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How to Use Your Website and Social Media to Attract Teachers and Staff

by Jess Cook & Dr. Roland Rios
written by Jess Cook & Dr. Roland Rios

The United States is currently facing a significant teacher shortage, with many districts struggling to attract and retain qualified teachers and staff. In such a competitive environment, it’s crucial for K12 administrators to market their school or district effectively to stand out from the crowd. One of the most effective ways you can recruit well is by leveraging your website and social media platforms to showcase your school’s unique offerings and values.

In today’s digital age, your website and social media play an increasingly important role in your school marketing efforts. These platforms allow you to connect with potential teachers and staff and provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions about where to work.

Let’s explore some specific ways you can leverage your website and social media to attract and retain teachers and staff.

1. Create a Recruitment Landing Page

Use your website and social media to highlight your school’s unique culture, values, and mission. Most schools only include a link from their homepage to open positions, which leaves potential candidates with too little information about the school culture and personality. You can improve upon this experience by creating a recruitment landing page on your school website and linking to that instead.

How to build a recruitment landing page:

  • Create a separate page on your website for staff recruitment. Link to it from your home page and social media profiles.
  • Share stories and testimonials from current and former teachers and staff. This gives potential candidates an inside look into what it’s like to work at your school. 
  • Highlight events and activities that showcase your school’s values and mission.
  • Share photos and videos of your school’s facilities and classrooms. 
  • Include a link to your online application system. 

Need some inspiration? Here is a sample recruitment landing page that may inspire you.

sample recruitment landing page; teacher recruitment
Sample Recruitment Landing Page

2. Use Job Listings and Application Tools

Make it easy for candidates to apply for open positions by using your website to post job listings and provide online application tools. Help make posting open positions and recruiting a breeze by finding a web hosting provider with an online job posting module. 

Job posting tips:

  • Be sure to include information about the application process, including any required documents and deadlines. 
  • Make every element of the application digital, including form uploads, to save candidates time.
  • Include information about other requirements your school has for employees, such as attending Open House or working the gates at athletic events.
  • Include a listing of employee benefits as well so that candidates know the full compensation beyond your salary scale.

Need some inspiration? Here is a sample job description page.

Job description; teacher recruiting
Sample Job Description Page

3. Highlight Professional Development Opportunities

Professional development (PD) is crucial in attracting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff. Prospective job candidates want to know that your district invests time and resources in its teachers. 

Ideas for showcasing PD opportunities:

  • Use your website and social media to highlight the professional development opportunities your school offers, including workshops, conferences, and mentoring programs. 
  • Highlight the benefits of these opportunities, such as the chance to learn new skills, network with other educators, and career advancement. 
  • Post web stories and social media posts often and regularly to highlight these PD opportunities. 
  • Using a web hosting service that allows you to cross post information to your website and social media at the same time will lighten the load with this task.

4. Share Benefits and Perks

Use your website and social media to highlight the benefits and perks of working at your school. Benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition reimbursement can be powerful tools in attracting top talent to your school or district. 

Ways to highlight job benefits:

  • Be sure to provide detailed information about each benefit and perk, and make it easy for potential candidates to apply for these benefits. 
  • Include any and all programs that your school employs to take care of its teachers and staff. Is Friday a jeans day? Let them know that! Does your PTA annually sponsor a wellness manicure session day? Tell the world.
  • Post photos and stories of your current staff members enjoying those perks (Free Coffee Fridays, Spirit Week Dress-Up Days, Volunteer Time Off, etc.) to your social media channels.

5. Engage with Potential Candidates

Use social media to engage with potential candidates and answer their questions about working at your school. Use the “social” element of social media to make this a two-way communication platform.

Way to use social media to engage prospective teachers:

  • Consider hosting Q&A sessions or virtual job fairs to give candidates an opportunity to connect with current staff and learn more about your school. 
  • If a potential candidate posts a question and gets a quick reply, it will show them that your district is sincere about wanting to recruit qualified candidates.
  • If you’re hosting a job fair or other large recruitment event, or if you’ll be attending a similar event at a local university, be sure to publicize this far and wide.

6. Leverage Your Website’s SEO

You can leverage your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) to attract and recruit high-quality teachers and staff by identifying the keywords that potential candidates might use when searching for teaching positions in your area. 

How to use SEO for recruitment:

  • Come up with a list of common search phrases such as “teaching jobs in [your city],” “K12 employment opportunities,” or “best school districts to work for in [your state].” 
  • Once you have identified these keywords, incorporate them strategically into your website’s content, job listings and descriptions, and landing pages. 
  • By optimizing your website’s SEO, you can increase your online visibility, reach a wider audience, and ultimately attract and recruit top-tier talent to your school district. 

Need some inspiration? For more information on website SEO enhancement, see Edlio’s Guide to SEO for Schools ebook.

edlio's guide to seo for schools; teacher recruitment
Edlio’s Guide to SEO for Schools ebook

7. Get Everyone Involved in Your Recruitment Efforts

Recruitment should not be solely left to your human resources or administrative teams. In “How Google Works,” authors Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenburg state,

“…the job of finding people belongs to everyone, and this fact needs to be woven into the fabric of the company. Recruiters can manage the process, but everyone should be recruited into recruiting.” 

How to get everyone involved in the process:

  • Quality recruitment should be a whole team effort. 
  • Encourage your current staff to share their experiences working at your school on social media. Consider featuring these posts on your website and reposting them to your own social media.
  • Start a referral program to encourage current staff to bring in friends or colleagues from other areas. You can even give them a small prize, like some school swag, if their referral is hired.

8. Harness the Power of Technology in Recruitment

Finding the right web hosting partner can help in your school’s recruitment efforts. Edlio is a premiere K12 communications solution that can help schools and districts effectively market themselves to potential teachers and staff. 

Here’s how we do it:

  • Edlio’s website builder and content management system make it easy to create a professional and engaging website that showcases your school’s unique culture, values, and offerings. 
  • Our social media management tools also allow schools to easily manage and schedule social media content, engage with potential candidates, and promote job listings. 
  • Our online forms allow you to collect information and document uploads for job postings, and we even have a built-in job listings page module you can use.

By leveraging Edlio’s communication tools, K12 administrators can effectively market their school or district and attract and retain top talent in today’s competitive education landscape. Edlio is also proud to be a TCEA Silver Sponsor, where we provide free resources to members helping them advance teaching and learning through the use of technology. For more information about Edlio, visit us at www.edlio.com.

