Special Report
IT Infrastructure & Management

Interoperability: Tips to Consider, Mistakes to Avoid

By Sean Cavanagh & Benjamin Herold — October 30, 2018 2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

District tech leaders offered the following practical advice to their K-12 peers who are trying to move toward data interoperability. Doing so has implications not only for a district’s tech systems, but also for the work of its administrators, teachers, and students.

Focus on the why. Interoperability can be a confusing, off-putting term for non-techies. But just about everyone cares about security, data privacy, and getting actionable information into the hands of teachers and principals. In your internal and external messages, cut through the jargon and focus on the practical reasons the district is pursuing this goal.

Notch some quick wins. Moving toward interoperability is a long process. District leaders can build buy-in among skeptical teachers and administrators by showcasing early examples of how data-sharing efforts in the district are helping them do their jobs more effectively.

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Many districts are working on interoperability, and standard-setting groups like IMS Global and Ed-Fi are working with K-12 systems and vendors. Other organizations and online communities are sharing resources on this issue.

Understand your local context. Your district’s academic goals, culture, organizational structure, existing vendors, and current reporting requirements will all influence what types of interoperability matter most to you. Adjust your interoperability strategy and priorities accordingly.

Don’t think of interoperability as focused only on technology. District leaders should think about the broader academic, administrative, and other goals they’re trying to accomplish, and ways in which seamless data-sharing can contribute. “Start with the student and work your way back,” one CTO said.

About This Report

This Education Week examination of school districts’ pursuit of interoperability is the first of three special reports focused on the needs of K-12 district technology leaders, including chief technology officers. Each report in the series features exclusive results of a new, nationally representative survey of CTOs, conducted by the Consortium for School Networking, which represents K-12 district technology officials.

Work as a team. If the push for data interoperability is coming just from the technology department, it probably won’t go very far. Academics, accountability, HR, and operations departments are often deeply involved in the most successful efforts.

Accept that there will be tension between urgent needs and long-term goals. Districts tech leaders will want to pursue interoperability deliberately and thoughtfully, to get it right. But there will also be pressure to act quickly to fix long-standing problems with siloed data and outdated approaches. That’s why achieving “quick wins” can help convince district officials you’re on the right path. “You’ve got to keep that momentum going,” said one CTO, “and keep people on the path with you.”

Sean Cavanagh
Sean Cavanagh is an associate editor at Education Week who reports on technology and business trends in K-12 education. He is also a senior editor for EdWeek Market Brief. Follow him on Twitter at @EdWeekSCavanagh or contact him at scavanagh@epe.org.

 Benjamin Herold
Benjamin Herold has covered technology for Education Week since 2013, writing about issues such as cybersecurity, data privacy, personalized learning, and teens and social media. Ben and Education Week Staff Writer Arianna Prothero teamed up on a 2016 investigation of full-time online charter schools, which won first prize for investigative reporting from the Education Writers Association. Follow Ben on Twitter @BenjaminBHerold or email him at bherold@epe.org.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

IT Infrastructure & Management One Solution to Maintaining 1-to-1 Devices? Pay Students to Repair Them
Hiring students to help with the repair process is one way school districts are ensuring the sustainability of their 1-to-1 programs.
4 min read
Sawyer Wendt, a student intern for the Altoona school district’s IT department, repairs a Chromebook.
Sawyer Wendt, who's been a student intern for the Altoona district's tech department since junior year, is now studying IT software development in college.
Courtesy of Jevin Stangel, IT technician for the Altoona school district
IT Infrastructure & Management Schools Get Relief on Chromebook Replacements. Google Extends Device Support to 10 Years
Schools have typically had to replace Chromebooks every three to five years.
4 min read
Photo of teacher working with student on laptop computer.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
IT Infrastructure & Management What We Know About District Tech Leaders, in Charts
Male chief technology officers in K-12 tend to come from technological backgrounds while most female tech leaders are former teachers.
1 min read
Illustration concept of leadership, using wooden cut-out figures and arrows.
Liz Yap/Education Week via Canva
IT Infrastructure & Management How Schools Can Avoid Wasting Money on Technology
A district leader shares ways to ensure ed-tech tools are worth the investment.
2 min read
Illustration of laptop with checklist on the screen
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty