our school district probably has spent the past five to 10
years acquiring networks, personal computers, educational software,
Internet access, and multimedia technology. But have you measured
the results or looked at performance improvement? Do you know
whether your district's investment in technology is paying off
and on track to generate results?
Substantial evidence exists to suggest that success with technology
can be elusive, and that teachers are not prepared to use technology.
A number of recent research studies show that technology --
particularly software that promotes rote learning -- can contribute
to lowered scores on standardized tests. In addition,
the National Center for Education Statistics has reported that
only one-third of surveyed teachers consider themselves "well
prepared" or "very well prepared" to use computers and the Internet
in classroom instruction.
On the business side, many large districts have spent millions
of dollars on failed software projects. They've been taken by
surprise when technology projects failed; expenditures exceeded
budgets; training requirements soared; and support, supply,
and replacement costs exceeded funding capabilities. In some
cases, the software was never able to function in a way that
met district requirements.
How do districts get into this position? What can school leaders
do to prevent such a meltdown?
The difference between success and failure with technology
often lies in technology management -- a concept that has been
somewhat ignored as school districts have focused on technology
plans and acquisition of the latest hardware and software. But
it's time to make sure that technology produces results. District
leaders can do that by being aware of the opportunities and
risks, understanding what effective management looks like, and
avoiding certain pitfalls.
Technology-lovers (and vendors) are quick to point out the
opportunities that technology presents. Used properly, technology
can improve learning and educational performance, provide access
to up-to-date information on everything from test scores to
budget figures, foster development of student technology skills,
simplify district business processes, reduce administrative
overload, improve operations performance in everything from
school security to textbook purchasing, speed and improve communications,
and foster organizational change by allowing districts to use
data to make fact-based decisions about changes in teaching
methods, business practices, and other processes. 
What the vendors don't tell you, and most technology managers
don't like to talk about, are the risks involved with technology.
But the risks are substantial, and you need to know about them
if you want to avoid their ill effects:
•
Unexpected costs. The cost of buying, using, and maintaining
technology is often much higher than expected. Past studies
have shown that 30 percent of the cost of custom software packages
and 70 percent of purchased software project costs are hidden
in software modification, training, and other expenses. Costs
can also rise if districts have failed to assure adequate capacity
of their district's technology infrastructure.
Mushrooming costs have contributed to
a discouraging statistic: In 1999, CIO, the magazine
for information executives, reported that 45 percent of information
technology projects are canceled before completion, and one-third
of the remaining projects have serious cost and time overruns.
•
Possible negative effects on student achievement. Technology
enthusiasts often predict spectacular effects on student achievement,
but the effects of technology might not be so grand. Computer
use might even have negative effects on some students. Some
research suggests that computer use is not good for children
in preschool and early grades. And a recent study by the Educational
Testing Service found that students who use computers for drill
and practice did worse than other students on standardized achievement
tests.
•
Possible distraction from district goals. In some districts,
technology is promoted for technology's sake, which results
in technology driving the curriculum. Some districts pursue
grants and technology dollars, acquiring technology without
thorough assessment of the product or its alignment with district
goals. When district dollars are spent in pursuit of technology
that doesn't fulfill a goal or need in the district, we shouldn't
be surprised when those goals and needs aren't met.
•
Legal and ethical, and security issues. Technology can open
a Pandora's box of problems. Students and employees can use
technology, for example, to access inappropriate materials or
illegally copy software. And technology creates new possibilities
for security breaches of district records and other sensitive
material.
•
Resistance to change. Even the best-designed technology projects
can be sabotaged by politics and resistance to change. Some
districts launch technology efforts, only to find them thwarted
by people who insist on using old methods and demand software
that will allow them to follow outdated business practices that
drain dollars from classrooms and students. Other obstacles
might come from taxpayers who protest the expense of technology
and from parents who believe the new systems provide more information
on their child than they think is needed. Some parents fear
that confidential information can be obtained over the Internet.
Any one of these and other problems can lead to the failure
of a technology project. And any failure, as experienced district
leaders can tell you, can tarnish a district's reputation and
provide fodder for the critical media.
How can a district take full advantage of the opportunities
available through technology while managing the risks and not
squandering district funds? No one single policy -- or one single
person -- can guarantee the effective and efficient use of technology.
In the long term, success will come as a result of many people
following solid business and technology-management practices.
The question for school leaders, then, is what can you do to
encourage employees to follow solid management practices with
technology? Here are some guidelines: 
1. Provide leadership and vision. School technology
will not succeed without leadership and vision from the top.