Want to learn more? Don’t miss TCEA and Edlio’s Partner Webinar, “If You Boost It, They Will Come: Using Your Website for Teacher Recruitment,” on March 2, 2023 at 11:45 a.m. Central! Edlio will share tips and tricks that are easily adaptable for educators regardless of which web solution you’re using.

Register Now!
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Good Teaching

Modern Classrooms Project: How to Launch a Modern Classroom

by Jim Flanagan, The Modern Classrooms Project
written by Jim Flanagan, The Modern Classrooms Project

Have you heard about the teacher-led, grassroots, ed tech model growing locally and nationally known as the Modern Classrooms Project (MCP)? This nonprofit organization leads a movement of educators in implementing a blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model that is adaptable to all classrooms. MCP’s model is designed to support students with a high diversity of learning levels and social-emotional needs by leveraging technology to create greater personalization and connection in classrooms. Created by educators who saw the shortcomings of our system’s one-size-fits-all approach to education, the MCP model is structured in an easy-to-understand format that any teacher can implement in their classroom. 

What Is the MCP Instructional Model?

The best way to learn about the model is to watch this short explainer video and this five-minute video produced by Edutopia.

Any educator can discover MCP’s core practices by enrolling in the comprehensive Free Online Course that has already empowered over 45,000 educators worldwide. Those wanting to dive deeper and receive support from an expert mentor can enroll in the Virtual Mentorship Program (VMP). Individual enrollment is available, or schools, districts, or states can partner with MCP to offer the VMP to teachers who opt in. MCP also has Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter communities where questions are answered, and tips, techniques, and resources are shared among educators.   

A teacher working with a student at Game Development Design School (GDDS).

An Example of the Impact

In Texas, over 2,000 teachers have enrolled in the free course or VMP. During the spring of 2021, leaders at the Game Development Design School (GDDS) at Burleson ISD led a school-wide implementation of the model. You can read about their experience and results (teaser alert: STAAR scores improved!). According to Crystal Deaver, GDDS Principal,

“With this model, we’ve been allowed to take good teachers and make them great. And those great teachers move even higher. It also allows the administration and leadership team to grow and become better instructional coaches and instructional leaders on our campus. Ultimately, it allows our students to grow, and our scores show it.”  

MCP at TCEA 2023

I will attend the 2023 TCEA Convention & Exposition, along with Crystal Deaver, and we will be available to share more about the MCP model. If you would like to schedule a time to connect, contact me at jim.flanagan@modernclassrooms.org. For now, I’ll leave you with a few additional perspectives from educators and administrators, across all grade levels and demographics, on what makes the MCP model unique, accessible, and impactful.

Quote: “The Modern Classrooms Project has transformed my teaching practice and re-energized and inspired me to continue in the profession. If you've gotten ‘good enough’ at the I Do, We Do, You Do traditional model, but feel like it's not helping you meet the needs of all your learners .... check out the Modern Classrooms Virtual Mentorship Program.”
Quote: “This training is highly valuable and usable in the classroom. It combines elements of Culturally Responsive Teaching as well as standards-based grading to create a cohesive system to help students achieve.”
Quote: “The Modern Classrooms Project has changed my outlook on how innovative education can truly be. Implementing this model has allowed me to get to know my students personally and connect to them at a level that helps them thrive inside of the classroom and out. I am able to give students real-time feedback and they are mastering math content in ways that promote their own reflection, growth, and goal-setting.”
Quote: “The Virtual Mentorship Program was the most efficient way to educate a large number of teachers. This is the best professional learning that our teachers have received! The course has completely transformed instruction for many of our teachers.”
Quote: “This training is NECESSARY to meet the needs of all of our students. We as teachers always feel like we don't have enough time in the day, enough space at our small group table, enough patience, just ENOUGH to really make a difference to all of our students, especially during this pandemic when the variety of academic levels has increased so significantly. This program really allows us to do that in a way that is engaging and fun for kids.”

 

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CTO/CIOEducational ResearchEducational TrendsLeadership

Speak Up Research on Ed Tech From Project Tomorrow

by Dr. Julie A. Evans
written by Dr. Julie A. Evans

It is well-known that in response to the pandemic many aspects of our social, economic, and professional lives changed overnight. From working remotely from home to buying groceries online and having our pharmacy prescriptions delivered, we adopted new ways of doing everyday activities. And it appears that many of these new behaviors are here to stay. The reason? People like the convenience, flexibility, and effectiveness of these innovations.     

How Did the Pandemic Change Schools?

The same is true for our schools. The pandemic resulted in a seismic shock to the traditional school paradigm. To support continuity of learning, school districts provisioned unprecedented numbers of personally assigned tablets, laptops, and Chromebooks for students to use to log into virtual classes, access online learning materials, and facilitate communications with teachers and classmates.

Though far from perfect, this great national experiment in virtual learning yielded new insights into our current education systems and produced some “ah-hah” moments for educators interested in using technology more effectively within learning.  As reported in the Speak Up® Research findings from Project Tomorrow®, school districts now have a greater focus on the home Internet connectivity challenges in their community, and thus, are now doubling down on mobile hotspots, wifi in school parking lots, and partnering with local businesses and libraries to provide Internet access points for students. 

Teachers developed new skills using technology during that time, not just to engage students in learning but as a learning platform, and that has changed their perspective on the potential of technology within learning.  Parents acquired a more in-depth awareness of their child’s education and school-based learning life from that kitchen table view of school.  

What Does the Research Say?

Despite these important lessons learned, there was initially a nostalgic pull by some to revert to the way schools traditionally looked and functioned in February 2020. But that goal is not realistic or even possible today. Just as the banks, grocery stores, and medical providers are leaning into the new behaviors of their consumers, so must our schools. 

Educators are increasingly coming to that same resolution as we start to put the pandemic in the rear-view window. According to 89% of district administrators on the Speak Up Research surveys from the 2021-22 school year, the pandemic and the resulting disruptions to traditional education have significantly and sustainably changed K-12 education. The steps undertaken to support continuity of learning have left an indelible mark on the ways teachers teach, parents engage, administrators lead, and students learn.

This long tail of the pandemic and the resulting shifts to more technology-based instruction have forever changed our schools. Many educators are already capitalizing on this “moment in time” to implement new innovations to address the vexing challenges of student engagement, empowerment, and equity in learning experiences. This opportunity to lean into technology to support improvements in education is supported by the Speak Up 2021-22 Research findings and was front and center at our recent annual Congressional Briefing.  

