And technology creates new possibilities for security breaches of district records and other sensitive material. Resistance to change. Even the best-designed technology projects can be sabotaged by politics and resistance to change. Some districts launch technology efforts, only to find them thwarted by people who insist on using old methods and demand software that will allow them to follow outdated business practices that drain dollars from classrooms and students. Other obstacles might come from taxpayers who protest the expense of technology and from parents who believe the new systems provide more information on their child than they think is needed.
Some parents fear that confidential information can be obtained over the Internet.
Any one of these and other problems can lead to the failure of a technology project. And any failure, as experienced district leaders can tell you, can tarnish a district's reputation and provide fodder for the critical media. In the long term, success will come as a result of many people following solid business and technology-management practices. Provide leadership and vision. School technology will not succeed without leadership and vision from the top.