Named after the hundred-eyed watchman of Greek myth, Argus watches the education landscape: spotting new opportunities, pressure-testing the ventures we're building, and tracing every read back to the real-world signals behind it.
The evidence library: the raw signals the pipeline is watching across the education ecosystem. Every idea is built from these.
Technology defines the modern learning landscape. In the K–12 classroom, one-to-one device programs, BYOD policies, cloud-based learning platforms, digital displays and Internet of Things devices all are driving educational outcomes. In this environment, the network has quietly become the most critical piece of infrastructure. Success today is defined by the ability to support both current technology demands and tomorrow’s needs. With more devices coming onto the network all the time at New Trier Township High School District 203 in Illinois, CTO Michael Marassa saw the writing on the wall. “…
Even as post-ESSER budgets tighten, Chromebook fleets are still growing. And with large device fleets comes more management and maintenance complexity. To manage these devices effectively, IT directors and district administrators in K–12 must understand the Google Admin console, mobile device management options and physical device workflows. Here, we dive into those areas to help districts make informed decisions about their Chromebook device management strategies. Click the banner below to discover how CDW can help your district manage its entire device fleet.
Wireless presentation tools have become necessity rather than a convenience. Teachers expect to walk into a classroom and share content instantly, without fumbling for adapters or waiting on IT support. The BenQ InstaShow WDC15 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) wireless presentation system is designed to meet that expectation while also addressing security and reliability. At its core, the WDC15 focuses on ease of use. Presenters simply connect a dedicated HDMI or USB-C connected button to their laptop and begin sharing content wirelessly with a single touch. No software installation is required…
When leaders of Huntsville City Schools in Alabama realized the district was outgrowing its career and technical education setup, it opted to build a centralized facility for its students interested in pursuing a workforce development track. The 81,000-square-foot Huntsville Center for Technology opened in August 2025 and houses a range of technical programs, from culinary arts and cosmetology to welding and precision machining. Technology is at the forefront of the facility, both from a networking perspective and embedded in each classroom. Click the banner below to read more…
Ambient artificial intelligence is being hyped as a new wave of AI with the potential to make today’s tech-enabled classrooms even smarter. Compared with the transactional nature of traditional AI, ambient AI “fades into the environment rather than sitting in a visible tool waiting for someone to type a prompt,” explains Narmeen Makhani, founder of AIxecute, a strategic advisory and consulting firm. The technology is already being employed in medical settings, helping clinicians with note-taking and after-visit summaries. To pick up on engagement and classroom interaction in real time,…
Paper hall passes have been around forever. But they aren’t always the best tool for the job. “A conventional hall pass basically just says that this student has permission to leave the classroom. That’s where the information stops,” says Tyler Shaddix, co-founder and chief innovation officer at GoGuardian. Modernized tools can do a lot more. With digital hall passes, schools can support student safety, track trends around how spaces are used and automate permissions for who can be in the hall, when and where. Click the banner below to learn how CDW and GoGuardian support safer, more…
Washington’s Mercer Island High School introduced instruction in the art and science behind podcasting as part of its curriculum about seven years ago, just as the medium started to gain widespread popularity. MIHS Students in the school’s radio and podcasting program have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience operating recording studio equipment and contributing to the district’s FCC-licensed radio station, KMIH 88.9 FM The Bridge. “Students develop skills to formulate an introduction, perform background research, make an interview sound great on the airwaves,” says Natalie Woods,…
The EdTech Quality Collaborative, a group of six education-focused organizations, recently released a new tool for assessing and purchasing K–12 technology. The guide grew from an issue that touches every district in the nation: tech sprawl. The average district accesses nearly 3,000 distinct ed tech products in a year, but until now there was no K–12-specific framework for evaluating these tools. That lack of guidance — and the disconnect between procurement and actual classroom use — often leads to low tech adoption and wasted funds. The collaborative, made up of 1EdTech, CAST, CoSN,…
Weapon detection solutions have evolved from locked doors and metal detectors to AI-powered systems. What were previously one-off purchases are now integrated with a broader, layered approach to safety that balances security with a more welcoming environment. Here are tips CIOs and CTOs should keep in mind as they consider physical security and related solutions. Click the link below to discover the benefits of modernizing your physical security infrastructure.
