The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), in partnership with the Texas Association of School Administrators and CoSN’s Texas state affiliate chapter, The Texas K-12 CTO Council, is honored to support the work of current and aspiring superintendents and district leadership teams in leading all aspects of digital learning transformations.

The EmpowerED Superintendent edWebinar Series
Monday, June 14, 2021, 4 p.m. CT

Digital Transformation and Innovation in Rural School Districts: Leadership Strategies for Success

The next episode of the monthly EmpowerED Superintendent Webinar series, co-hosted by CoSN, AASA, and edWeb.net, and sponsored by ClassLink, airs on Monday, June 14, 2021, at 4 p.m. Central Time. The June webinar is titled Digital Transformation and Innovation in Rural School Districts: Leadership Strategies for Success.More than half of the school districts and about one-third of public schools in the United States are situated in rural areas. Rural districts have unique challenges, ranging from poverty and sizable travel distances to a lack of affordable, reliable, and robust internet access.

Join the conversation with four rural school district superintendents: Dr. Peter Aiken, Superintendent, Manheim Central School District, PA; Dr. Amy Carter, Superintendent, Meridian Public Schools, MI; Dr. Matthew Dillon, Superintendent, Petal School District, MI; and Dan Leffingwell, Superintendent, Noble Local Schools, OH, as they discuss the challenges and opportunities that are unique to rural school districts when leading digital transformations that change how teachers teach and students learn, as well as impact the way school districts operate. Each superintendent will also share the leadership strategies and technology tools they have implemented during the past year and a half in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to assure that all students in their districts continue learning. Plans for how the schools in these four rural school districts will operate during the 2021-2022 school year will also be discussed.

Free registration for the June 14, 2021, webinar is now available at: https://home.edweb.net/webinar/supers20210614/
Webinars in this series are also freely available as recordings at https://home.edweb.net/supers/ and via podcast at https://home.edweb.net/podcasts/ a day or two after the initial live broadcast.

CoSN Resources

Challenges and Opportunities of Rural Districts in Taking the Digital Leap

In partnership with Team4Tech, CoSN created and published multiple resources with proven strategies and real stories of how rural school systems have established meaningful local partnerships. The CoSN Report provides a review of five location-based challenges that rural school districts face and how technology can help. In addition the report offers guidance on how rural school district leaders can leverage their communities to make a real difference for their rural school districts. Digital leap recommendations and advice on sustaining a digital leap are also provided. Find the full CoSN Report, Challenges and Opportunities of Rural Districts in Taking the Digital Leap.”

Digital Equity Concerns for Rural Schools

This CoSN resource addresses four Digital Equity challenges facing many rural schools or systems. The four challenges articulated in the document include: 1) Access to Devices; 2) Access to Broadband; 3) Creative Learning Opportunities; and 4) Digital Equity vs. Digital Equality. Strategies and resources for addressing all four challenges are included in the downloadable PDF document.

CoSN Membership & Texas K-12 CTO Council

If your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN and/or Texas K-12 CTO Council, please contact Dr. Alice Owen, Executive Director, Texas K-12 CTO Council at exdir@texask12ctocouncil.org or call 855.458.9286.