More than just using an online form or paying bills through a financial management system, a well-planned deployment of EdTech solutions is essential to serve our districts efficiently and responsibly.
Consider for a moment the various EdTech options for student information management, financial management, file storage, bus routing, classroom cleaning, facilities scheduling, maintenance planning, board and committee meeting agendas, and, finally, public engagement and communication platforms, all of which are critical to a school district’s serving its community and leading student success. This list is only preliminary. Join the discussion on ASBO International’s Global School Business Network to learn about “back office” and other K–12 EdTech opportunities.
Planning, implementing, and evaluating EdTech to support student success can be daunting. Implementation can overlap with critical routine processes, such as managing payroll, creating a master schedule, or training employees unfamiliar with technology. I have seen outstanding implementations of EdTech and implementations that fell short or missed initial expectations. Based on successful implementations, the following five steps are critical to implementing “back office” EdTech.
1. Identify Your Current Problem and Desired Outcome
EdTech cannot be expected to single-handedly solve workflow problems, increase efficiencies, or enhance programs and operations in your district. Before beginning the process of acquiring and implementing an EdTech solution, gather stakeholders with various perspectives from diverse roles to review how processes and other functions are completed. For example, if you are considering a maintenance work order system, include users at all levels, from administrators and faculty to support staff and custodians.
Begin the process with a review of your organization’s operations and make necessary corrections. Next, identify each person’s role in the process with the goal of improving accountability and eliminating redundancy on noncritical functions, such as approving payroll or purchase orders.
Often, districts seek to implement EdTech to improve a homegrown technology in a shared drive or spreadsheet, which may no longer be useful. Identifying that technology in advance will allow the focus to shift to specific needs.
Set clear expectations for the outcome, as well as measurable milestones based on input from a diverse team of stakeholders.
2. Develop a Proposal
When preparing a proposal for an EdTech vendor, include specific information concerning your needs and expectations of the vendor’s product. Consider a request for proposals (RFP) on a student information system (SIS). The proposal should specifically build on the workflow review and identify the flow of information and current third-party platforms. If your district is seeking a third-party platform for communicating to families, mapping out your retention and updates of student information in your SIS is essential.
Another consideration at this step is to break out nonessential functions and include them as alternatives rather than as part of a package. For example, a comprehensive human resources management system may be ideal.
However, if the biggest need is to track absence data to manage substitute coverage, that may be the first module to deploy, following up with the time clock and other human resource management solutions. This strategy not only will not overwhelm the project team, but also will allow employees to become comfortable with the new procedures and technology.
EdTech cannot be expected to single-handedly solve workflow problems, increase efficiencies, or enhance programs and operations in your district.
3. Review Vendor Submissions
In evaluating the proposals, using a team approach to review, assess, and provide feedback is critical. My [former] district recently deployed a student wellness, safety, and emergency management platform. A variety of district stakeholders were at the table, as were external law enforcement officials and a neighboring regional vocational education school, which provided insight into how this platform compared with its safety plan. They also expressed concern for students, in particular students at the secondary level, who are off campus for part of the day.
A team review of submissions with opportunities for constructive stakeholder feedback will lead to a more informed decision. The more review, discussion, and opportunities for data collection based on the proposals’ merits, the higher the probability that the selected vendor not only will meet your district’s needs but also will understand those needs the vendor cannot currently fulfill but may be able to in future enhancements.
4. Implement a Plan
Implementation is where “the rubber hits the road.” Because EdTech often overlaps current solutions, during implementation, critical data must be duplicated and the workflow updated accordingly to ensure data integrity. Planning and establishing a schedule with key milestones will ensure that the implementation is manageable and leads from step 1 to the desired outcome.
Training is vital to success. Training does not take place just once, but is ongoing to meet end user needs. Consider the training necessary for EdTech to provide initial understanding, followed by information on product improvements and enhancements. Leading a team to implement a multiyear budget and forecasting model, the EdTech company’s successful model included not just an adviser to contact but an adviser who took the initiative to set up check-ins following implementation to gather feedback on the product and to discuss enhancements.
Even more beneficial for ongoing training is a vendor who leverages remote meeting technology; this was [my former district’s] solution for budget forecasting before the COVID-19 pandemic. The vendor made remote meetings a norm and brought together key stakeholders to discuss and review their application of the product and to train and solicit feedback on the program.
This approach was a win for both the client and the vendor; the client could provide feedback, and the vendor could respond even while collecting similar data from other clients to explore trends. The vendor was able to scale the venture to serve more clients, as well as to provide clients with more enhancements and improvements, including artificial intelligence, which was rolled out by this product in 2018.
5. Evaluate the Implementation
After implementation is complete, a regular evaluation can serve any of three purposes: (1) to assess the impact and track outcomes, (2) to track return on investment, and (3) to determine the next steps for the team.
For example, for a district implementing an application for student mental health, disaggregated data can be extracted and reviewed. Key data points include the use of statistics, as well as data indicating the need for additional programs and support for successful outcomes.
A second evaluation should assess the return on investment. Regular evaluation of the academic return on investment (AROI) can help a district prioritize, particularly if the EdTech was purchased with one-time funding sources. Calculating the AROI is essential to statistically assess the project’s outcome measurements against the budget and also to link the initial desired outcome to the strategic planning objectives.
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Training does not take place just once, but is ongoing to meet end user needs.
Finally, the implementation team should consider new team members or a rotation of members along with subsequent check-in milestones moving forward. Renewal time lines and other factors should be taken into account as the team seeks to ensure consistent communication and to respond to end user and other stakeholder feedback.
What Lies Ahead
In its report Driving K–12 Innovation, CoSN summarizes the continuing evolution and implementation of EdTech as an opportunity to change K–12 for the better. EdTech will continue to have a role not only in “back office” operations but also in the ongoing work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as in refining hybrid learning experiences for students and staff.
Finance and operations leaders in schools strive to ensure that the maximum resources are allocated for student success; back-office EdTech supports those goals.