Article Through the Portal: The Future of School Jun 13, 2025 As we emerge from the shadows of the pandemic, it is tempting to believe that the challenges faced by schools are behind us.
Article Leader Profile: Tony Perez Remote Director of Technology | University Lake School, Fugees Academy, and St. Michael’s Academy Jun 10, 2025 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.
Article Leader Profile: Robert Drake Director of Technology | North Shore Country Day School | Winnetka, Illinois Jun 10, 2025 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 Designing Tech-Ready Spaces for Tomorrow’s Learning Updating your infrastructure now means thinking long term – and further than you might think May 15, 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 Doing Your Homework When vetting potential vendors, Community Building has ascended the list of considerations for independent schools Feb 5, 2025 The vendor-vetting checklist for tech leaders of independent schools is well established: cybersecurity, interoperability, educational impact, and home connectivity.
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 ALI: Pioneering Research and Development Projects for Educational Excellence Oct 3, 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 3, 2024 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 Embracing the Intersection of AI and Student Growth Oct 3, 2024 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 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 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
Article Leader Profile: Erika Eason Director of Academic Technology | Maret School | Washington, D.C. Oct 2, 2024 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 Building Your School’s Data Dream Team: A Strategic Approach Oct 2, 2024 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 20 Years in Ed Tech, 20 Lessons Learned Sep 27, 2024 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 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 Integrating Core Values into Acceptable Use of Technology Policies Jul 31, 2024 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 The Importance of Vendor Vetting in Schools: Ensuring Privacy, Security, and Compliance Jun 26, 2024 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 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 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 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 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 The Direct Approach Technology Leaders Need the Structural Capacity to Make Strategic Decisions for Their Schools Mar 11, 2024 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 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 Managing Workload in Trying Times Mar 11, 2024 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 Guiding IR in the Right Direction Mar 11, 2024 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 Creativity in the Classroom Mar 11, 2024 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 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 Quiz: Discover Your Leadership Style Mar 6, 2024 Instructions: Answer the following questions by selecting the option that best represents your typical behavior or preference in these leadership situations.
Article Navigating the Balance: Insights from Ethan Delavan on Radical Candor for Tech Leaders in K-12 Schools Mar 6, 2024 Ethan Delavan, Director of Technology at The Bush School in Seattle, Washington previews
Article 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 Change Your Mind Why we need to embrace technology at a foundational level across all areas of education. Mar 5, 2024 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 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 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 Minimally Invasive IT Dec 4, 2023 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 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 Breaking Free of the Inertia Surrounding AI in Education Nov 16, 2023 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.
Article Why Portfolios are the Future Nov 16, 2023 Assessment in schools often feels like judging a book by its cover – it never quite captures the whole story. Especially when every student is a unique individual with their own stories and strengths.
Article Blending Technology Skills with Collaborative Problem Solving Nov 16, 2023 “But what if we must perform surgery in the dark on a badly injured Macbook Air?” I thought. “Does not a Help Desk surgeon require optimal lighting? Would we all fall fast asleep while students wait in line to change a password or connect to wireless?”
Article Turning Teachers Into Digital Citizens Nov 16, 2023 Digital citizenship skills are not inherent to educators today. For many teachers, this is because they are uncomfortable with technology themselves. They did not grow up with devices at their fingertips like today’s students have.
Article Team Work Makes the Dream Work: How Generational Diversity Can Spell Success Nov 16, 2023 Minister Thomas Barnes of St. Margaret’s Church observed, “Youth were never more sawcie, ...the ancient are scorned, the honorable are contemned, the magistrate is not dreaded.” Even if he originally penned it in 1624, it’s a sentiment that would not be out of place on social media in 2023.
Article Students and AI: A Partnership for the Future of Education Nov 16, 2023 We’re stepping into new territory with generative AI tools becoming commonplace in schools. It's an exciting time, but it also raises some tough questions. How do we use AI in a way that helps and doesn't hinder? How do we make sure it's fair and useful for everyone?
Article Risk Management Basics Nov 16, 2023 It is easy to get lost in the realm of risk management. Whether applying it to the entire school in an Enterprise Risk Management program, or simply focusing on privacy and information security, managing risk can be a daunting task.
Article Leading the Change Away From Old Tech Culture Nov 16, 2023 The energy of having a fresh start at school each year has always given me joy. This year I began my year with a self-inventory and asked what I could improve, and I swiftly and I swiftly landed on the topic of passwords.
Article Incident Response Planning Nov 16, 2023 Imagine that one day the head of school receives an email from a colleague with an attachment or a link.
Article Funding A Sustainable Technology Program Nov 16, 2023 Technology is pervasive across our society. It touches all facets of our lives.