Findings from NC Education Cloud Interview and Survey Process AReportonLocalCapacityto
Plan,Implement,Sustain,
andEvaluateLarge‐scale
TechnologyInitiatives
PreparedbyNCDPIInstructional
TechnologyandNCEducation
CloudLeadership
NeillKimrey,NCDPI
DaveFuriness,MCNC
LarryCreglow,NCSUFridayInstitute
March2012
Introduction
Onthesurface,boththeNCEducationCloud(NCEdCloud)andtheInstructional
ImprovementSystem(IIS)seemtobelargetechnologyinitiatives.Whiletechnology
iscertainlyalargepartofthiswork,therealgoalistoenablepersonalizedlearning
forNorthCarolina’spublicK‐12students’andindividualizedlearningforour
teachers’professionalgrowth.
ThefocusoftheNCEdCloudworkistoprovide“behindthecurtain”sharedservices
–sharedlearninginfrastructure,sharedenterpriseinfrastructure,andmodernized
businesssystems–thatremovetheredundancyofdoingtheseprojectsin115LEAs
and100+charterschools.Asthesesharedservicesareutilizedinschoolsand
districtsacrossthestate,existingtechnologysupportstructurescanbetransitioned
tosupportingtechnologythatdirectlyaffectslearning.Likewise,theIISwill
incorporatesomeoftheseNCEdCloudservices,aswellasadditionaltools,intoan
onlinesystemthatwilltrulysupportteachingandlearningbyprovidingup‐to‐date
dataanddigitallearningtoolkitstostudents,educators,andadministratorsto
supportindividualized,data‐driveninstruction.
AsworkbeganontheNCEdCloud,theCloudleadershipteamfeltitwasimportantto
meetwithLEAandcharterschoolleadershiptogatherinformationon
district/schooltechnologyuse,upcominginitiatives,difficultiesinimplementing
andsustaininglocaltechnologyinitiatives,budgetinginformation,andconcerns
aboutmovingsystemsandservicetothecloud.Theteamconductedsiteinterviews
andtechnologysystemsinventories(intheformofa300+questionsurvey).While
thesurveydatahasbeenimportanttoprioritizingservicesthatwillbeofferedinthe
NCEdCloud,theinterviews–rangingfromtwotosixhoursinlength,heldwith114
LEAsand10charterschools,withparticipantsthatincludedsomemixtureof
CTOs/technologydirectors,superintendents,assistantandassociate
superintendents,chieffinancialofficers,andclassroompractitioners–haveserveda
broaderpurpose.Informationfromthesemeetingspaintapictureofhowour
schoolsmightbeabletomoveforwardwithtechnology‐enabledinstruction,and
adoptstatewideservicesliketheNCEdCloudandIIS.
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March2012
Capacity,Sustainability,andLeadershipofLEATechnologyandTechnology‐
enabledInitiatives
Thefollowingemergedfromtheinterviews:






Leadershipiskeytosuccess;
Commonvisionacrossthedistrict;
LackofevaluationandvettingofIntegratedLearningManagementsoftware;
Purchasesareoftennotmadewithsustainabilityasakeydecisionpoint;
Prioritizationoffundingandsources;and,
“Whatdistrictsandschoolsareusing”versus“Howtheyareusingit.”
21stCenturyLeadership
Aswithallorganizationalandmosteducationalendeavors,goodleadershipisthe
keytosuccess.ForLEAinitiativestobesuccessful,LEAsuperintendentsmusttruly
understandhowtodevelopstrategicplansthatsupportthetransformationto
technology‐enabledteachingandlearning.Thisplanningprocessmustincorporate
theinstructionalgoalsoftheLEA,involveallstakeholders(includingparentsand
othercommunitymembers),andreflectthattechnologyisanimportanttool.Also,
theplandevelopmentmustconsidersustainabilityeffortsearlyintheprocess.In
theLEAswiththemostsuccessfultechnology‐richinitiatives,leadersatthedistrict
andschoollevelssharethesamevisionandworktogethertomakethedecisions.