Accessibility has always been a legal obligation. But leaders in the K–12 space are expanding that conversation to include how it could be more than that: a design principle that creates an improved learning experience for every student, not just the ones with IEPs. At ISTELive 26, Tara Nattrass, chief innovation strategist for education at Lenovo, broke down what hybrid AI means at the device level and why it matters for students who rely on accessibility tools. Nattrass helped lead seven sessions at the conference, including “Strengthening Accessibility and Inclusivity with Hybrid AI.” The…
The technology that turns the most heads in K–12 schools tends to be the flashy equipment — interactive displays, 3D printers, powerful gaming computers, lifelike robots. But IT leaders know that the technology that matters most is often invisible. It’s a fast network designed to handle a classroom full of devices, clear policies that guide smart decisions, and cybersecurity strategies that guard student and institutional data. Click the banner below to find the tools you need to protect your district from cyberthreats.
The conversation around educational technology often begins with the tools. Gallup-McKinley County Schools in northwestern New Mexico started with something else entirely: relationships. The district’s Heritage Language and Culture teachers were hired for their expertise in Navajo culture and the Diné language. Many entered teaching through nontraditional pathways, with varying levels of formal preparation in pedagogy and experience integrating instructional technology. For the last two and a half years, the Northwest Council for Computer Education has partnered with the HLC teachers to…
The E-Rate program, a federal initiative that has been providing broadband discounts to K–12 districts since 1998, is currently under review, and experts are asking individuals to advocate for the program during a public comment period. That was the messaging at ISTELive 26 in Orlando, Fla., where Dave LeNard, E-Rate manager for CDW, and Amy Passow, senior manager of education funding solutions for CDW, spoke to school and district leaders about the importance of saving this program. What Is E-Rate? The E-Rate program is designed to provide connectivity to schools and libraries. It…
A teacher has issues accessing a learning platform. Students struggle to log in to an online assessment. A classroom full of devices suddenly loses connectivity. For K–12 IT teams, solving those problems has become increasingly complicated, with today’s tech environments spanning on-premises networking equipment, cloud-hosted applications, Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms and thousands of endpoint devices spread across multiple schools. When an issue occurs, the root cause could reside almost anywhere. That complexity is pushing many districts to look beyond traditional monitoring tools…
K–12 districts aren’t slowing down on technology investments. U.S. schools spent an estimated $30 billion on ed tech in 2024, a figure that is expected to nearly double by 2033. But even the smartest investments can succeed only if the people they’re meant for actually use them. Too often, planning focuses on procurement and rollout, but skips a critical component of implementation: professional development. The CoSN 2026 Driving K–12 Innovation Report emphasizes the importance of professional development as a critical component of building up leaders in school settings: “When schools…
When K–12 school districts implement a new technology, they typically invest significant time planning the technical deployment and far less time preparing the people who will ultimately determine the success of the change. “Most technology implementations do not fail because of the technology itself. They struggle because organizations tend to focus heavily on the technical rollout and underestimate the human side of change,” says Julie Whitten, CEO of Julie Whitten Consulting, a change leadership advisory firm. “I have seen districts successfully launch systems from a technical perspective…
A few years ago, Jenn Judkins was attending a data governance training session when the instructor posed a question: “You may say you have a good data privacy practice in place, but is it documented? If it’s not documented, does it really exist?” That question resonated with Judkins, technology director at Wayland Public Schools in Massachusetts. She had spent years thinking about how to protect student data, working with her team to follow best practices around access, data protection and vetting software vendors. But none of it was formally written down. The instructor, Melissa Tebbenkamp,…
Picture this: A little girl is in the kitchen, helping her family cook dinner, and suddenly, she turns on the blender with her mind. It’s not science fiction; it’s happening now with the use of brain-computer interface technology, which interprets electrical brain activity through an EEG headset or an implanted chip and sends those signals to a connected computer — or, in this case, a blender. For students with ALS, severe cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries, BCI could eventually replace or augment assistive tools such as eye-tracking software and switch controls, offering a faster,…
Data from a recent Comparitech report shows a 9% decline in the number of confirmed ransomware attacks on U.S. educational institutions from 2024 to 2025. While incidents may not be rising as fast as they once were, and though average ransom amounts are down 33%, the overall rate of attacks and the severity of breaches is still high. The bottom line is that cyberattacks of any kind aren't going anywhere, and that’s leading schools to shift from emergency response mode toward a longer-term cyber resilience strategy. Brock Boggs, IT director of Cityscape Schools in Dallas, Texas, says that his…
