Information technology instructors are the backbone of many K-12 schools. They often operate as both instructors and tech support gurus, and they’re key to keeping increasingly digital schools running smoothly.
The fifth annual K-12 IT Leadership Survey conducted by the Consortium for School Networking, a professional association dedicated to education technology leaders, offers insights into the shifting priorities, struggles and demographics of the IT position. The latest survey, based on responses from 495 participants, reveals ten key findings in the sector:
- “Mobile learning” is the top priority for IT Leaders, followed by “mobile and network security.”
- Cybersecurity and privacy are of increasing concern, with 62 percent of IT Leaders rating the issues more important than the prior year.
- Budget constraints ranked as the top challenge for the third straight year.
- Only 13 percent of IT Leaders report staffing is matched to needs.
- Districts are moving to "single sign-on" approaches, where multiple systems can use the same password on.
- More than a third of IT Leaders express no interest in Bring Your Own Device initiatives—compared to 20 percent in 2014.
- General interest in open education resources is high—79 percent of respondents indicated OER is part their district’s digital content strategy.
- IT leaders are experienced—73 percent have worked in the K-12 education technology field for more than ten years.
- Lack of racial diversity among chief technology officers continues to be an issue. Ninety percent of IT leaders identify as white, the same percentage as the prior year.
- CTOs are well-educated. Seventy-seven percent of IT leaders have some college beyond a Bachelor’s, and 61 percent hold Master’s degrees.