Moreover,strongtransformativedistrictleadersrecognizethatubiquitousaccessto
technologytoolsisacriticalfactorintrulyusingdatatoindividualizeinstruction.As
thisrealizationbecomesmorecommonamongleadersinourstate’sLEAsand
schools,somehavealreadytakentheinitiativetoprocureandbuildsystemsand
platformstodiveintoeasyandup‐to‐dateclassroomandschoolsdata.Becauseof
investedresourcesandpersonnel,thesedistrictsmaybereluctanttotakewholesale
advantageoftheofferingsinboththeIISandtheNCEdCloud.
AttheLEAChiefTechnologyOfficer(CTO)/technologydirector/technology
coordinatorlevels,thoseleaderswhohavebeenlicensededucatorstendtohavea
betterrecordinassuringthattechnologyisseenassupportinginstruction,not
drivingit.Technologyleadershipthatunderstandspedagogyandinstruction
generallyresultsinanLEAthathassuccessfultechnology‐enabledinstructional
initiatives.Furthermore,inmanycases,LEAsthathavetechnologyleadershipthat
reportsdirectlytodistrictcurriculumandinstructionleadershipseemtohavea
moreclear‐cutexpectationofhowteachersshouldusetechnologytosupport
instructionalgoals.InallLEAsthathavehighlysuccessfultechnology‐enabled
instructionalinitiatives,thehighest‐rankingtechnologypersonnelareconsidereda
partofthecoredistrictleadershipteam.InLEAswithacommonfocus,thereisclear
evidenceofleadershipatmanylevels.
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March2012
FundingandSustainability
WhilefundingisachallengeforallNorthCarolinaschools,fundingfortechnologyis
especiallydifficultandfragmented.Inmanycases,LEAtechnologydirectorshaveno
involvementinplanningeffortsandspendinglocal,state,andfederalfunds,even
whenthesefundsareearmarkedfortechnologypurchases.Becauseofthedecrease
instateandfederaltechnologyfunds,andthelackofunderstandingofthepotential
forusingtechnologyininstruction,technologyisnotbeingdeployedandused
consistentlyacrossthestate.
Sharedservices,acriticalNCEdCloudconcept,areapathtoeffectiveness,efficiency,
andcostredirection.Currently,withtheexceptionoftheWRESA’sWNC‐EdNet,
thereislittleevidencethatdistrictsareregionallyformingconsortiumstousetheir
buyingpowertoprocuresharedservices.Ontheoppositeendofthespectrum,
manyindividualLEAsarespendinglargeamountsofRttTfundingontechnology
infrastructure,includingstudentandteacherhardwaredeployment.Basedupon
this,theNCPDIandtheNCSUFridayInstituteforEducationalInnovationare
engagedinapartnershiptoscaletheNorthCarolinaLearningTechnologyInitiative
Frameworkfortechnology‐enablelearningimplementations.Thisinitiative
emphasizesregionalsupporttoassistLEAsinstrategicplanning,sustainability,
professionaldevelopment,andimplementationefforts.
Acrossthestate,millionsofdollarsarespentannuallyonassessmentresourcesand
integratedlearningsystems.Providingbest‐of‐breedalternativestotheseLEA
resourcesintheIISwillenabletheLEAstoreallocateexistingfundingtohelp
sustaintheinitiative.
E‐Rateprovidesmillionsofdollarsfortechnologyfundingandreimbursementin
NorthCarolina.However,someLEAsthatareeligibleforthisfundingdonotchoose
toapply.OtherschoosetouseoutsideconsultantstofiletheirE‐Rateapplications.
TheseoverheadfeesresultinlessfundingtotheLEA.WhilealmosteveryLEA
leaderexpressesaninterestinusing21stcentury,collaborative,“Web2.0”
technologiesintheclassrooms,manytechnologydirectorsand/orsuperintendents
seemoverly
$120,000,000.00
conservativein
allowingthese
$100,000,000.00
typesofsitesto
$80,000,000.00
gounfiltered.
RequestedAmount
TheChild
$60,000,000.00
CommittedAmount
Internet
$40,000,000.00
ProtectionAct
DisbursedAmount
$20,000,000.00
(CIPA)is
legislationthat
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governs
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inNorth
Page|3
March2012
Carolina’sschools.However,federalguidelinesandpoliciesarevagueandlocal
implementationisinconsistentacrossourstate.
