March 2008 — Features

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Point Man

by Matt Villano

Jackson acknowledges that one concern about the use of grants as a source of funding is their lack of sustainability, but notes that her district has institutionalized programs and projects that have been grant-funded, so they receive regular district funding on an annual basis after demonstrating effectiveness.

She adds that all grant-funded programs require professional development and a plan for sustainability.

Drive Time

A NEW LABORATORY IS HELPING ONE DISTRICT STAY AHEAD OF THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY, IBM, and other Fortune 500 companies are famous for research and development labs in which technologists toil to create the Next Big Things. In most K-12 school districts, however, research and development usually consists of one or two techie staff members who geek out over new products, new software, and new service offerings.

Georgia's Forsyth County Schools does things differently. There, Bailey Mitchell, chief information and technology officer, has built the Development and Research of Interactive and Virtual Experiences (DRIVE) Teaching and Learning Laboratory, a facility dedicated to researching technology trends and determining their applicability through implementation in the classroom environment.

Mitchell says the facility, which opened last winter, helps district technologists research and model the best equipment, software, and procedures for improved connectivity, enhanced use of virtual worlds, and more user-friendly learning environments. The research also advances curriculum designed to help students develop geo-awareness, or the tools and methods of using geospatial data to identify and find solutions to real-world problems.

"The lab is our attempt to stay on top of the latest and greatest technologies, and how we can use them to enhance the educational process overall," says Mitchell, whose colleagues gave him the title of "Chief Microscope Tester" last year when they evaluated new digital microscopes that interface to computers through a standard USB connection.

So far, the DRIVE lab is only open to technologists, faculty members, and district staffers. Mitchell says he hopes to get students involved in the research and development process by the beginning of next year, but admits it could be challenging to pull them out of class and transport them to and from the central office facility.

Finding Good People

Hiring and retention present more challenges for K-12 CIOs. In many cases, school districts cannot pay nearly as much as private companies for top IT talent. This means that many K-12 technologists often have to settle for second-tier candidates to fill staffing holes. Once they make their hires, the job becomes retention-making sure the employees are happy enough to stick around. Mastering the two tasks can be tough.

Bob Moore, executive director of information technology services at Blue Valley Schools (KS), tries to sell prospective employees on a lifestyle. He targets IT workers who have been caught in the endless cycle of private-sector downsizing and hire-backs, as well as young workers who are looking for a sense of belonging and want to be part of something big.