For school technology leaders, cybersecurity is no longer an issue that sits quietly in the background. It is part of the day-to-day work of keeping schools running, protecting sensitive information, and ensuring students and educators can access the technology they depend on.
The challenge is that knowing cybersecurity is important and knowing exactly what to do about it are two very different things.
School systems face an increasingly complex threat landscape while operating with limited time, staff, and budgets. At the same time, many established cybersecurity frameworks were developed for industries with very different environments and resources. Education leaders need an approach that helps them translate cybersecurity best practices into practical steps that make sense inside a school district.
That’s where the Cybersecurity Rubric (CR) can help.
A Cybersecurity Framework Built for Education
Developed by the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education, an alliance formed by ClassLink and education organizations committed to strengthening cybersecurity in schools, the Cybersecurity Rubric gives education leaders a common framework for evaluating and improving their cybersecurity practices.
The CR is aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework while being designed specifically around the realities schools face.
That distinction is important.
A framework becomes far more valuable when teams can use it to answer practical questions: Where are we today? Where are our greatest risks? What should we prioritize next? How can we demonstrate progress over time?
Instead of approaching cybersecurity as an endless list of technologies to purchase or boxes to check, the CR can help districts establish a clearer picture of their current cybersecurity posture and create a roadmap for continuous improvement.
Moving From Assessment to Action
Completing an assessment is only the beginning.
The real value comes from what happens next: interpreting the results, identifying priorities, bringing the right people into the conversation, and turning findings into sustainable cybersecurity practices.
That work can feel daunting, especially for technology leaders already balancing infrastructure, applications, support, data privacy, instructional technology, and countless other responsibilities.
Hands-on training can help bridge that gap.
As part of the TCEA SysAdmin Conference, technology leaders will have an opportunity to dig deeper into the Cybersecurity Rubric during the free pre-conference session Cybersecurity Mastery: A Hands-On Cybersecurity Implementation Deep Dive.
Designed specifically for edtech leaders, this immersive masterclass goes beyond cybersecurity theory and focuses on implementation.
Participants will work through practical, NIST-aligned training using the Cybersecurity Rubric, exploring how to assess current practices and translate findings into meaningful improvements across their schools and districts.
Through interactive exercises, expert-led activities, and real-world scenarios, attendees will develop skills they can take back to their teams and put to work.
Participants will also receive actionable tools to support continued implementation after the conference, along with an exam waiver for the Certified Cybersecurity Rubric Evaluator credential.
Build a Cybersecurity Roadmap Your District Can Use
Strong cybersecurity isn’t a one-time project. Threats evolve, technology changes, staff members come and go, and school systems continually introduce new tools and services.
The goal, then, isn’t to reach an imaginary finish line. It’s to build the structures, habits, and shared understanding that allow a district to continually evaluate risk and strengthen its defenses.
The Cybersecurity Rubric gives schools a framework for doing that work. The TCEA SysAdmin pre-conference masterclass gives technology leaders an opportunity to learn how to put that framework into practice.
Cybersecurity Mastery: A Hands-On Cybersecurity Implementation Deep Dive takes place Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is free with TCEA SysAdmin Conference registration.
Space is limited to 80 participants, and attendees must be registered for SysAdmin to participate.
Cybersecurity challenges aren’t slowing down. The good news is that school technology leaders don’t have to navigate them without a roadmap.
Register for TCEA SysAdmin and reserve your place in the free Cybersecurity Mastery pre-conference masterclass: https://tcea.org/events/sysadmin/pre-conference/.