TechnologyGovernance,PortfolioManagement,andFocus
Theoldadage“lessismore”seemstoholdtrueforLEAsandcharterschools
deployingsuccessfultechnology‐enabledinitiatives.IntheLEAsthatutilize
technologymosteffectively,leadershipchoosestofocusonlyonthosevarious
processesandinitiativesthatsupporteffectiveuseoftechnology.Insteadof
deployingthetypicaldozensofsoftwarepackagesandservices,leadershipmakesa
concertedefforttoonlyutilizethosepackagesthataligndirectlywiththe
instructionalvisionofthedistrictandthatclearlyaffectstudentachievement.These
districtshavedevelopedtime‐anddata‐testedprocessesfordetermining“bestof
class”products,servicesandpoliciesthatonlysupportwhathasbeenlocally
deemedahighpriority.Inotherdistricts,wheretechnologyuseintheschoolsand
classroomshasnotrealizedpotential,districttechnologydepartmentsarehobbled
becausetheytrytosupporttoomanysoftwaretitles,onlinetools,andassessment‐
relatedservices.
Somepoorsite‐baseddecision‐makingcanbeattributedtoalackofportfolio
management.Typically,NCEdCloudsurveys,conversationsandinterviewsrevealed
thatinschoolsanddistrictswheresite‐baseddecisionswereeffective,therewere
coordinatedacrossalllevelsofleadership(LEAandbuilding).
ProfessionalDevelopment:IntegraltoSuccess,DifficulttoSustain
ThemajorityoftheLEAsandcharterschoolsexpressconcernsaboutsupporting
andprovidingsufficientprofessionaldevelopmentforboththeNCEdCloudInitiative
andtheIIS.Likewise,generalprofessionaldevelopmentneedsforlocaltechnology‐
enabledinstructionalinitiativesarefrequentlycitedasaconcern.Asfundsto
provideforinstructionaltechnologysupportpositionsintheLEAsandschoolshave
beeneliminate,mostdistrictsstruggletosupportchangesinthewaytechnologyis
beingutilizedinclassroomsorcentrally.Whilesomemayassumeteachersrecently
graduatingfromcollegesofeducationwouldnotneedprofessionaldevelopmentin
usingtechnologyintheclassroom,thisisnotoftenthecase.Mosttechnology
directorsandinstructionalleadership,whenasked,respondedthatnewer
generationsofteachersaremoretechnologyproficientwithrespecttopersonaluse,
butstillareineffectiveinusingtechnologyasaclassroomtoolorintegrating
technologyintoinstructionalandstudentlearningpractices.Similarly,most
leadershipcitesalackoftheabilitytoevaluatetruetechnologyamongemployees.
Asnotedlaterinthisdocument,districtsthathavechosenonlinetools,platforms,
andresourcesthathaveanintuitiveK‐12userinterfaceexperiencehaveearlierand
moresuccessinintegratingthesetoolsattheclassroomlevel.Thedecisionto
choosetheseclassroom‐friendlytools—likeHaiku,Edmodo,andGaggle—create
fewerprofessionaldevelopmentneedsandencouragesustainability.
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March2012
StrongInstructionalTechnologyFacilitatorsareCriticaltoSuccess
Since2008,theFridayInstituteforEducationalInnovationintheCollegeof
EducationatNCStateUniversityhasconductedseveralevaluationsfortheNCDPI
onfederal,state,andlocallyfundedschool‐leveltechnology‐enabledinstructional
initiativesin.InstructionalTechnologyFacilitatorsplayedasignificantroleinthe
successoftechnologyintegrationintoclassroompractices.Thetechnology
facilitatorswerealmostuniversallydescribedasanintegralpartofthechanging
instructionalpracticeandcriticaltothesuccessoftheinstructionalinitiative.LEA
leadershipacknowledgesthis.Throughoutinterviews,theneedforstate‐funded
instructionaltechnologyfacilitatorpositionswascitedasacriticalneedfor
sustainedsuccess.
InstructionalFunctionality(findingsrelatedtoadoptionoftheNC
InstructionalImprovementSystem)
Thefollowingemergedfromtheinterviews:



Classroommanagementtoolsandplatforms;
Currentonlineassessmentlandscape;and,
Effectivedatausage.
