Guide
Powering K-12 digital transformation
The 7 factors to achieving real innovation in schools.
Rapid advancements in technologies such as automation and AI are transforming the world of work — and education must change as well if K-12 leaders want to prepare students effectively for the future.
The skills that will be in highest demand over the next decade include digital and data literacy, creativity and collaboration.1 To help students develop these skills, K-12 leaders must leverage their investment in technology to transform teaching and learning for a new era.
Digital transformation is the integration of technology throughout all areas of education to fundamentally alter teaching, learning and school operations. It’s not tinkering around the edges. It’s making wholesale changes to the entire organization to drive systemic change. And it’s not just improving on old processes. It’s reimagining them to deliver more value to students and other stakeholders in ways we couldn’t envision just a generation ago.
Digital transformation requires several factors working together to be successful. Focusing on the technology alone won’t result in real, systemic change.
In school systems that have undergone a digital transformation, every student has access to a mobile device for learning and creating. Learning is student-driven, inquiry-based and collaborative. Students use technology to connect with peers and experts all over the world, research and solve problems, produce sophisticated works to demonstrate their learning and share their knowledge with a global audience.
In forward-thinking districts, technology has also transformed daily operations. Educators are using data to gain deeper insight into students’ precise learning needs. Administrators are using smart building infrastructure to manage facilities more effectively. Parents are using digital platforms to communicate with educators and follow their child’s progress.
But none of these changes happens in a vacuum. Most importantly, technology is only one piece of the puzzle. Digital transformation requires several factors working together to be successful. Focusing on the technology alone won’t result in real, systemic change.
Seven key elements of digital transformation
Here are 7 factors, which all work in conjunction, that are critical to the success of any digital transformation initiative.
1. Vision
You can’t arrive at your destination without a clear understanding of where that is. Ideally, your vision should be collaborative, formed with input from all stakeholder groups. It should articulate what teaching, learning and daily operations should look like and the specific changes technology will enable. Begin with the outcomes you hope to achieve, and build your vision around the practices that will help you achieve them.
2. Leadership
Strong leadership is needed to communicate the district’s vision and get stakeholders to buy in. Effective leaders set the agenda and keep the digital transformation moving forward. They maintain staff focus on the initiative’s goals and ensure that budgets and other resources are aligned to make these a reality.
3. Policy
School systems can’t change processes and systems without establishing new rules that allow these practices to flourish. Think about how you’ll ensure digital equity and student safety: Will you let students bring their own devices to school? Take school-issued devices home? What policies will you put in place to encourage responsible technology use, safeguard privacy, maintain data security and keep students safe online?
At its core, digital transformation is about the changes enabled by technology.
4. Funding
Sustaining a digital transformation requires stable, long-term funding. A common mistake that many districts make is failing to secure adequate funding beyond their initial investment in technology. Districts need to budget for ongoing maintenance, training and support, as well as regular equipment refresh cycles.
5. Professional development
Simply giving students a digital device won’t change instructional practices. Educators need training, mentoring and support to help students take advantage of technology’s potential. They need time to learn and explore new digital tools, hands-on coaching and ongoing support from peer networks. One-off workshops, with no follow-through to build on or reinforce this instruction, aren’t enough to make a difference.
6. Change management
Changing old habits can be hard. Even if educators buy into the reasoning behind a digital transformation, they might feel an emotional attachment to the practices of the past. They might feel overwhelmed. They might resist giving up some control in their classroom. They could be nervous about making mistakes or looking foolish in front of their students who are digital natives. Effective leaders use proven change management strategies to help faculty transform their practices, with structured support and opportunities for educators to experience small wins that build their confidence and lead to further change.
7. Technology
At its core, digital transformation is about the changes enabled by technology. It’s not about the technology itself. Yet, technology is obviously essential to the equation. It’s what makes these changes possible.
Technologies that power a digital transformation initiative
Just as these seven elements must work together to support change, the technologies that power a digital transformation must work in concert to drive innovation. Here are six essential technologies at the heart of any successful digital transformation initiative.
Devices
Putting a device in every student’s hands opens a world of possibilities. It connects students to a wealth of knowledge, empowers them to take charge of their own education and extends learning well beyond the classroom walls.
The type of device you buy for students — a laptop, tablet or hybrid device — should depend on how students will use it for learning and creating. If students will be doing a lot of writing, they should have access to a keyboard instead of tapping on a screen. Make sure the device you choose has a long enough battery life to get students through the school day, and make sure it’s rugged enough to withstand abuse. Consider not only the cost of the device and whether it has enough memory and processing speed for the activities students will be using it for, but also factors such as portability and boot-up time.
