For many IT shops, the cloud offers an opportunity not only to improve operations but also to align themselves more closely with their schools' strategic goals. The cloud is not a plug-and-play proposition, however--it is a complex, evolving landscape that demands one's full attention. Security, privacy, contracts, and contingency planning are all…

Two school districts--Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Plano Independent School District in Texas--have undertaken ambitious initiatives in recent years to introduce data-driven decision-making into their operations. Although each has struggled with different obstacles, both have progressed beyond the initial two stages on the DDDM continuum,…