What Do Students Think?

In addition to sharing key national research findings at the virtual briefing, I also facilitated a panel discussion with students from across the country to learn about their perceptions of school today and their aspirations for more efficient and effective learning experiences. 

We were pleased to have on this year’s student panel an engaging 8th grader, Sabino, from one of our Texas Speak Up partnering districts, the Ferris Independent School District. Sabino shared the many ways that he uses technology to support his learning in school, recognizing that his school’s commitment to innovative technology usage is helping him develop stronger creativity skills through projects and hands-on learning activities.  

As part of the conversation, I asked our student panelists to dream big about what a future school could look like, and to provide their vision for the role of technology in that ultimate learning environment. For Sabino, it was all about gamification of the learning process. He sees great potential in bringing more game-based experiences into the classroom to engage students in learning and provide a way for students to drive their own learning process. 

Listening to Students About Learning

Like his peers on the panel and nationwide, this focus on student ownership of the learning process is reflective of students’ personal, out-of-school experiences with technology. For example, Sabino has taken online courses on his own to learn more about computer science as a future career field.  This reality is important for educators to recognize. For today’s students, armed with intrinsic motivation and enhanced technology access, learning is a 24/7 enterprise that is not bound by the school day clock or the resources in their community.  

New conversations about the future of school must look beyond the classroom to more fully appreciate how students are using technology for self-directed interest-driven learning at home and the implications of those experiences on their aspirations for more effective and engaging school-based learning. As is always the case with our student panels, the authentic, first-hand perspectives of our students help illuminate new ways for school and district leaders to think about the future of school. 

Let’s capitalize on this moment in time by listening to the ideas of our students about how to improve learning. Watch the recording or listen to the podcast of the Speak Up Congressional Briefing.

Screenshot of the Speak Up 2022 Congressional Briefing

Speak Up Data and Research 

Project Tomorrow facilitates the annual Speak Up Research Project to help K-12 education leaders effectively collect and leverage the views of your stakeholders as a planning and decision-making asset.  Every K-12 school and district is eligible to use our normed suite of online surveys for K-12 students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Project Tomorrow manages the data collection and reporting process for all participating schools and districts as a pro bono service so that cost is never a barrier to listening to the views and voices of your stakeholders. We are very grateful to our friends at TCEA for their long-standing support of Speak Up. Learn more about how your school and district can utilize the Speak Up survey and reporting assets here.  Take the survey here.

SpeakUp research surveys
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CTO/CIOSysAdminTechnical Support

TCEA Responds: Helpdesk Ticketing and Asset Management Digital Tools

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

Do you know or have a list of systems/software for (1) helpdesk ticketing, (2) inventory/asset management, or (3) both that can be used by K12 districts?

-Kat, IT/Technology Director for a 50,000 student school district

Dear Kat:

Thanks for your question. Finding the right tools for the job can mean all the difference between precision and panic. Without the right data, you and your team of technology support professionals are left chasing your tails. And that can be even worse in a bad situation. Allow me to share a few situations and scenarios before I provide a response to your question.

One Source of Insight: Ed Tech Support Groups

Part of my research to answer your question involved reflecting on what digital tools my technical support team relied on. I reviewed my list of tools in the disaster recovery and business continuity plan. I also took a peek at my district technology plan. These had been written some time ago, and the tools had evolved a bit.

So I decided to turn to a group of experts – the San Antonio Area Technology Directors Group. Steve Young and I organized the first-ever San Antonio Area Technology Directors group. It endures to this day featuring its own email list and meets from time to time as needed. These types of groups are necessary. Here’s how one newly minted technology director put it:

“When I went to a tech directors meeting at my local regional service center,” he said, “half the time involved listening to sponsoring vendors.”

Well, everyone has to make a living. Those regional meetings are important! Do you know what’s even more valued, though? Meeting with your colleagues for three hours to solve problems relevant to you and your district. I’ve seen it time and again myself, although now my attendance at these meetings is as an informed guest with a bit of knowledge to offer.

You might consider joining or creating your own city-wide technology directors network or group. These types of groups meet every three to six months or as they see fit.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers the IT/Technology Director Certification course for those who are embarking on their careers in educational technology. The course prepares you, no matter whether you have a technical or instructional background, for the work of being a district leader in technology. Register now online.

Digital Technical Support Tools

Based on my own research and feedback from the ed tech support group, the following list of digital tools came about. What can you count on with each of these tools? They are in use in Texas school districts and come recommended by their users. Those users, like TCEA member Karla Burkholder, are Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Technology Directors, and Infrastructure/Network Support leaders.

Disaster Recovery Table Talk at TCEA 2022 SysAdmin

Did You Know?

TCEA hosted its annual SysAdmin event. At my session, Disaster Recovery Table Talks, system administrators shared their solutions to big “D” and little “d” disasters they encounter. Learn more online, as well as get a copy of my table talk disaster scenarios. You never know when disaster is lurking, so it’s best to be prepared.

Here is the list of digital tools:

1. Helpdesk Ticketing System/Software

Finding the right helpdesk ticketing software is critical. Are you sure you are meeting the needs of technology users in your district? One way is to provide a two-way system of communication with powerful reporting capabilities. And the data these systems provide can be key to setting measurable metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). One question that you’ll be able to answer is, “How many people did the helpdesk or onsite support serve in a given time?”

2. Inventory/Asset Management System

“We had to pass Chromebooks out at the start of the school year. Since I was new on the job, I just said, ‘Pass them out. You keep track of where they go.’ Now, I don’t know where they went, and it’s a nightmare.” When school district inventory doesn’t get tracked, it disappears. While theft can be one reason for a disappearance, a more common one is forgetting devices have been stored in a closet for safe-keeping or items accidentally walking away with staff members who are leaving.

My favorite story? I still remember the chagrin on the special education director’s face when, like Geraldo cracking a long-locked, forgotten storage space, discovered a roomful of brand new mobile devices worth about $350 each. All had gone obsolete a few years back, unopened, unused. Know where your equipment is stored. Give these tools a shot:

3. System/Software for Both Helpdesk and Asset Management

Finding software that does everything can be difficult. In some cases, it can be counterproductive to have a multi-tool that ends up doing everything poorly. In other cases, you may find a tool that does get the job done. According to San Antonio-area technology directors (or at least one of them), this is a tool that does just that.