Think, too, about how you’ll roll out devices to students. Starting small, such as with a single grade level, and building upon that to give you a better chance of success. Make sure you provide equitable access to devices, and consider having extra on hand so that students can borrow a device if theirs is lost, stolen or damaged.
Content
Devices are powerful tools for accessing information, collaborating and creating new content, but students also need access to high-quality learning materials.
Whether these are commercial software programs or lessons that educators have created from open online content, the instructional materials that students use should be aligned with rigorous learning standards. They should also be interactive instead of just providing one-way instruction; otherwise, all you’ve done is replace a teacher’s lecture with a digital resource.
Many content providers are building AI and machine learning technologies into their products to create highly personalized learning paths for students. These adaptive software programs can very quickly identify the gaps in students’ understanding and deliver precisely targeted instruction to fill these gaps. As you invest in content, consider how AI and machine learning can support educators in personalizing instruction.
Digital tools and platforms
A learning management system (LMS) can serve as the central hub for digital teaching and learning in a school system, making it easy for educators to assign content and manage instruction. Students will also need apps, tools and platforms for connecting and collaborating with their peers online, creating original work and publishing their work for a global audience. And educators will need tools for giving feedback to students, assessing their learning and presenting information in visually powerful ways.
For instance, technologies such as augmented and virtual reality can help bring abstract concepts to life for students. Augmented reality layers computer- generated enhancements on top of existing reality, whereas virtual reality fully immerses students in a computer-generated environment. Both technologies allow students to experience places and phenomena that would be impractical or impossible for them to visit in the real world — such as touring the surface of Mars or exploring the ocean floor.
When acquiring digital content, tools and platforms, consider whether you want to host these technologies yourself or access them through the cloud. While there are advantages and challenges associated with either model, school systems that have moved key applications to the cloud found they were well positioned for a shift to remote learning amid the coronavirus threat.
Connectivity
A digital transformation initiative can quickly falter if there isn’t enough bandwidth to support it. Educators and students will stop using technology altogether if they have to wait for content to load.
Many school systems have found that their connectivity needs multiply exponentially when they commit to digital transformation. According to the nonprofit organization EducationSuperHighway, school districts should plan for internet bandwidth growth of between 50% and 100% each year.2 Even a 50% annual growth rate means that bandwidth is more than doubling every two years.
In their latest report on school connectivity, Connected Nation and Funds For Learning point out that 74% of all districts now meet or exceed the FCC’s recommended bandwidth goal of 1 Mbps per student. Yet, that means more than 3,300 districts still haven’t met this key benchmark, the organizations note.3
Network infrastructure
Bandwidth alone isn’t enough. School systems also need secure, reliable, high-speed networks to transmit all of the data used by students and staff. A district’s wide area network (WAN) should be designed with network redundancy to enable resiliency, so learning isn’t impacted by a network disruption event or equipment failure.
3,300 districts still haven’t met the FCC’s goal of 1 Mbps of bandwidth per student.4
Security
The number of cyberattacks on K-12 schools continues to rise. The K-12 Security Information Exchange (K12 SIX) has counted more than 1,330 publicly disclosed attacks on schools from 2016 to 2022, an indication of how serious an issue cybersecurity has become for education.5 Any digital transformation initiative should have safeguards in place to protect the integrity of student and staff information.
The cybersecurity measures you adopt should include a unified threat management (UTM) firewall, which creates a critical point of defense for school networks using multiple security strategies, as well as intrusion detection and prevention technologies. Consider investing in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) threat protection system as well, which provides advanced visibility into network activity and rapid response to volumetric DDoS threats in real time.
An experienced IT partner can help
Leading a digital transformation is fully possible, but it isn’t easy. There are a lot of moving parts to account for, and each has to be in synch with the others.
An experienced K-12 technology provider can help. A provider with a proven record of supporting digital transformation in schools can guide you through every step in the process. With a technology partner who is wholly invested in your success, you’re not alone on your journey.
Ideally, the partner you choose should be able to help with your network, security and connectivity needs. A single technology provider adds simplicity, efficiency and value to your digital transformation project.
When a K-12 digital transformation is successful, learning improves in powerful ways that benefit all stakeholders. Students explore content more deeply and learn critical 21st century skills, educators are able to help students reach their full potential, administrators can run their schools more effectively and parents feel more connected to their child’s education.
Learn how Spectrum Enterprise can help with your digital transformation.
1. “The Top 10 Most In-Demand Skills for the Next 10 Years,” Forbes, Aug. 22, 2022.
2. “K-12 Bandwidth Goals,” EducationSuperHighway.
3. “2023 Report on School Connectivity,” Connected Nation and Funds For Learning.
4. Ibid.
5. “The State of K-12 Cybersecurity: 2022 Year in Review,” K-12 Security Information Exchange.
