Technology Planning | News

CoSN Offers Title I Toolkit for Tech Leaders

• By Leila Meyer
• 06/10/14

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and the National Title I Association (NASTID) have developed a new toolkit for education technology leaders to help them strengthen their relationship with District Title I directors and develop successful educational technology initiatives.

The report, "Rethinking Equity in a Digital Era: Forging a Strong Partnership Between District Title I and Technology Leaders," includes background on Title I, a list of key factors for successful educational technology implementations, a discussion guide for technology planning in Title I programs and tips for improving collaboration between the Title I director and district chief technology officer. The toolkit also includes case studies of three Title I districts that have successfully implemented educational technology initiatives.

"Title I directors are responsible for helping schools reach all of their students with a high quality education. Technology has become an essential tool to make that happen," said Bob Harmon, CEO of NASTID, in a prepared statement. "This toolkit will enable educational leaders, through connections to both Title I and CoSN, to integrate best practices using more of the tools they need to close the achievement gap."

Topics covered in the toolkit's discussion guide include:

• Maintaining consistency between technology initiatives and the district's technology plan;
• Planning educational technology initiatives based on goals for teaching and learning;
• Supporting educators through professional development;
• Providing adequate IT infrastructure; and
• Addressing the issue of digital access outside of school.

The toolkit also includes information about Connect2Compete, digital equity in other countries, guidelines for using federal funding and the importance of community engagement.

The toolkit is available as a free PDF download from CoSN's site.