Make IT Count

Want to ensure a smooth running operation? Then, take the time to develop a request for proposals (RFP) that includes critical elements of a solution you need. Make sure that two-way communications, web-based reporting tools, and easy import and export of data are some of your requirements.

Note About Data Collection: This is a small pool of responses from San Antonio, Texas area technology directors. Even my insights, which are included, come from my experiences as a technology director and instructional technology director in small to large districts in San Antonio. Also, some of the solutions in place had been purchased by other companies. I’ve listed the names of the new companies rather than the old ones.

See Survey online | Responses
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Leadership

Questions to Ask Teachers in an Interview

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

As an administrator, doing our best to hire staff members that are a good fit for the school and position is a big step in building and cultivating a phenomenal team and a positive school culture for everyone. If we hire someone who isn’t a good fit, no one benefits, and it can lead to some difficult conversations and create challenges that could have been avoided. That said, interviews are hugely important.

The team we build and cultivate affects every aspect of the life of a school. Of course, other factors, like how we manage, encourage, and support that team (or how we don’t manage, encourage, and support) also have a huge impact. Additionally, sometimes we have a small pool of candidates (or even just one!), an offer isn’t accepted, or someone has to bow out, and we make the best choice we can.

While hiring can be one of the most difficult parts of the job, it can also be one of the most rewarding. There’s nothing like hiring someone and watching them flourish in their element, love their work, and positively impact those around them. I’m no longer an administrator, but I can say– it’s an awesome thing to watch unfold. And what an honor it is to be a part of the hiring process. Right? Even thinking about some of the fantastic, beautiful people I’ve had the privilege of hiring gives me the warm fuzzies to this day.

The Importance of the Interview Question

CV interview job hunt

Let’s face it. As administrators, we do everything we can in an interview to gauge a teacher’s skill level, culture fit, team fit, values, and more, and it all boils down to the questions we ask and the answers we receive– and of course, references.

Here are four tips I’ve found useful for interviewing:

  1. Ask your current team what questions they’d like asked. They might offer up some fantastic questions you’d never have thought of and questions that give you insight into what they value in a colleague.
  2. Look at the CV and cover letter in advance. Mark it up. Highlight it. Make notes on it. Get to know the candidates!
  3. Choose questions ahead of time. Decide what you want to know based on the CV and cover letter. Hone in.
  4. Don’t be afraid to throw out the plan. Let their answers guide your questions. If an answer concerns you or didn’t give you the information you wanted, dig deeper with questions that might not be on your list.

In the spirit of hiring, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite interview questions. Naturally, interviews are fluid, adaptive, and conversational, so you can’t always go through a list. And nobody has all day! But a mixture of the following questions has been good to me over the years. I hope you’ll find them beneficial, also.

Classroom and Behavior Management

  • What behavior management strategies have you used in your classroom previously?
  • How often and in what ways do you communicate with parents/guardians/caretakers about behavior?
  • What is your philosophy on behavior management?
  • Give an example of how you have managed a disruptive student in your classroom.
  • What does culturally responsive mean to you?
  • How are you a culturally responsive teacher?
  • What role does social-emotional learning (SEL) play in the classroom? How do you incorporate SEL?
  • Tell us about a time when you successfully managed disruptive behavior and a time when you felt unsuccessful.
  • How have your previous administrators supported you with behavior management?
  • What are some procedures and routines that you put in place to help your classroom run smoothly?

Interpersonal Skills

  • Have you ever had conflict or disagreed with a colleague? Tell us about that.
  • Has there been a time when you’ve disagreed with an administrative decision? How did you approach this?
  • How do you build relationships with students’ parents/guardians/caretakers?
  • What tools have you used to communicate with families?
  • How do you form a bridge between the classroom and home?
  • How do you build relationships with your students?
  • Tell us about a time when you’ve had to have a difficult conversation with a parent/guardian/caretaker? What about a colleague?
  • Have you ever had an experience with an angry parent/guardian/caretaker? How did you manage that situation?

Instruction and Pedagogy

  • What research-based strategies and methods do you regularly use in the classroom?
  • In what area(s) do you feel you need professional development?
  • What are some of the best professional learning experiences you’ve had in the past?
  • How do you track student progress toward learning goals? What assessments do you use?
  • How do you use assessment (formative and summative) to inform instruction?
  • Can you give examples of how you’ve differentiated instruction for students in your classroom?
  • What is your experience with special needs students or students who need accommodation?
  • What types of accommodations have you employed in your classroom?
  • Tell us about a lesson or unit you’re really proud of.
  • What are some examples of curricular tools you’ve used in the past?
  • What could I expect to see if I were to visit your class during a _____ lesson?
  • Give an example of project-based learning you’ve implemented previously. Cooperative? Collaborative?
  • How do you plan for student groups for workshops, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, etc.?

Technology and Digital Skills

  • What devices and digital tools have you used previously in your classroom(s)?
  • What role do you believe technology plays in the classroom?
  • How comfortable are you with learning new technology tools?
  • Have you used technology for accessibility, differentiation, and accommodation?
  • Talk with us about digital citizenship. How do you incorporate this in student learning?

Collaboration and Teamwork

  • What does collaboration mean to you?
  • What do you expect from colleagues on your team?
  • Have you ever worked with someone who wasn’t collaborative? How did you handle this?
  • Give an example of how you’ve collaborated with colleagues in the past.
  • What do you feel you would offer your team in this role?

Reliability and Organization

  • Talk about your process for class preparation/planning.
  • What is the most challenging part of preparing/planning for you?
  • Do you have any preferred systems or tools you employ to help you stay organized?
  • How do you prepare for a substitute?
  • How do you approach deadlines?
  • How do you prepare for meetings or conferences with parents/guardians/caretakers?
  • How do you prepare for team and department meetings?

School Community and Involvement

  • How have you been involved in school life outside of the classroom?
  • Have you led/been involved in leading any schoolwide events, activities, or projects that you’re particularly proud of?
  • What school and school community events have you enjoyed in the past?
  • Have you been involved in any committees previously?
  • Talk about what is important to you in a school culture/environment.
  • In what ways do you feel you impact school culture?

Preferences and Values

  • What do you find frustrating in a work environment? How do you handle or manage this frustration?
  • What about this work has caused you the most stress in the past? What brings you the most joy/energy?
  • What is your dream role/favorite grade level(s) to teach?
  • What role/grade level(s) would you not want? Why?
  • What are you looking for in a supervisor? How can a supervisor best encourage/support you?
  • Give an example of how you handle constructive feedback.
  • What brought you to apply for this position?
  • What boundaries do you set for work/life balance?
  • Do you have any concerns about the position you’d like to bring up?

