School system leaders need guidance to advance and achieve their technology goals. To support their efforts, CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) today announced the development of its Peer Review service – a program that leverages CoSN’s national Framework for School System Technology Success.
 
District leaders who participate in the program will work closely with and receive feedback from an experienced team of education technology professionals. Leveraging the Framework, the Peer Review Team will visit a school system to identify what the district is doing well as well as the areas for improvement to move their technology efforts forward. CoSN unveiled the new service today at its 2017 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.
 
“For school leaders, there is often no more of a valuable resource than professional peers – particularly those educators who have achieved robust, modern learning settings,” said Tom B. Ryan, Chair of CoSN, CISO of Sante Fe Public Schools & CEO of eLearn Institute. “This unique service will provide district leaders with comprehensive feedback and a roadmap to ensure their technology plans get and stay on track.”
 
The Peer Review process will include the following phases:  
 
  • Advanced Preparation. Ahead of the site visit, the CoSN team leader will work with a district representative to collect information, schedule interviews, set up meeting facilities and address preliminary questions pertinent to the review for analysis. The full team will develop an agenda that maximizes their time onsite. 
  • Site Visit: Fieldwork. A Peer Review Team comprising two-to-three experienced education technology leaders will visit a district to assess the school system’s operations.
  • Site Visit: Days One and Two. The Peer Review Team will spend the first meeting confirming priorities with the lead sponsor, followed by interviews with key district leaders. This information will then be evaluated against the Framework.
  • Day Three. The Peer Review Team will provide a verbal assessment of their findings to the district senior leader and discuss initial feedback.
  • Post Consultancy Report. A full written report summarizing observations and detailing the team assessment evaluation will then be prepared by the group leader and submitted to the participating district within two weeks.  
“Moving through a digital conversion is a complex process across an entire school system,” said Steve Langford, Chief Information Officer, Beaverton School District, OR. “The CoSN Peer Review offering will support school technology leaders with the resources and information they need to succeed. Experienced leaders will apply their combined knowledge and background to assist school districts in assessing their capabilities and advancing a digital conversion successfully.”
 
To learn more about the new program, please visit: cosn.org/focus-areas/peer-review-new.