Article Choosing the Right Accounting Software for Schools A Checklist for Decision Makers Aug 12, 2025 When numbers start clouding your missionIt often begins quietly.A department head emails an updated budget—only to realize their version doesn’t align with the master spreadsheet.
Article AI is Changing Education Fast. Here’s How to Write Your AI Policy. Aug 6, 2025 by Sun Paik In 2024, a Digital Education Council survey found that 88% of students said they use artificial intellig
Article Members Only Through the Portal: The Future of School Jun 13, 2025 by Will Richardson As we emerge from the shadows of the pandemic, it is tempting to believe that the challenges faced by schools are behind us.
Article Participant Snapshot May 15, 2025 Results for the 2025 Compensation Benchmark Report for Technology Leaders in Schools were gathered from 664 respondents (up from 527 the previous year) in an online survey, designed and executed by 12M & Ed Tech Recruiting, in fall 2024.
Article How TLIS Fits With Technology Leader Succession May 15, 2025 As experienced technology leaders think about retirement, it’s more important than ever to make sure knowledge and leadership are passed on smoothly and effectively, especially with new technologies emerging and the needs of independent schools constantly evolving.
Article Navigating Transitions Technology leaders offer thoughts on what makes succession planning successful Mar 25, 2025 As seasoned technology leaders approach retirement and the industry continues its rapid evolution, succession planning in independent schools has emerged as a critical priority.
Article Building Connections and Expanding Your Growth Potential Mar 25, 2025 In independent schools, leaders face the critical challenge of navigating constant change while shaping how technology serves students, faculty, and the broader community.
Article Help Desk Harmony: Balancing Productivity and Autonomy in Schools Mar 25, 2025 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.
Article Fostering Wellness Through Digital Citizenship Mar 25, 2025 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.
Article Leader Profile: David Boxer, TLIS Chief Information Officer | The Blake School | Minneapolis, Minnesota Mar 25, 2025 David Boxer, TLIS, knows that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, so to fill the gaps, he leans on his dynamic team at The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Article Designing Tech-Ready Spaces for Tomorrow’s Learning Updating your infrastructure now means thinking long term – and further than you might think Mar 25, 2025 In a previous job, Afandie Winter, TLIS, once learned that planning was underway for a construction project. He started asking simple questions: Where will phones plug in? How will Wi-Fi be delivered? Where will the printers go? Will the spaces have displays or projectors? How about audio?
Article A Shifting State of Pay ATLIS’s annual benchmarking report reveals insights into evolving independent school technology roles Mar 25, 2025 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.
Article Amplifying Your School’s Community Building Work Feb 5, 2025 by Christina Lewellen, MBA;CAE;FASAE The newly introduced Community Building Framework for Technology Leaders in Independent Schools has been years in the making.
Article Building Your School’s Data Dream Team: A Strategic Approach Oct 2, 2024 by Josh Berberian 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?
Article Real-World Uses for AI Oct 2, 2024 We can talk all day about how AI will make teachers’ jobs easier, but they need solid ideas for exactly what it can do for them. Here are examples of concrete tasks and projects AI can handle for educators.
Article Leader Profile: Erika Eason Director of Academic Technology | Maret School | Washington, D.C. Oct 2, 2024 by Erika Eason 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.
Article TLIS Trailblazers Learn about the experiences of four of your peers in their pursuit to join inaugural class of ATLIS’s new TLIS certification earners Oct 2, 2024 by Karen Huang, Kevin Warenda, MBA;CISM;TLIS, Afandie Winter, and Lane Worrall 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
Article ALI: Pioneering Research and Development Projects for Educational Excellence Oct 2, 2024 by Ashley Cross CAE, CAE;Ed.D 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.
Article Harnessing AI to Prevent Teacher Burnout Using the right AI tools – and introducing them the right way – can help make educators’ jobs easier Oct 2, 2024 by Linda Formicelli 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.
Article Doing Your Homework When vetting potential vendors, community building has ascended the list of considerations for independent schools Oct 2, 2024 by M Diane McCormick The vendor-vetting checklist for tech leaders of independent schools is well established: cybersecurity, interoperability, educational impact, and home connectivity.
Article Embracing the Intersection of AI and Student Growth Oct 2, 2024 by Jennifer Parnell 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.
Article Members Only 20 Years in Ed Tech, 20 Lessons Learned Sep 27, 2024 by Curt Lieneck Curt Lieneck is legendary among independent school technology leaders. When he began posting tweets gleaned from his decades of experience in the field, we paid attention. Happily, Lieneck has allowed ATLIS to collect his wisdom into this blog post. It's actually 21 tips, but who's counting.
Article Members Only IT Asset Management Why do you need ITAM software? Here’s a list of reasons why leaders in the independent school community are implementing ITAM solutions in their IT Departments. Sep 9, 2024 Throughout the nation, independent schools are fixing their IT headaches with an IT Asset Management solution. Find out how you can also benefit from one below.
Article Members Only Integrating Core Values into Acceptable Use of Technology Policies Jul 31, 2024 by Brad Lands With the rise of artificial intelligence and discussions around academic integrity, it has never been more important than it is today for our students to use technology safely and responsibly.
Article Members Only The Importance of Vendor Vetting in Schools: Ensuring Privacy, Security, and Compliance Jun 26, 2024 by Mark Orchison Schools are increasingly reliant on various vendors to provide essential services, ranging from educational software to data management systems. With this reliance comes the critical responsibility of ensuring that these vendors adhere to stringent privacy, security, and compliance standards.