Interface/Usability
HighlysuccessfulLEAsunderstandhowtoplan,implement,andsustaintechnology‐
enabledinstructionalinitiatives.Inthesedistricts,administrators,teachers,and
studentsfindthatteachingandlearningcouldnotbefullyrealizedwithoutthe
technology.MostofthesesuccessfulLEAsuseaLearnerManagementSystem
(LMS)/ContentManagementSystem(CMS)todelivercontentandlearning.The
LMS/CMSbecomesanintegralclassroommanagementtool,notjustatoolfor
deliveringonlineinstruction.Also,LEAsthataremostsuccessfulinusing
technologyasanintegraltool(Mooresville,Surry,ChapelHill‐CarrboroCity
Schools)usesystemsthataredesignedspecificallyforK‐12use(Gaggle,eChalk,
Haiku,Angel).Formostlargetechnology‐enabledinitiatives(ie.1:1laptop
programs)thatareachievingtheinstructionalgoalsdistrictandschoolteamshave
set,anLMS/CMSisthe“glue”thatconnectsthetechnologywithinstruction.
Furthermore,inthesehighlysuccessfulLEAs,teachersunderstandhowthese
technologiesmaketheirjobseasier.
CultureofOnlineAssessments
ManyonlineassessmenttoolsarebeingusedintheLEAsandchartersacrossthe
state.ThemajorityofschoolsandLEAsusingonlineassessmenttoolsuse
ClassScape.MosttechnologydirectorsciteClassScapeasalow‐costsolutionthatis
themostcloselyalignedwithNorthCarolina’scurriculumstandards.However,
manytechnologydirectorscitereliability,performance,andtechnicalsupport
issueswithClassScape,butthelowcostoftheproductenticesmanydistrictsto
Page|5
March2012
keepsubscribingandusingit.Inaggregate,ourinterviewsindicatethatLEAsare
confidentthatNCSUTechnicalOutreachforPublicSchoolscanprovidequality
content,butareconcernedwiththereliabilityandsupportoftheinterimand
summativeassessmentproducts.
Manydistrictleaderswereimpressedwiththecontentandthefeaturesetofthe
ThinkGateElementsassessmenttool.WhilewidelyusedinCTEcourses,costhas
prohibiteditfrombeingadoptedforothercurricularareas.
Similarly,
LEA
leadership
was
generally
positive
aboutthe
Wireless
Generation
mCLASS
diagnostics
platform.
The
usabilityoftheproduct,aswellasthetimelinessofreal‐time,teacher‐consumable
data,combinedtomakeitavaluableclassroomtool.Concernsregarding
sustainabilityofthestatesites,thehighcostsofdeployinginnon‐statefundedsites,
andthechoiceofstatehardware,however,surfacedininterviewsandsurveys.
AsurprisingnumberofLEAsstillchoosetouseScanTrontoolstoadminister
traditionalpaper‐and‐pencilassessments.
Data(warehousing,operationaldatastore,useofNCWISE)
Theoveralllandscapeofdatauseasaninstructionaltoolcanbecategorizedinto
threescenarios:limitedornouseofdata,manual“human‐powered”aggregation
andanalysis,andLEA‐provideddatawarehouses(whichistypicallyoverly‐complex
andverycostly).Useofindividualized,disaggregateddataisstillconsideredthe
“holygrail”ofusingdatatoinforminstruction.However,duetotheplatformsand
servicesinplaceattheLEAandstatelevels,accesstoreal‐timedataisdifficult.Most
districtsindicatethatteachersintheirschoolsuseNCWISEprimarilyasaninterim‐
andfinal‐markscollectiontool.Thisusecasedoesnotprovidereal‐timedatato
makeinstructionaldecisions.Thelackofanoperationaldatastoreateitherthelocal
orstatelevelsalsomakeusingdatatoinforminstructiondifficult.Interoperability
betweendataanddisparatesystemsalsomaketruedatausecostlyanddifficult.
ManyLEAleadersalsocitelackofsustainableprofessionaldevelopmentasan
impedimenttoeffectivelyusingclassroomdata.
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March2012
InformationTechnologyFunctionality(findingsrelatedtoadoptionoftheNC
EducationCloud)
Thefollowingemergedfromtheinterviewsandsurveydata:







Infrastructureandclientdeviceobsolescence;
Disparaterequirementsforteachingandlearninghardware,e.g.screen
resolution,browsercapabilitiesandstandards,needforplug‐ins;tech
support;
Accessandonlineassessmentreadiness;
Connectivityatschoolversusconnectivityathome;
Obsolescenceofbusinesssupportplatformsandtools;
Lackofdirectoriesandabilitytouseidentityasaunifiedtool;and,
Currentstatusofcloudcomputing.