And last but not least: Do you have any questions for us? Did I miss any questions that you absolutely love? Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments!

PDF Download: 60+ Questions to Ask Teachers in an Interview
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CTO/CIOCybersecurityTechnical Support

What Your Tech Director Wants You to Know about Cybersecurity

by Luann Hughes
written by Luann Hughes

Gone are the “good old days” when the only emails we had to worry about were from a Nigerian prince asking for half a million dollars or an occasional threat of a computer virus. Your tech director has been faced with many new threats to school technology assets– networks, computers, and data security. You can be a big help in keeping your school district and your own personal devices secure by following a few time-honored adages from one of our founding fathers, Ben Franklin.

“An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure.”

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

While viruses and worms are no longer the primary threat, they are still a problem for schools and your personal devices. Antivirus software has grown to meet the challenges of today’s threats. Many solutions are now “EDR” (Endpoint Detection and Response). If you have a personal device (Windows or Mac) and need some protection for your laptop or desktop, you might want to consider an EDR solution for a more comprehensive answer that includes better protection against malware, phishing, and ADT’s (advanced persistent threats.)  Just search for “best Endpoint Detection and Response solutions” to get some ideas about what might be best for your device. Getting an EDR solution for your personal device can provide good security coverage for both your device and personal data.

Your school computer most likely has the district’s endpoint protection already installed. You might check with your Technology Department to see what’s being used and if you need to check to make sure it is updated, especially over the summer. You probably have some limitations on your school laptop when it comes to downloading apps and drivers. That can be frustrating, but know your device is set up that way to keep your device, you, and your district safe. If you need something installed, check with your Technology Department.

Password Rotation

To make it harder to hack into any of your accounts, plan a password rotation schedule. No one likes having to remember new passwords, but changing passwords is an easy way to deter potential security breaches. You can also use a passphrase instead of a traditional password. A passphrase is a series of words or a sentence that will be easy to remember for you, but because it is longer than a traditional password, will be harder to compromise.

“Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today.”

Device Updates

It is also important that you keep your device updates current. These updates are often released to help protect against new cybersecurity threats that come out. If you are using Windows 10 or 11, go to Settings, Update and Security, and then Windows Update. If you have a Mac, go to Systems Preferences and Software Update. Don’t forget about your cell phone when you are doing updates. Cell phone updates can help patch any security issues and keep your phone from being hacked. 

Your school device is probably set to update automatically but check it regularly to make sure it is updating. If you aren’t sure your device is up to date, get in touch with your Technology Department.

“When in Doubt, Don’t.”

Spoof Emails

These days, emails are the most likely source of cybersecurity threats. There are several reasons for this, but one of the primary reasons is spoofing. Spoofing is impersonating someone else via email. It doesn’t take much technical skill to spoof someone’s account. Hackers often spoof emails in order to “phish,” which is when they try to get you to do something that will benefit them and hurt you by taking your identity, personal information, or money.

It is important that you read your emails carefully before you respond. Spoofers like to target administrators in school districts, including principals. If you get an email from your principal or another administrator in the district that doesn’t seem quite right, check it out verbally with that person first. Your technology department or help desk can also help you determine if an email is legitimate.

You might encourage your principal to start all of his/her emails with “Hello Mustangs!” or some other catchphrase that only the staff will know. It is most likely that a hacker won’t have access to that catchphrase. You can do the same with your friends and family to help keep everyone safe.

Social Media and Email Links

Look long and hard (and then look again) before you click on links on social media or in emails. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You can always do a search for a product or topic in the search bar of your favorite search engine to find information about the topic that is supposed to be in the link. If you do accidentally click on a link take immediate action. You should run a virus scan, change passwords, clear your browser history, and contact your Technology Department if you were using your school account and/or device.

“An Investment in Knowledge Pays the Best Interest.”

I’m hoping you find that your investment in reading this article pays the best interest– safe and happy travels online!

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online testing
AdvocacyCTO/CIOLeadership

Online Testing: How Texas Schools Can Be Prepared

by Jennifer Bergland
written by Jennifer Bergland

Texas school districts are gearing up for mandatory online assessments beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. Most school districts have been giving some type of online assessments for many years, so this move is more an issue of scale than a totally novel concept. However, providing online assessments to almost all your students takes a different level of preparation.

Feasibility Study

The Texas Education Agency has been planning to transition to online assessments for several years. HB 3906 was passed in the 86th Texas Legislature requiring TEA to conduct a feasibility study. The purpose was to determine what districts would need to be able to administer the state assessments online. Texas A&M University conducted the study and presented it to the Governor and the state legislature on December 1, 2020. The report indicated that most school districts had the technology infrastructure necessary to accommodate online assessments, but not all.

Chairman Dan Huberty

HB 3261

To remedy this, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3261. This bill was authored by Chairman Dan Huberty and established a one-time grant to be made available sometime in early 2022. This grant will enable districts to acquire the infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of the mandatory online assessments. In addition, this bill gave districts more flexibility in using the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment to pay for the technical infrastructure for broadband. They may also use the allotment to train teachers and other personnel on administering online assessments. 

Grant Funding

HB 3261 established $4 million for these grants. This figure came from the report Texas A&M University submitted to the legislature. However, $4 million is not enough to cover the total cost of the required infrastructure upgrades. This figure is the amount that the state believes districts will need after they have received their E-Rate discounts for the required service and equipment. This means that those districts needing to upgrade their technical infrastructure and take advantage of the TEA grant will either need to plan on using local funds to complete their project or submit a request for E-rate discounts from USAC.

IMPORTANT: This is time-sensitive, so I highly recommend you begin that process now if you haven’t already done so. The filing window opens on January 12 and closes on March 22, 2022.

Implementation Guide

TEA has created a guide to assist districts in moving to online assessments. The guide recommends that a district have 500 kilobits per second (Kbps) per concurrent tester. Cambium, the company the state has contracted to manage the online assessments, has created a Bandwidth Diagnostic Tool that will help districts determine how much bandwidth each classroom, school, and district will need. It is important to note that not all students need to test simultaneously. In fact, TEA recommends that a district stagger the administration of the tests to ensure that there is adequate broadband. This means that a district does not need 500 kbps per student, but for each concurrent tester. 

Preparing Your Infrastructure for Online Testing

In the guide prepared by TEA, determining the amount of broadband needed is the first step. As mentioned above, they have provided a tool to help you determine the needed amount. The next step is to determine how many student devices you need. They recommend at least a 3:1 student-to-device ratio. The third step is to determine what software you will need to install on your testing devices. This includes the operating system and Cambium’s secure browser. In addition, a district must make sure that all assistive technologies are installed and configured for those students who need them. In the implementation guide, TEA provides districts with some suggested steps to help make sure these three steps can be accomplished.

Strategic Planning for Online Testing

Clear Communication

Equally important is to ensure there is a good plan for a successful implementation. TEA recommends that the district leadership is clear on what is required for full online testing implementation and why it is important.

Including Technology Staff

I highly recommend that each district include a technology staff member in the planning process. These personnel should be included now. Don’t wait until next year!

I recently heard of a district that wanted to give all their students the MAP test, but didn’t inform the technical staff it would happen. Needless to say, it did not go well. They had too many devices hitting the network at the same time, and thus it was a frustrating experience for both students and staff. If they had included the technology staff, the district would have learned they either needed to make sure all non-testing devices (cell phones, extra computers, smartwatches, etc.) were taken off the Wi-Fi-network or schedule the test so that not all students were taking it at the same time. Including the technology staff in the planning process for any and all online testing is a requirement if the goal is to have a successful testing experience. 

Meeting with the Team

Once the district determines who should be included in the planning process, they should begin meeting to establish a plan and a timeline for moving to online testing. This must include a clear communication strategy to make sure all staff know what is happening and when. 

Staff Training

TEA’s implementation guide also includes suggestions on training staff so they feel comfortable and familiar with the technical aspects and the process. It also addresses issues that might arise from IEP and 504 paperwork. I highly recommend printing the guide and having a team discuss it to begin your planning process.

TEA’s Assistance with Online Testing

Besides the implementation guide, TEA has provided videos, a FAQ that will answer most of your questions, TEA contact information, and detailed information about the STAAR redesign on the TEA website. I recommend bookmarking this site so that you can be kept informed about any new information they release. 

TCEA 2022 Session on Testing

During TCEA 2022, I will be hosting a panel dedicated to online testing. It is called Yikes! Online Testing for All Tests? There will be experienced administrators who will share their advice and someone from TEA to answer all your questions. If you are coming to the convention, put this session on your schedule!

Networked computers photo:  Chris Woodford/explainthatstuff.com

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Digital CitizenshipSocial MediaSocial-Emotional Learning

Five Myths About Helping Students Navigate Social Media and Technology

by Andrea Jenkins
written by Andrea Jenkins

FOMO. Anxiety. Online drama. Group texts gone awry. 

As technology becomes more embedded into our lives, students everywhere are facing tremendous daily challenges — socially, emotionally, and academically. School leaders are left asking, “How can we possibly get ahead of this?”

As a former school administrator, teacher, and middle school advisor, I experienced these challenges every day. I watched students make big mistakes online and felt helpless as our school played “whack-a-mole” with each behavioral issue.

I still see schools struggling with these same issues today. But I also see innovative schools overcoming myths and challenges by implementing modern SEL. They are proactively empowering students to navigate social-emotional well-being, social media, and technology positively, all because they’ve shattered these five common myths.

Myth #1: All SEL programming should launch at the beginning of the school year.

SEL Programming Myth

Many educators falsely assume that the only time to begin a social-emotional program is at the start of the school year. After leading hundreds of teachers through professional development, I’ve found that “layering in” new programming throughout the school year can actually be highly beneficial. When schools launch programs mid-year, teachers can take advantage of the strong relationships they’ve already built with their students. Additionally, they can leverage well-established class routines and schedules. When these relationships between students and teachers are firmly in place, along with class norms, launching a new program that connects with students can be a seamless process. 

Myth #2: All digital citizenship programs should be built in-house.

Digital Citizenship Program Myth

Schools are passionate and protective about their mission and culture, and rightly so. Social media needs to be a standard part of your SEL programming. But while it’s common for schools to create programs with the expertise of their teachers and leaders, social media is a different ball game. Helping students navigate social platforms from TikTok and YouTube to texting and video gaming is different than creating a math program. Many adults in school communities are not digital natives, and they lack the expertise and bandwidth to fully understand how social media behaviors and trends differ from grade to grade. Leaning on a trusted partner that stays at the cutting edge and speaks the students’ language can be a critical path to success. 

Myth #3: Any teacher who educates students about social media should be an expert themselves. 

Social Media Education Myth

Over the past five years, our team at The Social Institute has seen tens of thousands of teachers facilitate meaningful digital citizenship conversations with students, even without knowing much about TikTok, the latest iPhone 13, or Fortnite. One successful strategy we help our partner schools implement is having students “coach up” and teach fellow peers and adults how to navigate technology positively. After all, students are ahead of the curve when it comes to social media. Plus, there is no better way to learn something than to have to teach it yourself.

Myth #4: One-off speakers that scare and lecture students are enough.

Digital Citizenship Social Media Program Myth

When a school experiences challenges around students’ social media use, a typical reaction is to bring in a speaker to warn students about the perils of social media and share scary messages about what not to do online. While students should be educated, they should also be equipped with that to do. Proactively educating students with relevant ongoing lessons — lessons that grow with them year over year — yields stronger outcomes than one-time speakers who are disconnected from your students’ realities. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to empower and equip students in a sustainable and systematic way. 

Myth #5: New programs are too heavy of a lift for teachers right now.

Social Media Digital Citizenship Program Myth

It’s no surprise that teachers are tired, stressed, and feel the weight of the last two school years. And no one wants to add more to teachers’ plates. This is why schools are choosing to integrate turnkey programs now more than ever. Providing teachers with lessons that are completely developed, engaging for students, and proactively addressing real-time topics make teachers’ lives easier. Instead of spending their time building content or dealing with student issues, they can lean into the lessons and open meaningful dialogue with their students. Teachers feel the challenge of supporting students lifted and discover a new way to connect with their students.

My mentor once wisely advised, “There is no perfect time to launch something new, and there will always be excuses not to. Don’t let perfection get in the way of action.” More than ever, our students need us to take action. Waiting until a new school year or for full buy-in only enables students’ challenges to grow. When we bust these five myths, we can fully support students when they need it the most — right now.