Someone must take the lead, see the opportunities, and help
push the district to use technology that supports and enables
the attainment of goals. This is by no means an easy task in
schools, where neither administrators nor teachers are quick
to change.
Technology leadership can come from an administrator, but the
school board and the superintendent should be on the same page
and provide full support by communicating their commitment and
by allocating adequate funding. Board members and top administrators
need to be fully aware of the challenges, opportunities, and
risks associated with information technology. It's difficult
to make decisions on multimillion dollar investments when you
don't understand some of the fundamental issues and don't know
what questions to ask.
Be aware of the projects that are being pursued and support
them wholeheartedly. Be ready to step in to halt the destructive
effects of turf protection and resistance to change, but at
the same time, don't let your support make you blind to problems
that develop. Watch for signs -- missed deadlines, continually
rising costs, departing staff -- that you might need to stop
a project.
And make sure that investments in technology are linked to
your district's overall improvement strategy and performance
issues. Don't accept the purchase of technology for its own
sake. Ensure that every technology project is intimately tied
to district goals of educational improvement, operations efficiency,
and management effectiveness.
2. Update your district's technology plan, checking for
effectiveness and comprehensiveness. A technology plan should
be a living document that changes with the needs of the district
and the students. A plan written five years ago almost surely
needs revision so it can provide a laser-like focus on key goals
and performance issues.
Make sure that all technology projects contribute to a goal
or to the resolution of a problem in the district. Don't simply
acquire technology for its own sake. Make certain that new technology
will be accompanied by appropriate changes in teaching methods
and activities; new business practices, procedures, and policies;
and extensive and ongoing staff training.
Allocate adequate resources, making certain that district plans
and budgets account for the total cost of ownership. Grand technology
plans often fail to provide for simple, obvious things, such
as adequate staff training or the ongoing need for supplies.
Remember, those classroom printers need ink.
3. Thoroughly evaluate the alternatives. Once a technology
plan is in place, decisions must be made about the hardware
and software that will be used to fulfill the plan's requirements
and the needs of the district. Some districts ignore this critical
step and end up spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on
software that doesn't deliver the promised functionality.
As district leaders, you should ask for an outline of the steps
that will be used to evaluate and make decisions on software
purchases. Key steps should include a request for proposals,
documentation of system requirements, vendor presentations,
site visits, software evaluation, comprehensive cost analysis,
and a test of the software, using your district's data, to prove
that it works.
Insist that members of the department that will be using the
system are involved in the design of the software specifications.
Make sure that all purchases fit within the framework of the
technology plan. Don't acquire technology just because a grant
is available. Even if grant monies are used for the initial
purchase, chances are the new technology will drain existing
resources for training, support, and maintenance.
4. Set standards. Don't let different departments and
schools use different software standards. Strive to make sure
that the same technology is used throughout the district. In
that vein, minimize the number of technology platforms that
are used in the district. To the extent possible, all of the
technology should be "integratable" and not require different
technologies for databases, servers, and other components. Remember
that each platform requires new skills, support, licensing,
training, parts, and supplies. The cost of technology will be
directly proportional to the number of platforms used in the
district.
Select software that offers the most flexibility and can be
used with other software and databases throughout the district.
Buy an educational package that can meet the needs of the entire
district rather than several small packages geared to specific
issues. Use software modules, for instance, that track test
results and student progress in all disciplines and grades.
5. Buy cautiously. Once you have identified preferred
technology solutions, you must perform due diligence in acquiring
a solution. Acquisition requires vendor assessment, product
testing and evaluation, site visits, cost analysis, and shrewd
negotiations.
Select vendors that have demonstrated staying power. Don't
make a significant investment without making sure the technology
is fully functional in another district. Minimize the number
of requested modifications and changes to the software; changes
only complicate the implementation process and increase the
cost of acquiring new versions in future years.
Buy -- don't build -- administrative applications. Most school
systems analysts and managers don't have the experience, skills,
and access to best practices that commercial software designers
do. Even if a district has outstanding employees who can design
a system, the knowledge and expertise needed to maintain the
system can be lost when those employees leave.
6. Manage organizational and technological change carefully.
Implementing new technology is tricky business. Most implementations
require a vast number of changes to the technology infrastructure.
These changes must be made in a way that protects existing technology
while providing adequate capacity for the new technology.
