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. “Independent schools that have an eye to the future have an understanding that this is not a negotiable department,” said Lauren Marold, director of technology at Preston Hollow Presbyterian School in Dallas. “You have to have people who know what is happening. They’re willing to stay on top of the research and reach out and create networks to ensure their school will stay ahead of the curve for learning and also for safety.”
In this reshaped world, independent schools demand mission-focused technology leaders who are nimble in all aspects of technology, from classrooms to infrastructure. Now, ATLIS is preparing its members to accept that challenge by earning the Technology Leader in Independent Schools (TLIS) certification, the first nationally recognized credential for tech leaders in independent schools.
Through an intense process, the first TLIS exam, coming in spring 2024, materialized in only one year. The Edward E. Ford Foundation stepped up with funding. Researchers and consultants led nitty-gritty introspection into the field of independent school tech leadership. ATLIS-member thought leaders wrote meticulously worded job domains and exam questions that encapsulate best practices. “The schools doing incredible things in this space are the ones that are thinking of technology at the highest level of meeting the mission,” said ATLIS Executive Director Christina Lewellen, MBA, CAE. “We want to make sure that our community is prepared and feels confident stepping into a strategist role. Our technology leaders need to be prepared to help our schools thrive with technology, and this credential advances that.”
Origin Story
Why a credential? Several reasons.
Independent school tech leaders are expected to be adept at ed tech and digital infrastructure, but most have risen through the ranks on one side or the other. Imbalances in their knowledge base could slow them down, just as technology is speeding up. “The role of being good at both is a unicorn,” said Lewellen. “Nobody goes to school to be an education technologist.”
Plus, the technical jargon weighing down tech leaders’ résumés can befuddle heads of school. A bit unsure, they can lack confidence in their hires.
And finally, mid- and later-career ATLIS members wanted intensive training that exceeds the knowledge overview imparted for early or mid-career professionals enrolled in the ATLIS Leadership Institute.
A credential, ATLIS realized, would address all those challenges. Targeted, dual-focused professional development opportunities bring balance to the tech leader’s expertise. Heads of school have a hook on which to hang their hiring decisions. And experienced tech leaders find highly specialized training, customized for their unique roles.
The process of stepping forward toward a credential began with a step back for a wide-angle view. A feasibility study conducted by a Rochester Institute of Technology executive MBA team uncovered the opportunities and challenges in credentialing.
Through interviews with independent school administrators, the study concluded that an effective credentialing program should incorporate soft and strategic skills, emphasize the unique culture and management of independent schools, and help erase nagging doubts about the adequacy of their schools’ cybersecurity and data privacy practices.
A certification can also ease hiring challenges by assuring heads of school that their chosen tech leaders have met a rigorous set of standardized minimum qualifications. In fact, 85% of administrators surveyed said professional development for technology leaders would give them more confidence in their hiring decisions, and nearly half said they offer salary differences accounting for their technologists’ education and experience levels.
Simultaneously, a whopping 97% of independent school tech leaders want training or credentials that will help them deliver at a high level. However, nearly 65% felt discouraged by the scarcity of programs specific to independent schools. They want to grow but feel stymied.
With the feasibility study’s resounding “yes” to credentialing, ATLIS sought a grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to fund the process. The foundation, a stalwart in the independent school community, immediately recognized the power of a credential to form well-rounded tech leaders and instill confidence among heads of school in their tech leaders and security infrastructure.
“The Edward E. Ford Foundation saw the need for the credential because technology in independent schools is so specialized,” said Lewellen. “We are so grateful that they trusted ATLIS, which is still a young organization. Their funding and their belief made this happen, and they made it happen fast.”
At its 2023 annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ATLIS announced the beginning of the yearlong process to create the credential, with the generous support of the foundation. The first exam is expected to be administered at the ATLIS Annual Conference 2024, set for April 7–10 in Reno, Nevada.
Reflections on the Role
Once the funding was secure, ATLIS created two teams of actively involved members: one to categorize tech leaders’ key tasks into domains and another to write the TLIS exam. Members were chosen for their expertise in ed tech, technology infrastructure, or both. They also represented a diverse cross section of ATLIS membership in expertise, geography, and school size.
All volunteers devoted their free time and, together, performed “a significant lift” in launching the credential, said Lewellen. “By having such a diverse group of thought leaders, they were able to arm-wrestle those questions and come out with what this credential program is promulgating as best practices,” she said.
With its development by ATLIS members, the exam reflects the unique nature of independent school technology leadership, including the autonomy and budgeting aspects rarely encountered by public school technologists.
Marold said that contributing to the credential’s build-out was one of the most rewarding things she has done professionally. A credential offers a pathway “to support future people in this field.”
“The credential is tailored to what we do in independent schools,” she said. “I would love to see other people join this field. It’s a hard field to be in. Many people shy away from technology because there’s so much work to do, and it’s a 24/7 role. You have to give a lot of energy and time to ensure that everything is working properly and running at full speed at all times.”
The domains team worked with a draft developed by highly regarded psychometric firm Alpine Testing Solutions. Domains now included in the exam blueprint are professional development for the school community, operations, independent school governance and leadership, and technology for teaching and learning.
With their wide and diverse ranges of experience, members of the domains team had the perspective needed to scrutinize their daily tasks and agree on mission-critcal ones, said Louis Tullo, chief technology officer at Ravenscroft in Raleigh, North Carolina. “When you bring those groups of people together to make an exam like this, it shows the breadth of what a technology leader needs to do,” he said.