StudentAccesstoEnd‐UserDevicesandTechnicalSupport
LEAsarestrugglingtoreconcilethecurrentend‐userdeviceenvironmentwhere
technicalobsolescenceisasignificantchallenge,especiallywithdeviceoptions
(refurbisheddevices,BringYourOwnDevice(BYOD),tabletsversuslaptops)and
application
requirements,
Morethan4…
mostnotably
3.5to4students
online
3to3.5students
assessments.
Wherelearning
2.5to3students
management
NumberofSchools
2to2.5students
systemsarein
1.5to2students
useorbeing
1to1.5students
considered,their
effectivenessis
Lessthan1student
oftenlimitedby
0
200 400 600
studentaccessto
end‐userdevices.
Contentcreationversuscontentconsumptionisoftenidentifiedasaconcernwhen
comparingtablets,laptops,andhandhelddevices(e.g.smartphones).
LEAsarereplacing,orcomplementingtheircomputinglabswithmobilecomputing
(laptopsortablets)cartsor1:1initiatives.AppleiOSdevicesliketheiPadarebeing
deployedingreaternumbersacrossthestate.ThemajorityofNorthCarolina’sLEAs
havebegunlarge‐scaletechnology‐enabledpilotsorinitiatives;however,thereis
significantconcernregardingtheabilitytosupportandfinanciallysustainthese
implementations.Inadditiontofundingtheseinitiativesthroughtraditionalmeans,
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March2012
LEAsareexploringalternativefundingstrategies,e.g.establishinganonprofittrust
orleveragingE‐Rateforbundledservices(deviceplus3G/4Gaccess),ortechnology
strategieslikeBYODandvirtualdesktop.
BringYourOwnDevice:SupportingPersonalDevicesontheLEANetwork
LEAsaremovingforwardwithsupportingstaff‐andstudent‐ownedpersonal
devicesontheirnetworkasawaytoaddressend‐userdeviceobsolescence
challengesandsustain1:1computinginitiatives.IndistrictsthatallowBYOD,most
users(teachersandstudents)utilizeweb‐basedresourcesorpersonalsoftwarefor
researchorproductivity.TheBYODconcernsthathavebeenidentifiedaretypically
relatedtooneofthreeareas:a)policy,b)technologyincludingend‐userdevice
standards,wirelessinfrastructure,andsecurity,andc)supportprogramsfor
personaldevices.ThemajorityofLEAswillneedtomakechangestotheirsecurity
model(policy,design,andmonitoring/management)tomitigatetherisks
associatedwithBYODprograms.Limitinginstructionalcontenttoweb‐accessible
applicationsorusingvirtualdesktoptechnologysimplifiesboththerequired
standardforpersonaldevicesandtherequisitesecurityinfrastructure.
VirtualDesktop(VDI)
ManyLEAs,aspossiblesolutionstotheirend‐userdevicechallenges,often
identifiedremotehosteddesktopsandremotevirtualapplications.TotalCostof
Ownership(TCO)savings,theabilitytoutilizeolderanddisparateequipmentto
providethelatestversionofsoftwaretostudentsandstaff,andeaseof
updates/patchesanddesktoppolicymanagementwereoftenidentifiedastheVDI
benefitsmostimportanttotheLEAs.Despitetheinterest,lessthan5%ofLEAshave
significantVDIdeployments.Thecomplexityandhighupfrontcostsforbuildinga
VDIenvironmentarebarrierstoVDIadoption.
Chromebooks
SeveralLEAsareexperimentingwithChromebooks,whichusetheGoogleChrome
operatingsystem.Chromebooksareprimarilydesignedtobeusedwhileconnected
totheInternetandusewebapplicationsinsteadoftraditionalthickclient
applications.
