TLIS Objective 2.01

Determine and evaluate technology systems and tools

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

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.

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.

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.

Schools face various risks that can significantly impact their operations, financial stability, and reputation.

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.

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.

Understanding your organization’s internet and phone systems can be challenging, particularly when it comes to knowing what to pay for these services. Internet, landline, and phone systems can cost you thousands - or hundreds of thousands - of dollars each year.

The independent school community faces a unique set of challenges when securing their sensitive data, with students, parents, facility, and administrators traversing the network from a variety of different platforms each day.