Dive Brief:

• Because more districts are now using tech as a core piece of instruction, chief academic officers (CAOs) and chief technology officers (CTOs) in school districts are now collaborating more than ever before.
• The titles for both positions can vary: CAOs can also be known as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction; CTOs can also be called chief information officers or CIOs.
• Yet because both administrators come from different professional backgrounds, collaboration can be challenging, especially given the fact that both are responsible for different parts of school systems.

Dive Insight:

The role of CTOs can cover everything from ed tech purchasing and digital textbooks to decisions around cloud storage and data security. CAOs, too, are involved in diverse aspects of district decisions, from teacher hiring to more specific decisions around curricula. 

According to Education Week, the Consortium for School Networking surveyed CTOs for three years straight and found their number one concern was isolation and feeling as if they worked in a "silo." Yet by working closely with CAOs, CTOs can make a major impact on how successful new tech initiatives can be. 

For example, by looking at how three distinct North Carolina school districts handled device deployments, it's easy to see how collaboration can help improve implementation. Teacher buy-in and transparent communication are important and can be facilitated with help from CAOs. Building a supportive school culture that embraces new tech and fully understands the goals of using new devices, platforms or software is also beneficial.