While the IT needs of K–12 schools are always changing, it seems that the number of student, educator and staff needs has grown exponentially over the past few years.

One major change on the horizon for how schools use data is through artificial intelligence. Staff and students are leveraging AI-based tools that require large pools of data for analysis, as well as processing power and storage for resulting data. Another major requirement is a network with high bandwidth and low latency so that results can be generated quickly.

AI and machine learning are also a major part of quantum computing, which will be coming to more K–12 schools in the years ahead. Amazon Web Services describes quantum computing as a combination of computer science, physics and mathematics: “Quantum computers are able to solve certain types of problems faster than classical computers by taking advantage of quantum mechanical effects, such as superposition and quantum interference.”

These emerging technologies are major reasons why K–12 IT teams will need to modernize and future proof their systems, but they aren’t the only factors responsible for the growing strain on IT infrastructure.

Other Factors Impacting IT Infrastructure

The pandemic forced many schools to quickly pivot so students could attend class remotely. Almost five years later, administrators are finding that while most students have come back to physical classrooms, some parents still want their children to continue remote learning. In other cases, schools are providing hybrid learning so students can access digital materials from home for flipped classrooms, when they are out sick or due to weather challenges.

Another change affecting school IT infrastructure is the push to establish smart buildings, with the proliferation of Internet of Things systems at its core.

This concept incorporates more than just remote learning initiatives. It includes managing school resources, such as energy use, transportation logistics and security systems. There is also potential to manage student needs and health through IoT, and to assist with things like class attendance, evaluation and feedback, and science, technology, engineering and math education.

In addition, school IT infrastructure will need to accommodate a changing population that requires access to the network on- and off-campus, with uptime as close to 100% as possible.

Modernize Building Infrastructure to Support Future Needs

Given these potential changes, what should schools do to upgrade their infrastructure to meet demand? First, they will need to devote more resources than they have in recent years — which might be challenging, as “the majority (59%) of technology budgets account for 5% or less of a district’s total budget,” according to a recent CoSN report.

There will be a rising need for cloud storage and computing resources, which will require security and monitoring. Edge computing will also become a more important part of school infrastructure, and putting students closer to the applications and data they need to access will require energy-efficient processing and storage.

Physical footprints must be fortified as well, with campuses looking to upgrade cabling and providing students and teachers faster and more reliable wireless access via Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.
Take a Phased Approach to Infrastructure Modernization

School IT leaders might be looking at a large outlay to future proof their technology infrastructures, but seeing what other schools have accomplished should give them ideas about how to spread out the financial load in the coming years.

For instance, initiatives can be done in phases, as the Texas Region 4 Education Service Center did. First, as the state’s largest education service center, Region 4 brought a portion of its data analytics workload for escWorks to the cloud in 2022.

“EscWorks is a digital platform that allows K–12 organizations to manage professional development workshops and conferences, as well as provide analytical data to identify product offering trends and meet industry standards and compliance needs,” Amazon Web Services notes. Then in 2023, “Region 4 migrated escWorks to AWS cloud and began modernizing the platform.”

Another planning step is to implement monitoring on all devices, including basic equipment such as universal power supplies and cooling devices. Using IoT-enabled devices and monitoring as much of the infrastructure as possible allows for remote management and can help identify issues before they become serious. Monitoring also provides a picture of just what pieces of the infrastructure might be upgraded, moved or reconfigured and which parts are underused.




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