School CIO: ROI


It's 8 A.M. Do you know where your textbooks are? All school districts, whether serving fewer than 900 students or more than 40,000, must keep track of inventory. Textbooks are among the most challenging items to monitor
Student scores rise with teachers' use of video resource When teachers receive high quality professional instruction, does it directly affect their students’ learning and test scores? That’s the question many schools want to answer - before they invest scarce resources in professional development programs.
Cinncinati schools gain bandwidth, save money with WAN management system At CPS, preserving access to education-related content and applications has always been a priority. But, notes Network Administrator Paul Wright, “Our bandwidth resources were being absorbed by file-sharing requests.”
Rhode Island District saves money, time and space with zero-client software “In K-12, IT staffing can be a huge issue for us because each tech is responsible for supporting around 650 PCs. This isn’t a formula for success,” said Mark Lamson, director of technology for the Westerly Public School District. Electrical distribution and space are also issues, Lamson added.
Computer system overhaul yields $60,000 savings in one month Based in Indianapolis, Ind., the GEO Foundation has worked statewide to improve public education since 1998. The foundation helped foster support for Indiana's current charter school law and now sponsors three charter schools in Indiana and Colorado, with a total of more than 1,300 students.
Ohio schools add wind energy, save thousands per year Like many K-12 districts, Perkins Local Schools in Sandusky, Ohio, contended with an outdated and inefficient infrastructure. The district’s boiler plant dated back to the 1920s, for instance, and needed an overhaul. Numerous building envelope repairs were required to prevent air loss.
The Challenge of Coordinating District-wide Communications The great American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein once said that technique is communication; to conductors the two words are synonymous. For school executives and administrators who are orchestrating communications across their districts, technology is communication; and their ability to piece together the right array of technological solutions in a time of tight budgets is likely to determine whether they’ll be applauded or have to face the music generated by disconcerted constituents. It’s not an easy task.
ROI in Less than One Year with Systems Software Academy School District 20 of Colorado Springs serves 22,000 students and is one of the largest and oldest school districts in Colorado.Because of the district's location, fast-growing city and large physical layout, ASD20's IT staff, in charge of managing 30 servers and more than 8,000 computers, found that its imaging, license tracking and help desk processes were unable to properly manage the district's evolving systems.
The Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia designs new print environment Sometimes, it’s just great to get a fresh start. At The Episcopal Academy in suburban Philadelphia, aging facilities were threatening to hold the schoolback. Buildings were in need of renovation. A hodgepodge of unreliable printers left students andteachers frustrated. In
New Jersey Students Master Technologies, School District Saves Money Like most educators facing tight fiscal times, Dr. Thomas Gant is always looking to maximize his budget dollars while still providing students with the latest technology to enhance their learning.As the supervisor of education technology for the Tabernacle (N.J.) School
Managing textbooks to increase accountability K 12 school districts nationwide are adopting Follett Software’s Destiny Textbook Manager to help increase accountability and control over annual investments in textbooks. Destiny Textbook Manager, a centralized, browser based system, is now in over 11,000 schools. Officials at Plainfield
Philadelphia school makes cost-effective new print environment Eager to update its campus technology, the PreK 12 Episcopal Academy (Philadelphia, PA) worked with HP to plan a flexible, cost effective print environment as part of its new campus developments.For some time, the academy’s buildings were highly in need
Western Wayne SD chooses thin clients In efforts to keep up its strategic use of technology in classrooms, the Western Wayne School District (Northeast PA) has announced that it will implement Wyse Technology thin clients. Western Wayne received a “Schools of Excellence in Technology” award in
Hampton City School District chooses business intelligence software Hampton City School District (VA) recently started using business intelligence (BI) software from Noetix Corp. to give technical analysts and other administrators the ability to locate data required to create BI reports more easily.With 23 elementary, six middle and four
Free virtualization assessment CDW Government, Inc. (CDW G), source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, has announced an assessment services offering that enables qualifying K 12 schools, higher education institutions and government agencies to consider the potential benefits of server
Idaho schools saves money, reduces energy with Faronics' PowerSave Coeur D'Alene School District (ID) was looking for ways to save money on its energy bill. With over 10,000 students and 1,300 staff members, the district had about 4,000 workstations operating on Microsoft Windows XP. Bryan Martin, the district's Director
Clovis USD chooses thin clients for 1:1 With over 37,500 students in 42 schools, the Clovis Unified School District’s goal of 1 1 computing for students is ambitious, to say the least. The district, located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, is coming closer to achieving its goal
TN school finds new tool to better organize data Finding it difficult to evaluate school performance for the No Child Left Behind Act, the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) turned to PASW Modeler data mining software from SPSS Inc. to find a better way to organize information and
SCW program gives cash back to education customers Southern Computer Warehouse (SCW) has launched a “Red, White & You” rewards program that will give government and education clients cash back on all purchases. Joseph Gabriel, chief executive officer of SCW, explains that the goal of the program is
The Digital Dashboard by Lane Mills You can access your district's key performance indicators at a glance.