After the domains were solidified, the testing team developed questions by writing scenarios independent school tech leaders are likely to encounter. Even the time spent by the average tech leader on each domain is reflected in a corresponding ratio of questions regarding that domain. “It’s a very formulaic approach to making sure the exam is reflective of what our experts are actually doing,” said Lewellen.
As peer groups and the entire team, the members debated and carefully crafted every multiple-choice answer. Their combined experience and wisdom prompted consensus on the correct answers. “If you are in tune with what is truly happening in tech in independent schools, it’s possible to come to consensus on what a question should say and the answer you should be giving,” Marold said.
Even the incorrect choices “are plausible and correct, but for the wrong situation,” said Daisy Steele, director of technology at Catlin Gabel in Portland, Oregon. “It was fascinating to think about all the little pieces that had to happen.”
Few tech directors will be experts in every domain, she added, but they should have the competencies needed to manage each — and answer the questions correctly.
The exam questions probe whether candidates can analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information on the way to devising courses of action grounded in best practices and the well-being of students.
“There are choices that may seem like the right ones but are not the most appropriate given the complexity of the situation,” said Tullo. “We were aiming for clarity in what the question is asking for, and at the same time, we were aiming for complexity in the choices somebody has to make. You have clarity and complexity, and you’re holding them in your hands at the same time.”
A Prestigious Credential
In academic settings, where letters after names matter, the TLIS designation is a leveler, showing that technologists have a firm handle on customizing technology solutions for different grades and student populations while also managing risk and safety.
“The credential indicates that someone has a solid base of understanding of what they need to know and do,” said Steele. “It will help those who don’t understand what tech directors do, and it also elevates those who want to reach a tech director level and want to know what knowledge and skills they need to get there.”
The credential recognizes that technology moves swiftly, so it is not a “sit-and-git” certification, in the words of Lewellen. Maintaining the credential will require continuing education to keep pace with developments in technology — a priority for ATLIS and the committee members developing the program.
“As educators, none of us can conceive it of being ‘Here’s the test, you take it, and you move on,’” said Marold. “That’s just not our nature. We like to learn. We want to be collegial and gather to learn things together.”
As Tullo puts it, “You have to start a journey somewhere, and this is where you start. In the career that we’re in, it never really ends.”
The process is designed for flexibility and equity. Candidates will have easy access to the program through practice questions and a handbook listing strongly recommended and supplemental resources candidates can use to prepare. In time, ATLIS will also launch additional study materials and perhaps even study groups, Lewellen noted.
The first exam-takers will have to wait 60 days for a pass/fail notice while any kinks are ironed out, but later takers will have the satisfaction of automatic notification. The exam will be offered annually in the spring and fall, allowing candidates to fit intensive study into their personal and professional schedules.
The inaugural exam window will feature the option for candidates to sit for the exam in person during ATLIS’s Annual Conference in Reno. However, the exam will always be delivered and proctored virtually, to minimize expenses, travel, and time for ATLIS’s far- flung and diverse membership.
With the exam’s breakdown by domains, tech leaders striving to bridge their ed tech and infrastructure skills can maximize their study time by concentrating on the areas where they have gaps in their knowledge. “It’s another avenue by which we can provide education and support to technology leaders who are stronger on one side or the other and are trying to achieve that balance,” said Steele.
The credential’s domains and best practices also create an aspirational road map for others striving for technology leadership in independent schools. Marold fondly recalls the guidance she got from colleagues during her leadership journey, but she didn’t have benchmarks for measuring progress toward minimum qualifications and standards. The TLIS credential “can be a gold star for our field and give independent school technologists something to seek.”
“Having something to aspire to and adding this credential to your résumé could feel like a next step as you’re trying to build your career,” she said.
Keeping Pace
Among ATLIS members, the exam has generated “nothing but energy around it,” said Lewellen. “People are excited about sitting for it. The most engaged people will want it right away. Once we get through that wave, it’ll land on ATLIS’s shoulders to articulate to the community why it’s valuable.”
The credential was crafted, in part, to alleviate hiring challenges by assuring heads of school they are putting their faith in the right person. Toward that end, ATLIS plans to raise awareness of the credential’s significance by leveraging its strong partnerships with national, state, and regional associations serving independent schools.
The credential adds an influential top note to the roster of qualifications heads of school weigh when hiring technology leadership, said Steele. “It is designed to demonstrate that the test-taker has a solid understanding of all of the exam’s topics,” she said.
At its core, the credential equips holders to address big-picture challenges and enhance their value. “We always had the goal of raising the bar of tech leaders serving schools because so much lies with them in keeping kids safe and delivering a best-in-class education,” said Lewellen. “If the person in the technology role has best practices and solid foundational understanding of how to analyze information to make good choices for their school, then in all likelihood, the schools are safer and are delivering a more engaging education.”
The TLIS credential advances ATLIS’s work of elevating the field by creating another pathway for achieving leadership goals, said Steele. She recommends that ATLIS members enroll in the ATLIS Leadership Institute, and “if you can do both, even better.”
While some credentials measure knowledge of a specific tech stack in a finite moment of time, ATLIS will keep hitting refresh on the TLIS designation. The year of preparation that went into launching the credential is “a starting place,” said Tullo. Watch for adaptations in the domains blueprint and the exam that keep pace with technology’s ceaseless emerging trends.
“This credential is focusing on leadership and what it looks like to lead technology in an independent school, and that’s changing,” said Tullo. “It was different pre-pandemic, it was different during the pandemic, and it’s different now. It has changed again with the proliferation of AI. Because technology is continuing to evolve, the credential itself will continue to evolve.”