Presented by Dr. Mark Benigni, Superintendent, Meriden Public Schools, CT; Dr. Doug Brubaker, Superintendent, Fort Smith Public Schools, AR; and Dr. Mary Wegner, Superintendent, Sitka School District, AK

Program Host and Moderator: Ann McMullan, Project Director, CoSN Empowered Superintendents Initiative

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In today’s world of ubiquitous use of technology, we still hear about school districts that move forward with 1:1 technology programs without thoroughly considering nor reflecting on the “why” behind that decision. Sometimes the reason may be the growing realization that students are digital natives and seem to prefer learning with technology, or it may be a sense of “peer pressure” to match a neighboring district’s technology program. Fulfilling a mandate from the local school board can also be the motivation behind a district’s launch of a 1:1 initiative. Regardless of the motivation, a district must create and own a comprehensive shared vision for implementing any technology program. Without that essential collaborative planning process, the result may be an effort that lacks the desired impact or worse, simply fails miserably.

In this edWebinar, hear from three superintendents who are recognized as technology leaders in their field. They share what it takes to successfully deploy, implement and sustain a commitment to digital learning. Each will share the “why” behind their successful technology initiatives. This recorded edWebinar will be of particular value to school superintendents, K-12 school and district leaders, and aspiring leaders.

About the Presenters

Mark D. Benigni, Ed.D. has been an educator for over 20 years and begins his 10th year as Superintendent of the Meriden Public Schools. Dr. Benigni served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and Mayor of the City of Meriden. In addition to leading the Meriden Public Schools to its highest academic scores in district history, Dr. Benigni has presented at national conferences, taught doctorate classes, and published a book and numerous articles. He was recognized as CoSN’s 2018 Empowered Superintendent, a 2015 Education Week Leaders to Learn From, and one of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce’s Ten Outstanding Young Americans. The Meriden Public Schools has received awards from CoSN, the Learning Counsel, NSBA, Digital Promise, District Administration, and Edutopia. Dr. Benigni is currently the co-chair of the Connecticut Association of Urban Superintendents, as well as 2nd vice president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

Dr. Doug Brubaker serves as Superintendent of Fort Smith Public Schools, AR. Over a career spanning 24 years, he has served in a variety of leadership roles in school districts ranging in size from 7,000 to 60,000 students. As Superintendent of Fort Smith Public Schools, Dr. Brubaker launched the district’s Vision 2023 strategic planning initiative and worked with students, parents, educators, members of the community, and the FSPS Board of Education to identify, prioritize, and begin to address the district’s greatest needs. In May 2018, in part due to broad-based support for Vision 2023 goals, the district passed its first millage referendum in over 30 years. A dedicated funding stream for technology replacement has been a key accomplishment. Dr. Brubaker and his wife, Heather, have a daughter who attends school in the district. Dr. Brubaker has CoSN CETL certification and a Ph.D. in educational computing from the University of North Texas.

Dr. Mary Wegner is the superintendent in the Sitka School District in Sitka, Alaska. Her work focuses on transforming the learning landscape to be relevant for today’s students. Additionally, she is a strong advocate for digital-rich learning environments, as well as policies and funding that promote the value of public education to society. Mary is active in arts education organizations in Alaska and works to end homelessness in her home community.

About the Host

Ann McMullan is Project Director for CoSN’s Empowered Superintendents Initiative. Ann served as Executive Director, Educational Technology in the Klein Independent School District, near Houston, Texas until September 2013, when she and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. For 16 years Ann led the district team that provided professional development on technology and 21st century instructional strategies to 4,000 professional educators serving 50,000 students. Ann served as co-chair of Texas Education Technology Advisory Committee which developed the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Today, Ann is based in Los Angeles working as a public speaker, writer, and education consultant focused on leadership and planning to meet the needs of today’s students. Ann serves on the Project Tomorrow advisory council and is a leadership consultant with Executive Service Corps of Southern California, serving non-profit associations. Ann co-authored Life Lessons in Leadership, a guide for leaders ages eight to 88.

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ClassLink empowers your students and teachers with instant access to their learning resources. ClassLink® OneClick® includes a library of over 5,000 single sign-on apps and instant links to file folders at school and on Google, Office 365, and Dropbox cloud drives. ClassLink Roster Server easily and securely delivers class rosters to any publisher using open technology standards. ClassLink Analytics gives decision makers the usage data they need. Accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone, ClassLink is ideal for 1to1 and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives.

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community, best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education.