RemoteDesktopManagementandMobileDeviceManagement
ThemajorityofLEAshaveinvestedinMicrosoft,Novell,orApplesolutionsfor
desktopmanagement.However,theincreasinguseoftabletsandothermobileend‐
userdeviceshasLEAsinvestigatingmobiledevicemanagement(MDM)solutionsto
complimenttheirexistingdesktopmanagementcapabilities.MDMisadeveloping
marketandvendorsolutionsareevolvingtosupportagrowingsetofdiverse
mobileplatforms.MostMDMvendorshaveSaaS‐basedsolutions,butmaybe
prohibitivelyexpensiveforthemajorityofLEAs.MDMwasidentifiedbyseveral
LEAsasapossibleNCEdCloudservice.
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March2012
TechnicalSupport
Onaverage,technologydepartmentsspend45%to55%oftheirtime,asmeasured
asapercentageofITFTEs,providingend‐usersupport.NCK‐12schoolstechnician‐
to‐computerratiosaretypicallyaroundonetechnicianper1,200computers,which
comparesunfavorablytotheIMPACTModelrecommendationofonetechnicianper
400computers.Technicalsupportchallengesalsoincludeend‐userdevicetechnical
obsolescence,disparateapplicationrequirements(e.g.browserversionsandplug‐
ins),anextensiveportfolioofapplicationstomanage,andinadequatefundingfor
desktopmanagementtools.Asmorecomplextechnology‐enabledinstructionaltools
arerolledoutinthestate’sschools,adequatetechnicalsupportwillremainanissue.
Currently,thetechnicalsupportcapacityinourschoolsanddistrictsissostrained
thatmanyLEAshadadifficulttimecompletingthesurveyportionoftheinterview
process.Whilethesurveyhasprovidedampleinformationtomoveforwardwith
NCEdCloudplanningandimplementation,ofthe115LEAs,78didnotfullycomplete
thesurvey(manyfailedtocompletesmallsections).Forty‐onedistrictsdidnot
providecompletecostinformation.
WirelessInitiatives
Currently,andoverthenextseveralyears,thereisasignificantfocusonschool
wirelessLAN(WLAN)infrastructureleveragingRttTfunds,oftendrivenbyonline
testing“mandates.”Unfortunately,inmostcases,therearenoplansforLEA
sustainability.ManyLEAandcharterschoolleadersalsoexpressedconcerns
regarding‘fairness”asitrelatestothedisparityinhomeInternetaccessand24x7
learningenvironments.UnlikeLEALANinfrastructurewheretherearetwo
dominantequipmentproviders(CiscoandHP),fiveorsixvendorsWLANvendors
havesignificantmarketshareinK‐12publicschoolsinNorthCarolina.
LEACloudComputingInitiatives
CloudComputingisawell‐acceptedpracticeinthestate’spublicschoolscommunity.
LEAshavebegunthemigrationtoCloudComputingservicesto:a)savemoneyby
eliminatingon‐sitehardwareandsoftware,b)reducethepressureonunder‐staffed
technologyorganizationsbyshiftingsupportresponsibilitiestotheservice
providers,andc)simplifyclientdeviceconfigurationsbyusingweb‐accessible
applications.LEAsusetheCloudComputingSoftwareasaService(SaaS)modelto
accessenterpriseITapplicationssuchasemailandwebhosting,orinstructional
applicationssuchaslearningmanagementsystem(LMS),integratedlearning
system(ILS),andstudentandteacherassessments.AllLEAsuseSaaSapplications.
ThelevelofCloudComputingadoptionvariesacrossLEAsandistypically
determinedby:
 ITinvestmentandsystemlifecycle:LEAswithrecentinvestmentsinIT
infrastructure,e.g.MicrosoftExchange,areunlikelytoreplacethisin‐house
functionalitywithaSaaSserviceinthenear‐to‐mediumterm.Alternatively,
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March2012





LEAswithITassetsnearingtheendoftheirusefullifearelikelytoconsider
SaaSalternatives.
Technicalandfunctionalrequirements:comparativeanalysisofanin‐house
applicationversusaSaaSservicemayfavoroneapproachovertheother.
Financialanalysis/TotalCostofOwnership:financialanalysisofanin‐house
applicationversusaSaaSservicemayfavoroneapproachovertheother.
CapitalExpenditureversusOperationalExpenditure/Fundingsources:the
availabilityof“one‐time”fundingmayfavorthepurchaseofasoftware
applicationovertherecurringexpensesofaSaaSservice.Alternatively,
recurringexpensesthatcanbeaccuratelyforecastandbudgetedmaybe
preferred.