Crafting Service Level Agreements, Part 2 by Sheila Riley Ten more tips for getting it right.
Crafting a Service-level Agreement, Part 1 by Sheila Riley Eight tips for getting it right.
The Fine Print by T&L Editors Inkjet or laser? Choosing the wrong printer type for your district's schools can mean money down the drain.
A CIO Story by Amy Poftak Boston Public Schools' Kim Rice is changing the role of technology in her community, one customer at a time.
Linux's Education Push by Ed Moltzen When it comes to desktop PCs, schools could be the first, real place where Linux grabs hold.
Working to Expectations: The Toughest CIO Challenge by Mike Cuddy Achieving clear goals and deliverables is the easy part of the job. It's the intangible expectations that throw off even good technology managers.
Google To Let Organizations Create Custom Searches by Thomas Claburn Custom Search Engine lets users optimize Google on their own sites and share revenue from the searches.
How to Shop for a SAN by Dave Raffo Storage negotiating tips from an education IT director who knows.
Two VoIP Alternatives by Jennifer Hagendorf Follett Smaller IP telephony companies fill an important niche.
Assessing Your Assets by Patricia A. Holub Systems for tracking and managing IT assets can save time and dollars.
Bandwidth Quandary Looms for Districts by Christopher Heun Schools' increasing reliance on network applications is coming up against a critical issue: not enough bandwidth.
Performance Pays by Lindsay Oishi Between implementing a teacher pay-for-performance system and organizing the CIOs of his state, Ed Freeman of Denver Public Schools is a busy man.
10 Tips for Coping with E-Rate Audits by Sheila Riley Pass your audit with flying colors.
Improve Your Bottom Line by Susan Brooks-Young ROI tips for educators.
Tame Your SLAs by J.W. Olsen Solutions for understanding and managing software licensing agreements.
Virtualization Delivers Cost-Saving Lesson by Sharon Gaudin How one school turned to virtual software as an alternative to a costly data center buildout.
7 Reasons You Need Web Conferencing by Phil Britt It's cheap, it's easy, and it saves money. Top experts tell why you need it now.
Growing Pains for Managed Services by Lawrence M. Walsh 98 percent of managed services is chaotic, new research reveals.
12 Tips for Better RFPs by Sheila Riley Battle-tested strategies for managing the request for proposal process.
The Proof is in the Processes by C. Jackson Grayson, Jr. The missing link in improving K-12 education and meeting NCLB goals is process management.
14 Tips for Negotiating Software Agreements by Sheila Riley Avoid contractual mishaps and get the biggest bang for your buck.
Dealing with Rapid Growth by Lindsay Oishi Ernie Stripling sees a large influx of students as an opportunity to transform IT in his district.
Indiana's Open-Source Experiment by Matt Villano A status report on the largest Linux rollout in K-12 history.
Beyond Open Source by Matt Villano According to Jim Hirsch, open technology, not open source, is the wave of the future.
Does Technology Pay? Investing wisely takes discipline. by Michael Simkins Before your district parts with those precious dollars for the latest technology, consider how -- and if -- that purchase will translate to better classroom instruction.
Open Arms for Open Source by Matt Villano Why Sharon Betts of Maine School Administrative District 52 is embracing open technologies.
Q&A: Gerald Crisci by Matt Villano Measuring value, one dollar at a time
The ROI of VoIP by Matt Villano Everybody says VoIP saves big bucks. But does it?
The ABCs of Technology Leasing by Robb Aldridge Buy or lease? When it comes to technology, leasing might be a good fit for your district.
Measuring What Matters by Peter Robertson Performance measures can boots IT efficiencies, generate buy-in from stakeholders, and improve technology's impact on teaching and learning. But you have to do it right.
The Art of the Technology Contract: Five Tips by Jo Campbell Assistant superintendent and seasoned technology buyer Jo Campbell shares her thoughts on coming to terms with vendors.
Breaking the Use It or Lose It Cycle by Todd McIntire Six strategies for curbing undisciplined end-of-year technology spending
Enough to Go Around? Budget and TCO Tool Kit by Todd McIntire The Changing Financial Landscape The past four years have seen a precipitous decline in funding for school technology programs. According to Quality Education Data, spending on instructional technology peaked at $8.36 billion in the 1998-99 school year, falling by more than half a billion dollars each year for the
T&L Announces the 2009 Awards of Excellence Winners Tech & Learning magazine named 65 education technology products as winners in its prestigious 27-year-old recognition program.