Dekalb County School District – brochure 2020

An education in digital transformation Project partners

An education in digital transformation Interface magazine speaks to Derrick Brown, CIO of DeKalb County School District regarding its digital transformation program… WRI T T EN BY PRODUCED BY

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Andr ew Woods Cr ai g D ani el s

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ducation has experienced an incredible amount of reconfiguration. Digital transformation

is redefining, evolving and accelerating the educational landscape to equip schools, teachers and students with the necessary tools, platforms and knowledge befitting of 21st Century institutions and client expectations. Higher education and private schools were the first to dip their toes into innovation, primarily a result of increased competition and customer expectation; boosted by rising fees. Of course, the other major driver of digital transformation in the classroom is the need to maximize the classroom experience. And now, tax-funded schools

capital spending. The primary aim was to

and colleges are making enormous

construct a digital ecosystem that would

progress in improving the quality and

provide teachers and students with the

access to modern education for all.

necessary tools and resources to revolu-

DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is Georgia’s third largest school system,

tionize the learning experience.

Derrick Brown is the Chief Information

serving just under 100,000 students,

Officer at DeKalb County School District

139 schools and centers, and employing

in Georgia: “Four years ago they (DCSD)

16,242 staff. In 2016, a decision was taken

started the strategic thinking and brand-

to undertake a digital transformation of its

ing of Digital Dreamers; the digital

schools, in a bid to boost the educational

ecosystem hosting platforms such as

experience for every stakeholder. The

Verge, ItsLearning, a learning manage-

digital transformation was branded Digital

ment and instructional system contain-

Dreamers, an ambitious four-year strat-

ing all online tools for virtual learning.

egy funded by SPLOST, which released

The instructional ecosystem has been

and invested taxpayer dollars through

designed to virtually meet the needs of

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

educators and learners,” Brown explains.

Brown and his colleagues in Curriculum

some it’s personalized, and so sometimes we differentiate, but at the end of

& Instruction and Student Support

the day, it’s the teachers who know the

Services provide online curriculum and

appropriate tools and ways to engage

tools for math, science and the core

with their students.”

curriculum, as suggested by the teaching

Brown is relatively new to DCSD. He

staff, who work closely with his team to

joined the district in November 2019, but

shape the educational landscape. “And

this work isn’t new for him. He did simi-

that’s where the magic happens, in how

lar work for another major school district.

that teacher engages with the students.

Brown is not the product of a traditional

Because they all learn differently. For

career path in education, and was bitten 5

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

“We aren’t just over here in the boiler room, managing technicians and systems engineers and network engineers, and managing these systems.

No, we’re actually in the boardroom” Derrick Brown, CIO DeKalb County School District

by the education bug while consulting in

teacher, as well as learning materials and

Portland Public Schools for one year then

research aids. A couple of years ago

joined full time and served for another

“There was a fear from parents when

three years in various IT leadership roles.

devices were distributed to students from

Brown facilitated a similar digital transfor-

school districts throughout the nation

mation to the one at Dekalb, while work-

regarding screen time and what might

ing for The Evergreen Public Schools in

that look like for my child, but they’re

Washington. “We were going through

used intentionally and with purpose

this exercise some years ago, about the

for access and to enhance learning.

same time as DeKalb and we started with

Students don’t have their devices on

what we called the Four Cs: creativity,

their desk all day. The teacher is instruct-

communication, collaboration, and critical

ing and can still use many different tools:

thinking. That’s pretty much still the prac-

paper, books, or other means. And then

tice here at DeKalb.”

when appropriate, instruct the students

DeKalb’s digital learning platform Verge, (constructed by global software developer ItsLearning) has equipped

to use the devices for whatever task they might be doing.”

Brown’s team currently has approx-

all students and educators with access

imately 175 employees with executive

to Virtual Learning. Students in grades

leadership in instructional technology

6 through 12 to take home devices to

supporting teachers as well as infrastruc-

continue learning. In elementary school

ture and support services responsible for

students have access to shared devices

the district’s network, enterprise systems

in mobile carts. Virtual assignments

& servers, unified communications,

and content can be delivered by the

cyber security and technical support to 7

name a few. Verge is a complete system

Fortune 100 companies” available 24

connected to DeKalb’s digital learning

hours a day, if not physically, then virtu-

platform, built on Itsearning’s manage-

ally. “And so, leadership and essential

ment system. That entire digital ecosys-

staff are always on call. We always felt

tem contains grade level, teacher-cre-

that way as a technology division within

ated content. “So, we provide the digital

education, but now we’re at the front

tools, and then they (the teachers) take

of the bus instead of the back, so to

those tools to create their own lesson

speak, because they’re utilizing these

plans. That’s the ecosystem running right

systems in a way they never have before,

now for teachers to virtually provide for

at all times of the day and night, glob-

the children.”

ally. We’re not always able to afford, as

According to Brown many public schools are expected to operate “like

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

a school district, the best of everything, but we want to make sure that we’re

implementing enterprise equipment and

skills, managing budgets, professional

solutions with fidelity and leveraging

development, training and leadership.