Availabilityofresources:resourceconstraintsmaylimitanLEA’sabilityto
managethemigrationtoaCloudComputingapplicationorprovidethe
professionaldevelopmentrequiredtouseit.Alternatively,resource
constraintsmaylimitanLEA’sabilitytosupportanin‐houseapplication.
CloudComputingconcerns–seebelow.
Theestimatedserviceadoptionratesusedinthefinancialsustainabilitymodels
mustreflecttheseLEAconsiderations.
CurrentLEASaaSimplementationsaretypicallydisparatewithlimiteddata,and
identifyandaccessmanagementintegration.
CloudComputingConcerns–General
LossofphysicalcontrolandnetworkavailabilityweretheprimaryCloudComputing
concernsexpressedduringthesiteinterviews.Lossofphysicalcontrolincluded
issuesrelatedtosecurity,dataprivacy,performance,andreliability.LEAsadopting
CloudComputingadapttheirexpectationsforhowmuchcontrolisreasonable.LEAs
aremitigatingtheseconcernsbycontractingwithestablishedandprovenCloud
Computingproviders,e.g.GoogleandMicrosoft,orusingCloudComputingfortheir
manynon‐sensitiveapplicationneeds.MovingapplicationstoaCloudComputing
modelrequiresveryreliablenetworkconnectivityandsufficientbandwidth.Long‐
termpriceuncertainlyforGoogleAppsforEducationwasalsoaconcernformany
LEAscommittedto,orconsideringGoogleapplications.
CloudComputingConcerns–NCEducationCloud
Financialmanagement,sustainability,andthepoortrackrecordofsuccessforstate
ITinitiativesandservices,wereidentifiedbyLEAsasareasofconcernspecifictothe
NCEdCloud.CostisoftenaprimaryfactorinLEAdecisionstoparticipateinstate‐
fundededucationinitiatives.Unforeseenchangesinstatefundingsupportforan
initiativecomplicateLEAfinancialmanagementandmayleadthemtodiscontinue
theirparticipationinaninitiative.NCVPSwasregularlycitedasanexample.
Similarly,LEAsareconcernedthatNCEdCloudservicesmaynotbefinancially
sustainableaftertheRttTfundingperiod.LEAsviewDPIhistoricallyasa“stovepipe
organization”inwhichinitiativesarenarrowlyandrigidlydefined.PastIT
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March2012
initiativessufferfromfunctionalobsolescence(e.g.NCWISE)andlimitedorno
integrationresultinginthe“inabilitytoextractandaggregatedataacross
applications”(e.g.BUD,HRMS,andCECAS).Systemuseoftenresultsindisparate
requirementsforend‐userhardwareandsoftware,e.g.screenresolution,browser
capabilitiesandstandards,needforplug‐ins.
IdentityManagement
IdentitymanagementwasroutinelynotedasasignificantchallengeforLEAs.
Uniqueordisparateidentitymanagementforinstructional,business,andenterprise
systemscosts25%to100%ofaFTE.(WayneCountySchoolsestimatedinexcessof
1FTEaggregate).Thisexcludeslostinstructionaltimeduetostudentauthentication
issues.AlthoughallbutafewLEAshavedeployeddirectoryservices(e.g.Microsoft
ActiveDirectoryorNovelleDirectory),thedirectoryservicesarerarelyintegrated
withtheinstructional,business,andenterprisesystems.SeveralLEAsarebeginning
toaddressthisissuebycontractingwithtechnologyconsultingcompaniestoassist
withtheapplicationintegration.LEAsfrequentlyidentifiedanidentityandaccess
managementserviceasapossibleNCEdCloudservice.
ServerVirtualization
Servervirtualizationisawell‐acceptedpracticeinthestate’spublicschools.LEAs
typicallyunderstandthetechnologyandhaverealizedcostsavingsandoperational
efficiencieswhendeployingservervirtualization.
IPTelephony
Premise‐basedIPtelephonyiswidelydeployedbyLEAsacrossthestateandusually
replacesobsoletePBXorkeysystems.Costsavingswastypicallyidentifiedasthe
primaryreasonformovingtoIPtelephony.Thepremise‐basedIPtelephony
systemsaresupportedbyLEAstafforbyE‐RatePriority2BasicMaintenance
contractsforthosedistrictseligibleforPriority2support.(Priority2:internal
connectionsandbasicmaintenance‐typicallyonlythepoorestschoolsareeligible).