And then there are the issues of use: Support staff must have
the skills to use and operate the technology. Administrators
must become skilled users so they can model the use of the new
technology. And finally, to get the most benefit from the new
technology, it must be accompanied by changes in teaching methods,
business practices, and/or administrative techniques.
Start by deciding on a rate of technology change that the district
can handle. Verify the functionality and final cost of technology
before using it. Insist on site visits and discussions with
a variety of the vendor's customers.
Then invest in ongoing training for all staff members who will
use the technology. Training should represent at least 35 percent
of the cost of a project. Don't skimp on this: Failure to train
will almost surely lead to failure in the technology.
Overcommunicate, if necessary, the importance of new technology
projects and your support for them. Make sure administrators
use the new technology. (I've seen schools where administrators
refused to use the school's e-mail system and support technology
in general. It shouldn't have been a surprise when their teachers
didn't want to use technology in their classrooms.) Make sure
your managers are role models for the use of technology.
Insist that new technologies be accompanied by changes in teaching
methods and/or business practices. Implementing new technology
while doing things the way they have always been done benefits
no one. One district implemented a new e-mail system that had
the potential to reduce paperwork and speed communications between
the central office and the schools. But some upper-level managers
refused to use the new system, which kept it from working the
way it was intended.
7. Involve the entire staff in implementation. Implementation
encompasses the process of installing hardware and software,
developing new databases, converting data, adapting software
to the district, testing the software, and making sure the software
provides the functionality the district needs in a timely and
cost-efficient manner. Successful implementation requires the
staff's cooperation and leaders' careful attention.
Make sure a process is in place to implement the plan effectively.
Projects can fail because of poor implementation planning, weak
project management, and lack of technical skills. Staff should
be trained in project management and the new software and hardware
before it is implemented. Cross-functional teams should be used
to plan and implement projects. Such teams ensure that all affected
departments have input into the project-planning process, are
involved in solving problems, and are fully aware of their role
in the project.
Don't skimp on infrastructure investment. Many districts buy
software and then fail to implement an adequate network capability,
only to discover that bottlenecks keep the new software from
delivering as expected. Do what's necessary to make sure the
district's infrastructure can function with the new software.
8. Manage and support technology wisely. Once the technology
is in place, its functionality and ongoing availability depend
on the support, management, maintenance, and security of the
hardware and software systems. Teachers simply won't use a technology
if it doesn't function 30 percent of the time and if repairs
take weeks.
This means most districts have to make the transformation from
legacy-based operations and support -- where the sole purpose
is to maintain old systems and technology -- to a customer-service-oriented
approach that aims to implement and continually improve the
technology base of the district.
Invest in support staff. Some schools expect one technician
to support as many as 500 computers, a nearly impossible task
that forces teachers to wait three to four weeks for a computer
to be repaired. The number of technicians needed depends on
a number of factors, such as staff skills, technicians' skills
and responsibilities, software used, and reliability and age
of equipment; but in general, school districts should aim for
one technician for every 300 PCs.
Align responsibilities within one department. Some schools
make the mistake of placing technology under numerous individuals.
This almost always leads to wasted resources and ineffective
coordination. Don't split technology duties.
Insist on centralized control of technology decisions. Establish
an MIS steering committee to oversee and help make decisions.
Require your district administration to conduct a security audit
and design a security management plan. Make sure the district
uses a help-desk process to manage work orders and requests.
9. Assess and measure technology effectiveness. An ongoing
part of using technology effectively is assessing its effect
on student academic performance and administrative streamlining.
Insist on evaluations of technology in the classroom, business,
and administrative areas. Are projects being implemented at
the cost promised by staff? Are the predicted results being
produced? How much money and staff time are being spent on maintaining
and repairing computers? If the answers aren't satisfactory,
ask for recommendations and a plan for improving the effectiveness
of technology programs.
10. Hire the right people, and keep them motivated.
Hire people who have a vision for the use of technology in schools
-- and who can attract talented technology employees. Keep them
motivated with challenging assignments and opportunities for
continuous learning.
And keep an eye on your district's technology-management process
and practices. You can't just assume that everything is fine.
Assess your technology plan, management process, business practices,
and effectiveness. Require a review of the district's technology-management
processes and performance, and take action immediately to close
any gaps between the district's current approach and best practices.
Technology can be either a major catalyst for change or a waste
of valuable resources. It's your choice -- and it's your duty
to make sure the right decisions are made.
Steven C.
Pereus, author of Technology Management in Schools (Sheshunoff
Information Services, 2000), is president of School Improvement
Group in Toledo, Ohio. He can be reached at (419) 578-9408.
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