Lynsy Curry gave some students in her class a mission — if they chose to accept it. The elementary media specialist at Timbers Elementary School taught the fifth graders technology tips a couple of years ago when she was their teacher. When they began showing other teachers what they learned in her class, she asked them if they would be interested in forming a technology team and being her student helpers. Challenge accepted. The tech team was born in the Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, nearly three years ago. During her session “From Helpers to Leaders: Building a…
In the post-ESSER era, many schools and school districts are learning how to iterate their resource allocation to do more with less and build durable plans that center planning around the mission instead of the money. During her session “Driving Innovation When Budgets Are Tight” at ISTELive 26, Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for the U.S. Department of Education, discussed the importance of having a clear framework for what sustainability looks like alongside panelists Chris Lehmann, CEO and principal of the Science Leadership Academy…
Recent breaches involving Canvas and PowerSchool, resulting in the theft of millions of individuals’ private information, have intensified attention on third-party technology risk in K–12 education environments. The incidents underscore that a district can protect its own environment and still be exposed through a vendor — a risk difficult to contain when the average district relies on thousands of ed tech tools, many delivered through Software as a Service (SaaS). While small IT teams cannot investigate every provider with the resources of an enterprise security organization, they can build…
For some districts, the concept of using data and artificial intelligence to make decisions seems far off in the future. But K–12 districts are already collecting a tremendous amount of data in various systems, from attendance records and grades to behavioral reports and the number of substitute teachers employed in a single semester. The challenge, explains Matt Jubelirer, general manager of education marketing at Microsoft, is aggregating the data from these disparate systems into a single place and making something of it. “The goal isn’t more data collection. It’s helping educators…
Human error is the soft underbelly of cybersecurity. According to IBM, it plays a role in roughly 95% of breaches, a statistic that looms especially large in K–12 education. Schools are uniquely vulnerable, with thousands of users, limited IT resources, and an environment built on openness and trust. “People talk about humans as the weakest link,” says Randy Rose, vice president of security operations and intelligence at the Center for Internet Security. “And the reason they get that rap is because the No. 1 factor in a majority of cyber incidents is social engineering, mostly phishing emails…
Adopting new technology across a school district is a significant investment that’s hard to reverse if the rollout misses the mark. A pilot program can mitigate the risks by first launching a small-scale, time-limited test of a technology tool with a defined group of users before committing to full schoolwide or districtwide adoption. “A pilot helps districts validate that a solution will work in their unique environment and determine if it will integrate with the rest of their ed tech ecosystem and instructional practices,” says Kris Astle, learning and adoption manager at SMART Technologies…
What’s one certain sign that your school district’s STEM program is heading in the right direction? Just three years after building a dedicated facility for students to explore real-world applications for science, technology, engineering and math, you’re already looking to expand. In 2023, Hemlock Public School District (HPSD) in Michigan found itself in that very situation. Its Lockwood STEM Center, built in 2020, was a place where students went to test robots and experiment with industrial fabrication machines. By all accounts, the center was a success, but it soon became clear that it was…
Virtually every school district has it: A closet, back room or office corner cluttered with broken devices that nobody has time to fix. What felt manageable when a device fleet was a year or two old can quickly become overwhelming as Chromebooks, laptops and tablets age and begin needing maintenance or repairs. When K–12 IT teams are already working at maximum capacity and wearing multiple hats, device repairs and hardware maintenance can be one of the tasks that gets pushed to the backburner. But hardware downtime can hinder classroom learning and teacher efficiency, and district budgets can…
Artificial intelligence has rapidly transformed K–12’s cyberthreat landscape, turning phishing scams into more sophisticated, multichannel attacks that exploit trust, familiarity and the platforms educators and students use every day. Phishing is no longer just an inbox problem — it’s an “everywhere” problem. For many years now, we’ve taught K–12 staff and teams to check an email sender’s address as one way to stay safe. In today’s threat landscape, the advent of AI-powered vishing, deepfake impersonations and automated social engineering, that advice is now obsolete. Cyber fraud is now…
Although cybersecurity has been on K–12 districts’ radar for several years, many have yet to achieve maturity. The goal is resilience — the ability not only to detect an attack that is already underway, but also to anticipate threats, manage risks, minimize the impact of attacks and restore secure operations quickly. Here are five pillars of a resilient cybersecurity posture. Click the banner below for a cybersecurity roadmap built for K–12 schools.