Article All About Progress Discover how ATLIS’s annual compensation benchmark report is showing signs of improvement for independent school tech leaders – and where further strides must be made May 30, 2024 by Sam Hoffmeister 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.
Article Managing Vendors and Vetting New Products May 30, 2024 by Ashley Cross CAE, CAE;Ed.D 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.
Article What’s Next? Essential Academic Shifts in Independent Schools May 30, 2024 by Connie White 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.
Article Evolution and Elevation Behind the creation of the new ATLIS credential – and how it will be a gamechanger for independent school tech leaders May 30, 2024 by M Diane McCormick 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.
Article Different Approaches for Training Users With Limited Time, Trainers, and Attention Spans May 30, 2024 by Linda Lawrence 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.
Article Creating Consensus A look inside Vail Mountain School’s student AI committee May 30, 2024 In the landscape of independent schools, the integration of artificial intelligence is becoming a tangible reality.
Article Leader Profile: Robert Drake Director of Technology | North Shore Country Day School | Winnetka, Illinois Mar 13, 2024 by Robert Drake 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.
Article The Direct Approach Technology Leaders Need the Structural Capacity to Make Strategic Decisions for Their Schools Mar 11, 2024 by M Diane McCormick 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.
Article The Department of Modern Learning The next evolution of the technology department? Mar 11, 2024 by Ashley Cross CAE, CAE;Ed.D In recent months, I have come across many people who have an unusual phrase in their title: the department of modern learning. For some, it’s not a new title, but there is a shift in how technology is viewed at those schools.
Article Members Only Navigating and Evaluating AI in Education Mar 11, 2024 AI has made significant strides in education, revolutionizing the way students learn and teachers teach. In response, ATLIS hosted a four-part virtual workshop on AI in education for the independent school community.
Article Members Only Managing Workload in Trying Times Mar 11, 2024 by Curt Lieneck Tech leaders’ workloads are always heavy, but they often rise to stratospheric levels.
Article Island Insights Independent schools in Hawai‘i tackle technology, inclusion, and preparing island learners for a big future Mar 11, 2024 by Christina Lewellen, MBA;CAE;FASAE 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).
Article Members Only Guiding IR in the Right Direction Mar 11, 2024 by Eric Heilman Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, schools all over the world were learning to adapt to the rise of the internet and the migration of many school processes from physical to electronic formats.
Article Members Only Creativity in the Classroom Mar 11, 2024 by Beth Holland Creativity is the competence to leverage self-interests, motivation, imagination, and prior knowledge in flexible ways[1] to generate, evaluate, or improve ideas; imagine new ways of solving problems;[2] forge new connections — across content and people;[3] create new understanding; or commun
Article Members Only Speaking the Language of Your Business Officer A brief primer on accounting definitions for technology leaders Mar 6, 2024 As an independent school technology leader, it's important to familiarize yourself with key accounting terms that a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) at a school would commonly use.
Article Members Only Navigating the Balance: Insights from Ethan Delavan on Radical Candor for Tech Leaders in K-12 Schools Mar 6, 2024 by Ethan Delavan Ethan Delavan, Director of Technology at The Bush School in Seattle, Washington previews
Article Members Only Understanding Leadership Styles Mar 6, 2024 Effective leadership is an art that requires a combination of innate abilities, learned skills, and continuous personal growth.
Article Educational Technology Continues to Revolutionize Modern Classrooms Embracing ed tech is not just about adopting tools; it is about embracing a new way of teaching and learning that prepares students for a world driven by innovation and digital literacy Mar 5, 2024 Educational technology has become an integral part of modern classrooms, reshaping the landscape of education as we know it. With its vast array of tools and resources, this transformative force holds the potential to revolutionize the way students learn, engage, and excel.
Article Collaborative Risk Management A shared responsibility for school business officers and technology leaders Mar 5, 2024 Schools face various risks that can significantly impact their operations, financial stability, and reputation.
Article Members Only Change Your Mind Why we need to embrace technology at a foundational level across all areas of education. Mar 5, 2024 by Steve Jenson It’s Science FictionYou’ve heard it before, technology in our lives and our kids’ lives is unavoidable. It’s what drives our world as we know it. I grew up in a time when technological advances moved so fast that many people had a hard time keeping up.
Article Members Only ATLIS Ethics and Bias AI Resource Mar 5, 2024 Data PrivacyData privacy encompasses safeguarding personal data from unauthorized activities. Modern data privacy laws protect individuals’ rights and require organizations, like schools, to comply.
Article Breaking the Code of Silence: How Web Accessibility Sparks Collaboration Between School IT & Marketing Dec 11, 2023 by Connor Gleason Web accessibility is critical to every school’s online presence, but achieving and maintaining ADA compliance is a team sport that requires the collaboration of multiple departments that often operate in isolation: School IT professionals and school marketers.
Article Members Only Minimally Invasive IT Dec 4, 2023 by Gary Stager My New Jersey public school district had terminals connected to timeshare mainframes in classrooms before the Beatles set foot in America. I learned to program in a required 7th grade class around 1975.
Article The Importance of Techquity Nov 28, 2023 by Ken Shelton Technology can be transformativeOver the past at least 15 years and even more so within the past 3 years, educators have heard many statements made about technology and education. In spirit, and most likely intentions, it may be true.
Article Members Only Breaking Free of the Inertia Surrounding AI in Education Nov 16, 2023 by Sarah Wike I entered the field of education because I found angsty teenagers amusing in a way that many adults didn't appreciate, and because I wanted to impart my knowledge of the Spanish language and the Spanish-speaking world to them.