Andrea Jenkins is a TCEA 2022 presenter leading a session on Reimaging SEL to Win Over Students and Address Social Media, Current Events, and Well-Being. Andrea is a team member at The Social Institute (TSI) which provides a unique, gamified platform. TSI uses a positive approach to supporting students’ digital citizenship skills and social media navigation. Check out this #WinatSocial preview to learn more about TSI’s social media education program for schools.

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Digital CitizenshipDigital Literacy

Five Free, Ready-to-Use Digital Citizenship Resources for PK-12 Lessons

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

Teaching Digital Citizenship isn’t just for Dig Cit Week so I’ve got a few resources to share with you! Whew. digital citizenship. It’s a biggie. Let me say that I have felt the weight of teaching digital citizenship. I’ve also had many discussions on this topic with teachers, administrators, and parents. A lot of us feel lost with where to start, what exactly to teach, and how to keep up with it all. It can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be!

How do we stay ahead of the game?

Let’s be honest, many students are light years ahead of adults when it comes to technology. As a result of their digital culture, they can seamlessly move between apps, programs, devices, operating systems, gaming systems, and more. They can do this easily and with relatively no learning curve. Many of them are fearless when it comes to exploring the world wide web and all the information, tools, and interaction it offers. In fact, some of them are creating the very tools we are using.

There is a Google answer for every question and a Google solution to every problem. For example, a former fourth-grade student wanted to play Fortnite, which was blocked by the school during class. He Googled: “How to get on Fortnite at school when it’s blocked.” Then he searched, “How to not get caught playing Fortnite by your teacher.” He learned how to create a decoy screen and enjoyed playing Fortnite during class, for a time. Then, a bit clumsily, he got caught. Pretty ingenious and resourceful, but also, what?? A fourth-grader?!

A more serious story is that of a fifth-grade girl. She set up a Facebook account using a fake birthday. Not knowing how to manage the privacy settings, she posted her cell phone number and location information for the world to see. This clearly opened her up to all kinds of risks. Very scary situation! I have many other stories, entailing everything from plagiarism to cyberbullying to misusing digital resources. But for each of these stories, I have others highlighting creativity, collaboration, kindness, ingenuity, and learning. How do we compete with Google, social media, and other technology to stay ahead of the game? How do we ensure that students are using technology appropriately and staying safe at all times?

What can we do?

Just like with any tool, we can’t ensure it’s being used appropriately all the time. And just like any situation or environment, we can’t ensure safety at all times. But what we can do is focus on teaching students the skills necessary for using digital tools appropriately and safely. This means focusing on digital citizenship as a preventative measure, starting with our youngest learners. We must talk openly about every aspect of digital citizenship, on a developmentally appropriate level, and we must talk about it often. But we can’t just talk. We also have to practice it, giving students guided opportunities and then offering independence.

Here is an excellent, research-based article, Digital Citizenship Starts with the Person Not the Tool! from ISTE’s blog. I can’t agree more. The author discusses prevention science in relationship to digital citizenship. While the article admits that more research and program integration need to be done, it provides several thought-provoking guiding questions for digital citizenship programs.

What exactly is digital citizenship?

According to edvolve’s Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework PK-12 by the Dig Cit Doctors Kristen Mattson and LeeAnn Lindsey, there are four important strands: Digital Safety, Media and Information Literacy, Digital Well-Being, and Social Responsibility. Take a look at how these are defined: 

Digital Citizenship Strands-at-a-glance

Depending on the program, curriculum, or framework you use, digital citizenship might be defined differently. However, it usually revolves around some mixture of safety, responsibility, digital literacy, and well-being. Let’s take a look at a few available resources that you might find helpful when addressing concepts surrounding digital citizenship with your students.

1. Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework PK-12

This 32-page, downloadable PDF, reviewed by our own Executive Director Lori Gracey, offers a free and simple approach to teaching digital citizenship. It is also aligned with several standards, including Common Core State Standards, CASEL (social-emotional learning), and ISTE (technology). As pictured above, the framework breaks digital citizenship into four strands. Each strand is associated with enduring understandings, overall indicators of success, grade level indicators, and sample guiding questions per grade level. There are also technology skills related to each strand and a list of aligned content standards.

Digital Citizenship sample framework
Samples pages from the edvolve Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework PK-12

2. Global Digital Citizen Foundation

This is one of my favorite websites outlining digital citizenship. Their five principles provide an excellent definition of what it means to be a “digital citizen.” And in addition, their six tenets for digital citizenship are fantastic practices for students. I have personally used these principles and tenets with elementary and middle school students when teaching digital citizenship. They also offer several digital citizenship agreements and a code of honor that I find to be fantastic tools. The primary and middle school agreements focus on three areas of responsibility: Looking After Yourself, Looking After Others, and Looking After Property. The high school agreement adds a bit more. My upper elementary students loved the “fancy” wording in the Code of Honor. It gave us the opportunity to discuss the vocabulary and meaning together in relation to the digital citizenship agreement.

Digital citizenship code of honour
Sample from Global Digital Citizen Code of Hounour

Activity Idea: With upper elementary, I actually used the middle school agreement. I put together an activity where I separated and mixed up all the statements listed under each section (Looking After Myself, Looking After Others, Looking After Property) of the digital citizenship agreement. Then students were grouped and tasked with placing each statement under the correct heading. You can do this easily using a tool like Jamboard! Once students categorized them under the three headings, we went over each statement together. Some were incorrectly placed, and we were able to talk about why. The students loved this activity. They were excited to share examples from their own lives in relationship to the statements we studied. As a result, it was very enlightening for me. And it also let them know that these topics were okay for us to discuss.

Digital Citizenship Agreement
Sample from the Global Digital Citizen Middle School Agreement

3. Common Sense Education

Common Sense Education has some great resources for Digital Citizenship Week. There are daily activities, resources for promoting digital citizenship in the community, and training and learning events.

Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Week
From the commonsense.org Digital Citizenship Week website

They also have a free K-12 curriculum broken up by grade level. Each grade level contains lesson plans with objectives, vocabulary, a list of what you’ll need, resources (videos, songs, etc.), and take-home resources. Lessons focus on the following topics:

6 topics for digital citizenship
From the commonsense.org Digital Citizenship Week website

In addition, you can download the lesson plans as PDFs. Don’t have time for a full lesson? No problem. They provide you with a condensed version! Check out their digital citizenship week activities for elementary, middle, and high school students for an activity each day.