Technology can accelerate learning when chosen with care, but it can also become a distraction if it doesn’t meet the everyday needs of students and educators. Education program budgets nationwide are in flux, and demands on educators are high, so it’s crucial to evaluate edtech tools strategically. Here are five questions every school leader should ask before making their next technology investment. Click the banner below to find the guidance you need to manage your device ecosystem.
K–12 districts are entrusted with a wide range of student data. Attendance records, grades, behavior logs, Individualized Education Programs and health records are gathered and stored in school systems, often for years after children move on to other districts or graduate. And as schools adopt more ed tech tools, they’re responsible for even more data. With that responsibility comes risk: A single mismanaged account can lead to an exposure that puts students’ information at risk. Strong data governance requires building smart policy; it also requires putting into place deliberate practices…
Across K–12 schools, the conversation around student device use has shifted from whether phones belong in classrooms to how schools can manage them in a way that supports learning. As digital devices become increasingly embedded in students’ daily lives, educators are navigating a complex balance between maintaining safety and minimizing disruption. The challenge is no longer simply about restriction but about designing systems that are practical and sustainable at scale. One of the most pressing issues schools face is that mobile phone distraction is rarely limited to overt misuse. Even when…
Andy Mann’s model is deceptively simple. Informed by years of experience as a technology teacher, he developed a vision to get $10,000 virtual reality headsets and other sought-after devices in the hands of teachers who wanted to try them in their classrooms without the steep investment of buying them. Using strategic funding, Mann meticulously amassed a collection of STEM items that teachers from the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District in Michigan can check out. At his ISTELive 26 session, “Borrow Don’t Buy: Creating a STEM Loaner Library,” Mann shared how he built his STEM loaner…
One of the greatest group project collaborations in K–12 right now has nothing to do with social studies or science projects. The IT leaders who understand the risk tend to speak in technical language, while the administrators and educators who control the budget speak in outcomes. Finding a shared vocabulary helps them fight — and ultimately fund a defense to — the K–12 cybersecurity crisis. The school year ended with a historic cybersecurity attack across K–12 and higher education, punctuating a point that teachers, IT leaders and school districts have been very aware of, with…
All too often, students reach their junior year of high school with only a vague notion of what they want to do after they graduate. Waiting until graduation is within reach to begin college and career conversations can leave both the students and counselors feeling rushed and out of time. Districts that are already using data to inform decisions have pivoted to using this information to improve the post-graduation experience for students. “The innovative shift is moving away from a generic ‘here’s a list of colleges’ approach and toward tracking students longitudinally,” says Eric Crespo,…
K–12 school districts are packed with digital tools, and it’s up to IT leaders to manage the governance, data and risk associated with them. But no single department can do this alone and without all of the facts they need to make an informed decision. At ISTELive 2026 in Orlando, Fla., technology experts explained how cybersecurity, data privacy, accessibility and governance work together and why building a safe, intentional, student-centered digital environment depends on breaking down the silos between IT and the rest of the district. Cybersecurity Maturity Assessments Can Help Guide…
As the debate about screen time and digital tools in the classroom continues in school districts around the country, speakers at ISTELive 26 in Orlando, Fla., presented research noting that a balance between digital tools and foundational learning is the best path to effective learning. “This is not pro-tech versus anti-tech,” said Amanda Bollinger, associate administrator in the teaching and learning department at Jordan School District and a member of the Utah State Board of Education. “It’s just current reality. How do we balance those two things?” Cari Warnock, education…
More than 9 in 10 U.S. school districts say they have planned to purchase Chromebooks for their students or staff this year. So, when rumors began to buzz about the Googlebook, which brings together elements of ChromeOS and Android, many district leaders understandably had a lot of questions. Will my school’s devices eventually become obsolete? What can I do to future proof my device program? We have good news for K–12 districts that are concerned about this change: The real story is that schools have ample time and multiple options to prepare for the upcoming upgrades. By beginning to plan…
Some ed tech gets a lot of hype; it’s easy to get excited about esports setups, one-to-one device upgrades and artificial intelligence. But the infrastructure that makes all of that possible is often an afterthought. Modern network infrastructure is a building block for a modern classroom. If your network isn’t upgraded to support these projects, they are going to fail. Districts preparing to modernize must ask the unglamorous question first: Is the network ready? If not, they can build an upgrade plan with a funding strategy that supports the infrastructure that makes the new technology…
