March 2007 — Editorial
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Service Disagreement
One tech coordinator told me she realizes she needs help, and her vendor is the right person to turn to because “he has installed these products in other districts and has seen the changes the districts have gone through. The district tech coordinator can only give me tips.” Why doesn’t she hire the vendor to do just that? She said her bosses think the service should be free. “They said textbook publishers always give free training, [so] the technology guys should do the same.”Businesses are beginning to “get it,” even if some educators don’t. I talked to a testing company and three management system providers that were trying out various approaches. One was going to raise its prices to cover the cost of ongoing support—in effect, requiring the district to buy that support. Others were going to offer support as an extra service at an affordable price. All agreed that districts need help beyond learning the features and functions of their purchases; they need help with implementation, and the sweeping change that can result. Acknowledging the need is a first step, but solving it continues to be a much more difficult hurdle.
—Geoffrey H. Fletcher, Editorial director
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