July 12, 2019
K-12 schools across the country rely on technology to further individualized learning but quantifying the efficacy of this effort and maintaining the fleet of devices that one-to-one computing requires comes with unique challenges. With funding opportunities on the decline, schools are increasingly challenged to prove that technology has had a meaningful impact on student outcomes.
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is the third largest school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia with more than 78,000 students in 89 facilities. In order to support their personalized learning initiative, the district invested heavily in a one-to-one program for students and staff, adding thousands of devices for use in-classroom, at home, or by teachers who travel.
In order to secure the budget for the purchase of tens of thousands of devices, Dr. Rich Contartesi, CIO for LCPS, was tasked with demonstrating device utilization rates, no matter if the device was on or off the school network, to drive consensus that teachers did need a laptop and that students were benefiting from using laptops in the classroom. The Board also needed assurances that security of sensitive data and device theft recovery were prioritized to safeguard the investment in these devices.
Read: Student Technology Analytics Key to K-12 Digital Learning
Using Absolute, LCPS was able to provide quantitative information on device utilization rates right away. With security in mind, LCPS chose to purchase Dell laptops, which are protected from the factory with Absolute Persistence. Out of the box, these devices are able to withstand tampering and may be tracked no matter where they travel. With Absolute, the LCPS IT team now receives automated alerts on anomalies, so they can focus on reviewing potential security issues and taking action to ensure endpoint protection and data privacy.
“We were able to provide the board with quantitative information about device utilization that derives consensus so the budget could be approved. Also, peace of mind with security, privacy and theft recovery,” Contartesi said.
With Absolute, LCPS now has peace of mind of endpoint security, device theft recovery and data privacy. They have minimized their risk and increased the value and utility of their devices.
Learn more about how Absolute enables personalized learning at Loudoun County Public Schools by minimizing risk and increasing device utility.
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