The Top 3 Tech Concerns Facing Private, Charter and Independent Schools

Concern No. 1: A Lack of Student Data Privacy

We know that parents may be concerned about how small schools handle their family’s personal and financial data. Because of that fear, some might be resistant to any form of digital transformation because student information might go off campus. However, small schools must allow digital transformation while also ensuring the protection of private information.

The fact is, providing students with the best education that prepares them to be tomorrow’s leaders requires some form of digital innovation. While no one knows what the future holds, we do know that our students will need to rely on an ever-changing array of technology. We must deploy the right digital solutions to prepare them for that future.

One way that schools can ease parents' worries is by making cybersecurity their top priority. While private, charter and independent schools tend to have very small IT teams that may have way too many fires to put out, they must design a robust cybersecurity strategy that can set them up for success. By communicating with all stakeholders and involving student councils, parent-teacher organizations, advisory councils and alumni groups, IT staff can create a multifaceted plan with a lot of buy-in.

No matter the size of a school’s staff, managing all cybersecurity tasks in house can be a big ask. So, schools should not hesitate to reach out to a trusted partner for help in tailoring the best cybersecurity solutions for their schools, staff and budget. Such solutions might include fully managed next-generation firewalls, advanced endpoint detection or even managed detection and response, where a highly trained team works hand in hand with a school’s team to watch over IT resources 24/7.

This might also mean choosing a partner that can offer security certifications for your IT teams that can be earned online. The options are endless; CDW can help you select the right combination of tools that best fits your school’s size.

DISCOVER: See how independent and private schools address cybersecurity threats.

Concern No. 2: Using Generative AI and Other Student Technology

While some parents might want to put the brakes on educational technology in the classrooms of private, charter and independent schools, others want to know their children are not being left behind with out-of-date ed tech.

Leaders at small schools have informed us that parents want their children to be able to use tools such as artificial intelligence, Adobe Creative Cloud or AutoCAD. That means student devices will need to be robust enough to handle these compute-intensive applications.

There may be debates over the use of generative AI as small schools strive to provide high-quality learning experiences through ed tech. However, the use of AI to create efficiency, shorten teacher prep time, assist with personalized learning or allow for virtual experiences not otherwise available in a small town or rural region are all reasons for such schools to optimistically embrace steps toward AI.

Once again, this will require that IT professionals work with others to develop a comprehensive plan. Instead of leaving educators to download sketchy apps they find on the internet, IT staff must work with their curriculum departments. CDW works with Learn21 to train schools on how to avoid dangerous apps.

By taking a cross-team approach, technology staff can understand what teachers’ and students’ learning needs are and then help them select the best software and hardware tools to achieve their goals.

Some schools purchase higher-power computers for teachers than for students. However, in some cases, it might be better for teachers and students to have the same type of machine. CDW, with its broad range of technology partners, can help you to select the right devices for your students and staff.

DIVE DEEPER: See how one charter school supports high-tech STEM learning.

Concern No. 3: A Need for Simplified School Safety Tools

Whether yours is a small, single-site parochial school or a larger, multicampus charter system, school safety is another concern that we all share — and there is some good news about this serious topic. School safety technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the past five years and is now easier to deploy and use. A comprehensive, modern physical security system would allow school security and front-desk staff to be nimble when addressing incidents on school grounds.

A well-integrated school safety system might include several technologies: a modern visitor management system, updated IP cameras, radio-frequency ID badges that restrict access to certain areas of the school, environmental sensors that can alert school staff to students vaping, and even digitized bell and pager systems. Such tools offer incredible flexibility and provide school staff with almost-immediate insights and notifications from multiple devices; some even send alerts directly to cellphones. Verkada offers powerful surveillance cameras and a security platform that is nonetheless simple to set up, and Kokomo 24/7’s unified security platform can integrate with several physical tools for easier management.

RELATED: More leaders find technology helps speed physical security responses for all.

While budgets can affect how quickly schools can move to implement these new technologies, schools do not have to take an all-or-nothing approach. They can start by filling the most urgent gaps in their school security and then add on more solutions over time. Again, this requires sitting down and making a plan, a budget and a timeline for implementation.

And although these top three concerns may seem disparate, they are not. They all require planning, communication and professional development around using the chosen solutions. Private, charter and independent schools cannot afford to put off addressing their cybersecurity, student technology and school safety needs.

Over the years, CDW has worked with large, medium-sized and small schools to address these areas of concern. We would be happy to help you chart a plan that includes selecting not only the right technologies but also the necessary professional development for a seamless adoption by the entire staff. Contact your account manager or the small-schools team at digitaledtech@cdw.com for more information.