Access Points

To help technology leaders understand where they fit in the broad and ever-evolving independent school landscape, it remains essential that tech leaders have what they need to start the necessary conversations surrounding compensation and growth.

In independent schools, leaders face the critical challenge of navigating constant change while shaping how technology serves students, faculty, and the broader community.

The vendor-vetting checklist for tech leaders of independent schools is well established: cybersecurity, interoperability, educational impact, and home connectivity.

It has been more than a decade since digital citizenship curriculums started making their way into our schools, the broader educational technology spaces, and conversations.

Managing a help desk team in an independent school is like orchestrating a symphony. Each player has a critical role, but the magic happens when everyone works together.

Have you ever tried to answer a question with the support of data but found yourself baffled and befuddled by where your school stores various pieces of information?

In early winter 2022, more than 150 students filed into the venerable Abbott Hall at The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and took their places at long tables surrounded by white oak paneling and terrazzo flooring. As a final assessment for a U.S.

Teachers are the most burned-out professionals in the United States. In a 2024 Rand report, based on results from the 2024 State of the American Teacher survey, 60% of teachers in the U.S. feel burned out at work versus 33% of comparable working adults.

From Spanish and Latino studies grad to teacher and now director of academic technology, Erika Eason has emerged as a dynamic leader in her various roles over the years at Maret School in Washington, D.C.

ATLIS created the Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (TLIS) certification to ensure that people serving in such roles are fully equipped to fulfill all aspects of the job and to provide independent schools with a reliable way to identify and hire qualified technology leaders who have the n

As education continually evolves, the demand for innovative solutions and strategic insights has never been more vital. The ATLIS Leadership Institute (ALI) stands at the forefront of this mission, championing the development of leadership capabilities within the independent school community.

As the technological evolution in independent schools continues at a fast pace, so does the need for effective technology leaders, whose compensation must be in line with the essential work they deliver.

In the landscape of independent schools, the integration of artificial intelligence is becoming a tangible reality.

As educational technology evolves, training various school constituents effectively and efficiently presents a unique challenge, especially when resources are limited and interest levels are low.

The COVID-19 pandemic cast a new light on the powers — and perils — of technology in education. Since then, independent schools have elevated their technology directors to lead roles in crafting strategy and enacting vision.

If you haven't met Robert Drake, director of technology at North Shore Country Day School (NSCD) in Winnetka, Illinois, you might assume he is a normal guy doing work similar to yours.

In the labyrinthine world of K–12 educational technology, independent school technologists face a unique challenge. Balancing the needs of a modern curriculum with the safety and privacy of student data requires a meticulous approach to IT vendor vetting.

Independent schools shifted dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but essential academic shifts continue to drive our strategic plans as we strive to meet the needs of today’s students.

In a powerful career moment, Oren Marcktell heard a head of school at an ATLIS meeting cite his director of IT as his most trusted employee. No one else works with every person in the school, including students, the head said. 

Editor’s note: ATLIS Executive Director Christina Lewellen visited Hawai‘i earlier this year to speak at the heads/trustees’ summit hosted by the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS).

Tony Perez’s experiences— from theater to Yahoo’s early years to his own business—have helped him see the fine print and the big picture, leading him to his calling: transforming how schools view technology and the role of technology leader.