The success of today’s modern classrooms relies on a combination of resources, technologies and policies to maximize learning for students. From the funding that brings technology to schools to the rules and regulations that govern how it is used, these factors work cohesively to ensure an optimal experience for teachers and students alike. At this year’s ISTELive conference, held June 28 to July 1 in Orlando, Fla., expert speakers will present on a range of topics that address the future of modern classrooms. K–12 instructional staff, technology leaders, superintendents and librarians…
Engaging in professional development is never simple for educators, who must juggle classroom learning, curriculum planning, grading assignments and administrative responsibilities. Too often, PD takes a backseat to everything else. With artificial intelligence–related classroom training, it’s even more difficult to accommodate the necessary instruction. “The pace of change with AI is so rapid, it can be daunting for educators to keep pace,” says Jennie Magiera, global head of education impact at Google. “And it’s a second-order change to incorporate AI into classrooms, creating novel ways of…
For K–12 IT teams, summer is one of the busiest and most important times of the year. Once devices are collected, classrooms are cleared and summer projects begin, technology teams must assess, repair, update and prepare the tools that students and teachers will rely on when they return to school. Classroom technology use continues to grow, driven by new tools. Chromebooks and other personal devices are transported between home and school, and not always in the most careful ways. By the time June arrives, devices show signs of use. There may be missing keys, cracked or damaged screens,…
Quantifying cyber risk in terms of financial exposure helps K–12 IT teams justify their spending and make the case that security is an enterprise-critical endeavor. This approach pushes districts to audit existing security tools, prioritize threats based on potential financial impact and measure success in dollar-based risk exposure rather than technical metrics. Here’s how a quantified risk analysis can help K–12 security leaders identify which investments meaningfully reduce exposure and which add cost and complexity without real value. Click the banner below to learn how a risk…
Walk into any school computer lab during a language arts lesson, an online standardized test or a remote learning session, and audio challenges are immediately apparent. Students on adjacent machines bleed sound into each other’s ears. Spoken instructions compete with the hum of the heating and cooling system. Younger learners yank cables, twist boom arms and subject hardware to the kind of punishment that turns most consumer headsets into trash within weeks. The Jabra Biz 1100 EDU was built in direct response to these conditions, and I recently tested it to ensure it could stand up to the…
Artificial intelligence has transformed many areas of education, from lesson planning and personalized learning to administrative tasks. It can analyze data, identify patterns in student learning that might otherwise go unnoticed and provide insights that support instructional planning and earlier intervention. AI systems can analyze patterns in student participation, attendance, assessment data and even student engagement within digital learning environments. These systems may identify patterns suggesting that a student is at risk academically long before those concerns become apparent…
As artificial intelligence’s capabilities continue to make themselves evident in the classroom, the technology is quickly moving from a novelty to a necessity. To that end, at the ISTELive 2026 conference in Orlando, Fla., the organization unveiled its expanded Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate. Joseph South, chief innovation officer for ISTE+ASCD, said that in identifying trends and themes involving AI in teaching and learning, his team noticed a gap. While early frameworks focused on AI literacy, teaching students the fundamentals of AI and how to interact with it, guidance didn’t go much…
America’s youngest learners are still struggling to regain reading ground lost in the pandemic, according to data from education research group NWEA. First and second grade reading scores remain below pre-pandemic levels, even as math performance has begun to recover. Because the youngest learners in schools were just babies during pandemic shutdowns, the stagnant scores may suggest deeper, systemic issues affecting early literacy development, both inside and outside the classroom, researchers say. “Some of the most significant reasons for the gaps may include interrupted foundational…
For nearly three decades, E-Rate has made connectivity and network infrastructure accessible for even the smallest and most rural schools. Now, the Federal Communications Commission is taking another look at the program and deciding whether it should continue in its current form. The reason? Leaders have raised questions about whether screen time on E-Rate–funded networks can be tied to educational purposes, especially in light of school board concerns about screen time. Our team at CDW has been talking to K–12 districts about E-Rate for years, and lately we've been hearing that school…