Gartner for research and calls with indus-

“Communication and understanding the

try analysts about technology tools.”

problems you’re trying to solve, and

Collaboration is common in many

that they have a beginning and an end,

industries but is essential in public

and that they operationalize, are impor-

education. Brown’s background is in

tant. So that fits quite nicely into educa-

IT project management, more focused

tion. And one of the things I love about

with human capital and managing large

education is that we share. There is no

national technology projects, which

competition. We’re all doing the same

makes sense when most of the work

thing, and in the business to educate our

carried out in IT is through relation-

students, and so it’s wonderful to serve

ships, communication, organizational

and support. We pick up the phone and

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

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We want to make sure that there’s at least a person within every school that can support the work we’re doing now from the digital transformation perspective” Derrick Brown, CIO DeKalb County School District

call our peers all over the country for

can adjust and modify the tools we’re

guidance, insight and learn from their

offering. For a true digital transforma-

experiences. It’s communication through

tion in instruction, we have to know what

the building of relationships, conferences

is happening at the schoolhouse and

and networking. We, IT leaders, have to

to have that open dialogue frequently

be tremendous listeners. Great listeners.

throughout the school year so that we

And not just building the tools that we

can continue to be agile and flexible.”

want, but making sure that it’s delivering

Many organizations, not just educa-

what our teachers, families and students

tion, are looking for thought leaders

need.”

because of the influence of IT at the core

DeKalb is incredibly fortunate that

of the business, from a data and analyt-

turnover of staff is low. That allows for

ics perspective through to the essential

the continued growth of the experience

functions, ERP, human resources, finance

within the team for succession planning

and all the tools that drive a business

and for creativity and new thinking under

to be connected and integrated. Brown

the leadership of new executive direc-

extolls the virtue of being able to commu-

tors. “It gives us an opportunity to get

nicate, articulate and understand what

into the buildings with our staff and begin

the business needs. “And even though

actively seeing and listening to students,

public education isn’t a business, we are

teachers and administrators. How are

in the business of educating children.

we meeting their needs? Because, at

Our product is human. And so, we want

the end of the day, it’s making sure that

to educate and eventually create global

we understand and are observing the

thinkers, not someone that just under-

behaviors in the classroom so that we

stood network design and computers.

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The people who strategically know how to do that and who can groom talent to support that thinking and the mission of the organization as a whole.”

You would think with 7,000 teachers and 100,000 children, DeKalb would have a substantially good-sized organization to support its teachers, but there are only seven instructional technology specialists. However, the scale of the job at hand is not an issue to Brown. “What we’re doing now is as an ‘arranged marriage’, of a chief academic officer, myself and other district leaders. We have executive directors of curriculum and executive directors in technology plus instructional specialists on the technology side. As the next iteration my hope is to align with media specialists or other identified teacher resources in schools. We’re looking for jobalikes, if you will, within the schools so that each person or job title in that school, is linked to a similar role within IT, and then we can begin leveraging those partnerships to enhance support for teachers.”

Digital transformation faces many challenges and education has many of its own and so Brown spends a significant amount of time working with district leaders. “I call it storytelling. We first talk about where we’re going and provide a 12

DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Derrick Brown CIO, DeKalb County School District

Derrick currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for DeKalb County School District (DCSD) in Georgia. DCSD educates nearly 100,000 students, supports 16,000 employees that serve in 142 schools and administrative offices.

Brown directs activities for approximately 175 employees and serves as chief strategist and visionary for comprehensive IT solutions including but not limited to governance, infrastructure and operations, technical support services, cybersecurity, and IT modernization for service delivery supporting academic goals and business systems & service. Derrick has more than 25 years’ experience with organizations such as Evergreen Public Schools as Chief Innovation Officer, CIO/ CTO of Pulaski County Special School District, PMO Manager for Portland Public Schools, and various roles in healthcare, telecom and other capacities with state and federal government agencies.

