 17 percent the previous year. Thirty percent work with their neighborhoods to offer Wi-Fi hotspots compared to 19 percent who did so in 2020, and 27 percent provide home gain access to via subsidized or free programs to low-income families– more than double the prior years rate of 10 percent.

For the second straight year, cybersecurity has ranked as the top priority for school district IT Leaders, with personal privacy and security of trainee data as number two. When asked about viewed dangers, the large bulk (84 percent) dont rate any hazards as high threat.

Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Marylands distinguished Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

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