The rise of edtech changes the role of school CIOs
The role of CIO in US schools and colleges has changed dramatically with the rise of edtech, according to Elizabeth Dabney, director of research and policy analysis at the Data Quality Campaign. Schools across the country have adopted digital methods of data collection and analysis, from students to state, with CIOs seen as "data visionaries", providing the crucial link between the academic and technology department.

Dive Brief:

A K-12 chief information officer's time used to be spent primarily on IT tasks, but amid ed tech's increasing prevalence and a push for data-driven decision-making, CIOs have had to adapt and spend more time helping educators and administrators track and assess data.

District Administration reports CIOs serve as data interpreters and visionaries, facilitating understanding between technology departments and academic/operational branches of their districts and developing a long-term plan about where data fits into the district’s strategic goals.

CIOs also fulfill a training role, helping educators without data backgrounds gain insights from analytics, and they break down silos by connecting people from various departments with data to meet continuous improvement goals.

Dive Insight:

There is much talk about how schools haven’t changed at all in centuries, but the fact is school and district leaders have had a lot to adapt to in recent years. The digital age has brought a range of new technologies into schools, and that has provided new opportunities for data collection and analysis. Schools are behind other sectors in embracing this potential, however.

A recent report from public policy think tank the Center for Data Innovation urged federal and state policymakers to incentivize faster adoption in schools and districts. Beyond encouraging administrators to use data to improve their operations and instructional practices, the Center for Data Innovation wants schools to get data into the hands of students and parents, giving them more agency over the learning process.