Derrick earned a B.A. in English Literature from Virginia Commonwealth University and his M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management.

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

voice and a choice. Teachers are used to

members obviously can’t support 7,000

being at the front of the classroom, facili-

teachers, but we want to make sure that

tating and being the master craftsperson

there’s at least a person in every school

t. And now we are saying ‘you’re going

who can support the work. Because

to continue to do that, but what would

the tools and resources are there, we

it look like if you just took this one thing

need people in the school to become

that you master really well and imple-

the experts of those tools to transfer the

ment it using technology?’ Rather than

knowledge. We were just having this

pulling teachers out of class to do profes-

leadership conversation where culture

sional development, we offer webinars

will beat strategy all day.”

and alternative learning options. We’re

According to Brown, schools need

not asking the teachers to jump into

to be mindful of not applying too much

the deep end of the learning platform.

pressure to principals. However, they do

We want to make sure that the support

require administrators to demonstrate

structures are there, and that they have

what they want the teachers to do and

a friend or someone in the building that

observe this through classroom walk-

can be called upon. The seven staff

throughs. This was a lesson learnt at 15

Brown’s previous job, where new devices

were five to 10 years fresh out of college,

and platforms were not simply “rolled

as they were used to these tools. For the

out”. “We got excited about the learning

other 70-80 percent, this represented

process and input from administrators,

a tremendous cultural shift. We have

teachers and students before saying,

pockets of excellence because we have

‘Let’s roll this out. Let’s build this amazing

some leaders that are exceptional in their

system of tools because it’s what’s best

own right, but from a digital instructional

for the kids and learning.’ Then we won’t

perspective, they’re not quite there yet.

wonder why everyone wasn’t utilizing it.

And so how do we best support those

They’d bought into it. Think of it from a

leaders and connect them with their

marketing perspective, we didn’t just give

peers through jobalike? We want to take

it to them. The ones that were excited

the schools and the leaders that are

about it weren’t just the innovators who

doing really well and partner them with

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

of the tools that they have access to and how they can be implemented with fidelity, using the technology.”

IT is no longer a utility, but very much a strategic partner in educating students, and Brown feels that’s the critical role of the new CIO in digital transformation. “We aren’t just over here in the boiler room or data center, managing technicians and systems engineers and network engineers, and managing these systems. No, we’re actually in the boardroom. We’re helping make decisions for the entire organization because not only do we have access to the data, we also have access to the tools to make sure that everything is integrated, which changes the conversation for who we serve; the students, staff, families and the ones that might need some improve-

community. That’s what I’m excited about,

ment, so we can do some modeling.

and that’s why I want to be in education

Rather than us telling them what to do or

because that ‘systems thinking’ typically

what it should look like, it’ll be their peers

doesn’t come from the educational side.

within the same organization, within the

It comes from the business world, and

same school district, that help elevate

that’s where I got my start. And that’s

us to grow to where we need to be. IT

the shift that you’re beginning to see in

is married to curriculum and instruction.

education, where it used to be you were

They drive the work, and we’re their

a teacher, or a principal, and you went

co-pilot. They set the standards and we

from the principal to the administrative

implement them. And so, we’re at a point

office to be an executive. That is chang-

right now where we need to make sure

ing. The landscape is really changing.”

that all teachers understand the power

So, what does Brown see as a gauge 17

of success, with regards to his work at Dekalb? “I think graduation rates, student engagement and cultural organizational systems thinking shifts. That’s one of the most difficult parts with digital transformation. Some scholars will say it’s how the tools are being implemented. How often are they on? And for me, I don’t think that’s a good place to start because usage just tells you behavior. They logged on, that they were on it for X number of minutes or hours. For me, it’s looking at the grades and the outcomes and the learning and getting feedback from teachers. We look at the work holistically, and the whole child through SEL (social, emotional learning). So, for me, that’s how we’re going to measure success. ‘How does this make the student feel or excel?’”

Amid all these changes, Brown is now keen to implement some stability in order to harness and utilize the data being collated. “Let’s spend some more time thinking. Let’s spend some more time talking about what we want and what we need and make sure that we understand the requirements of it first instead of going out and purchasing a tool before we really understand what we’re going to do with it and how it’s going to meet our needs. It’s a tough nut to crack, it really is, because you’re changing a 150-year-plus tradition of sitting in desks in rows. But it’s a nut that we will crack.”

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DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

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www.dekalbschoolsga.org