Lessthan5%oftheLEAscurrentlyutilizehostedIPTelephonyservicesand
leverageE‐RatePriority1supporttosubsidizetheservicescosts.(Priority1:
telecommunicationsservicesandInternetaccess–allLEAseligible).However,
severalLEAshaveidentifiedavendortohosttheirtraditionalpremise‐basedIP
telephonysysteminavirtualizedenvironmentthatwouldallowtheservicetobe
eligibleforPriority1support.
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March2012
Operations,AdministrationandManagement
Sufficientnetworkandsystemsoperations,administration,andmanagement
(OA&M)toolsaretypicallylackinginLEAsandcharterschools.AlthoughmanyLEAs
citedCloudComputingperformanceasaconcern,fewhavethecapabilityto
baselineend‐userperformanceforlocally‐hostedapplicationsorcompareSaaS
applicationperformancetoaperformancebaseline.Inaddition,effectivenetwork
availabilitymonitoringandcapacityplanningaredifficultwithoutcomprehensive
OA&Mtools.
DisasterRecovery
VeryfewLEAswerenotedtohavecomprehensivedisasterrecoveryplans.Data
back‐upanddisasterrecoveryserviceswerefrequentlyidentifiedbyLEAsas
possibleNCEdCloudServices.BusinessriskismitigatedasLEAsmovetoSaaS
applicationsassumingtheserviceproviderhasanadequatedisasterrecoveryand
businesscontinuityprogram.
ObsolescenceorLackofIntegrationofBusinessSupportPlatformsandTools
Althoughbusinessoperationswasnotafocusofthesiteinterviewprocess,these
applicationswereoftencitedasexamplesofstate‐supportedsystemssufferingfrom
functionalobsolescenceordisparateidentityanddatasystems.SeveralLEAs
indicatedthattheNCEdCloudshouldprioritizetheirworktofocusonareaswhere
LEAscurrentlyhavetospendmoney.Businessoperationssystemswerecitedasan
example.
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March2012
MethodologyforGatheringInformation
Thesefindingswerecompiledfrominterviewsof114LEAsand10representative
charterschools,and300+questionsurveysthatwereadministeredtoall115North
Carolina’sLEAs,andthe10charterschools.Theinterviewsandaccompanying
surveyswereconductedinthreephases.Theinformationgleanedwasusedto
informtheplanningprocessoftheNCEdCloud.InterviewsbeganinFebruary2011
andwerecompletedinOctober2011.
Theinterviewswereconductedprimarilywithtechnologydirectors/CTOs,butoften
includedotherdistrictandschoolpersonnel,includingsuperintendents,assistantor
associatesuperintendents,financeofficers,instructionalspecialists,and
instructionaltechnologyfacilitators.Whileearlierinterviews(thefirst54)focused
ontheresultsfoundinanLEA’ssurveys,laterinterviewsoftenfocusedprimarilyon
thedistrict’suseoftechnologytoenableinstructionaloutcomes.Otherintended
outcomesoftheinterviewandsurveyprocessweretoinformtheNCeducational
communityoftheNCEdCloudinitiatives,andtogarnercommunitybuy‐in.
Alldistrictswereprovidedtimetofinishthesurveys.Districtsalsowereaskedto
providepurchaseordersorotherrecordsthatindicatedtheamountoffunding
spentonsoftware,hardware,infrastructure,andservices.Althoughthewindowfor
informationgatheringremainedopenalmost10months,someLEAsfailedto
completethesurveyorprovidecostinformation.Ofthe115LEAs,allbutseven
LEAscompletedamajorityofthesurvey.Forty‐onedistrictsdidnotprovide
completecostinformation.Themissingfinancialinformationmaybeindicativeof
severalofthefindingsdocumentedabove(e.g.fundingandsustainability,
technologygovernance,andobsolescenceorlackofintegrationofbusinesssupport
platformsandtools).
Note:Thisdocument,andthepresentationfromtheMarch28,2012
Superintendents’Quarterlymeeting,canbefoundat
http://it.ncwiseowl.org/resources/staff_presentations/
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