4. The Social Institute

I love this article from The Social Institute’s blog about their seven social standards. These standards are fantastic, relevant, and excellent for students in grades 4-12. If you create a free login, they also have a downloadable School Playbook: Social Media’s Role in Social-Emotional Health. This handout proposes five steps to support students in using social media and provides some informative statistics. It also promotes their #WinAtSocial social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, which incorporates social media, SEL, and digital citizenship. This is a relatively new web-based and gamified curriculum aligned with CASEL standards. To find out the cost, you have to contact them through the website. Here is a snapshot of their program at-a-glance:

Social Institute Program
https://thesocialinstitute.com/solutions/students/

I would also recommend checking out their blog for many articles about social media, their Student Influencer Program, social-emotional learning, and more.

5. Nearpod Free Lessons

Nearpod has recently published a blog post with some great daily activities for Digital Citizenship Week 2021 in partnership with Flocabulary. The activities are linked directly into the post for you to add individually, or you can download the weekly plans. These include activities for grades K-12 on everything from the history of the internet to trustworthy sources to cyberbullying. If you use these lessons in your classroom, Nearpod asks for Tweets of pictures using the hashtag #DigCitwithNearpod.

Nearpod DigCitwithNearpod Lessons
Sample from Nearpod’s Digital Citizenship Week 2021 Blog Post

They’ve also included some really great free, downloadable posters. In addition, Nearpod does have a full Digital Citizenship and Literacy curriculum, and you can contact a representative for a quote.

Additional Resources

  • A Digital Citizenship Framework and Lessons is a TechNotes blog post by Lori Gracey providing several resources for digital citizenship lessons.
  • Digizen is a website that has tons of resources on digital citizenship, social networking, digital values, and more.
  • Google provides a Digital Citizenship and Safety Course for teachers and students. The course has five units, each with an introduction, lesson, and review, lasting a total of 23 minutes each. Topics covered include privacy, phishing and scams, online safety, searching, and online reputation.
  • DigCitCommit has a list of great resources. Not only that, but if you have created your own resources, you can submit them to share with others.
  • Google has some resources on their Be Internet Awesome site. They also list a few partners that are worth checking out. For example, PearDeck has created Be Internet Awesome interactive presentations to coordinate with Google’s lessons.
  • SeeSaw has more than 1,500 activities under the Digital Citizenship category in its Activity Library.
  • In addition to the suggested activities in Common Sense Education’s daily activities, Book Creator offers lessons and student activity books.
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CTO/CIOCybersecurityTechnical Support

Cybersecurity Month: Resources, Data, and Information for K-12 Settings

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! CISA and the National Cyber Security Alliance are keeping with the theme of “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend checking out their resources for this month. They have tip sheets and one-pagers galore offered in many languages. They also have six resources available for kids on cybersecurity, which are fantastic. CISA‘s promotion and outreach this month will focus on being “Cyber Smart” (Week 1), phishing (Week 2), cybersecurity careers (Week 3), and “Cybersecurity First” (Week 4).

Cybersecurity and K-12

Why is cybersecurity becoming more and more of a “hot topic” in K-12? The 2021 EdTech Leadership Survey Report from Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) states:

“Given that the FBI, [MS-ISAC], and CISA jointly stated that K-12 is the most targeted public sector for ransomware, it is surprising that district IT leaders do not rate this risk higher.”

Whoa. I had to read that twice. The most targeted public sector for ransomware? This statement is in response to survey data indicating that cybersecurity threats, while a top priority, are generally underestimated by district technology leaders. In fact, this report says, “The vast majority (84%) don’t rate any cybersecurity threat as high risk.”

Budget challenges and this underestimation of the severity of threats make schools and districts vulnerable. Not only that, but the report found that 77% of districts do not have a full-time employee whose work is solely focused on network security. Take a look at the top challenges according to the CoSN report.

cybersecurity K-12
Table from CoSN Report

What Does the Data Say? 

In addition to the 2021 CoSN EdTech Leadership Survey Report, data from the 2020 State of K-12 Cybersecurity: Year in Review (K12 SIX) was released in March of 2021. This data showed that moving to remote learning put schools at significantly higher risk of cyber crimes. As a result of this move, cyber incidents rose drastically in the late summer and early fall of 2020.

cybersecurity incidents
Data from K12 SIX Report

Based on their data analysis, K12 SIX identified four major factors for this swell of occurrences: 

  1. Increased reliance on devices
  2. Devices used during remote learning being brought back into schools
  3. IT staff being unable to actively service devices used during COVID-19
  4. More focused efforts by threat actors during vulnerable times of the school year using more sophisticated methods

In this study, they also identified five trends in data:

  • Data breaches involving the personal information of both students and staff were the most reported type of incident.
  • A new kind of cyber threat emerged during COVID-19– class invasion– which was used to enhance and propel other incidents like denial of service and ransomware attacks.
  • Spear-phishing continues to be a problem for K-12 schools. $9.8 million was stolen from one school district alone in 2020, with the average amount being $2 million since 2016.
  • Larger schools in urban and suburban districts with higher-income communities and districts with higher proportions of students experiencing poverty are at higher risk.

What Are the Top Threats to K-12 Institutions?

types of cybersecurity incidents
Data from CoSN Report

In 2017, the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center published a fact sheet. This document outlines the six most common online threats for school and district networks. CoSN has also rated the top five threats. Here is a list of what the two have in common:  

  1. Data Breach
  2. Denial of Service
  3. Phishing
  4. Ransomware
  5. IOT Vulnerabilities 

Both K12 SIX and CoSN refer to 2020 as a “record-breaking” year for cybersecurity incidents.  

What Do We Do Now?

Ed Tech Magazine suggests that being proactive with protocols, planning, and training staff is essential to preventing and addressing cybersecurity threats, among other measures. Additionally, CoSN agrees: “TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN! Make sure everyone knows security awareness is their job and who to talk to if they make a mistake.” 

Luckily, TCEA can help with this. If you know us, you know that we strive to provide educators with quality professional development in areas that are relevant and essential to the safety, well-being, and quality of education for students in Texas and beyond. That said, we have a two-day System Administrator and Technical Support Conference coming up November 4-5, and anyone can attend. Because we know cybersecurity is a top priority, we have several sponsors specializing in this area who will be available to discuss the latest and greatest trends and solutions to help with assessment, planning, and threat management. We are also offering educational sessions that address this hot topic. Take a look at the full schedule here, and if you’d like to register for the conference, you can do so here. 

Additional Cybersecurity Resources

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