Williamson County has solved the problem which many districts face by having plans that only deal with acquiring hardware and leave out the other necessary planning elements of training, management systems, instructional focus and support organizations. But Williamson County's experience may be exceptional. Many school districts still seem to be struggling. We recently ran a focus group of nationally represented administrators and board members to discuss the difficulties of managing technology in their organizations. The lack of coupling shows up in the large picture through lack of systems to plan instructional sequences, to deliver and assess curriculum, and to integrate technology with strategic goals.
Organizational issues are huge barriers to implementing technology.
The underlying issue is that responsibility for systems is diffused between the schools and various departments, and superintendents and boards are often unclear about how to plan, manage and assess effectiveness of the technology function. The lack of cohesion between district office and the schools, the lack of coordination between instruction and business affairs, the inability to develop common policies for acquisition and use of technology and technology support personnel for a school district and the lack of clear goals are continual problems. Hardware and infrastructure problems are the most visible and easiest to resolve. They include hardware that is too old, networks that are too slow, and hardware and software components that will not work with each other. The allocation of finances is planned for over a multiple-year period.