Presented by Gregory Schwab, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Facilities and Operations, Edmonds School District (WA); Chris Bailey, Director of Technology, Edmonds School District (WA); Johnathan Skaris, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Darlington County School District (SC); and Amanda Cadran, Ph.D., Program Director, Rapid Cycle Evaluation, LearnPlatform by Instructure

Sponsored by LearnPlatform by Instructure

Watch the Recording Listen to the PodcastRead the Article

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Districts make significant investments—in budget dollars, professional development, and instructional time—in education technology (edtech). While edtech solutions can significantly impact student outcomes, understanding academic return on investment can be challenging.

Watch this edLeader Panel to hear from leaders at Edmonds School District in Washington and Darlington County School District in South Carolina who are leveraging rapid-cycle evaluation (RCE) in partnership with LearnPlatform by Instructure to analyze the impact of strategic edtech investments. They discuss why they chose to do this work, how they selected which edtech to evaluate, how they think about measuring outcomes, and how they see this data impacting budgetary, operational, and instructional decisions going forward.

Viewers can expect to gain first-hand insights on evidence-based edtech management, best practices for district-generated research, and actionable tips for engaging with edtech provider partners in evidence work.

This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 teachers, school and district leaders, and education technology leaders.

About the Presenters

Greg Schwab is the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Facilities and Operations for the Edmonds School District. He also oversees the district’s Technology, Career and Technical Education, and Athletic Departments. Greg is a 33-year educator who has previously held positions as a high school language arts teacher, coach, district athletic director, high school assistant principal, and high school principal. He believes the role of educators is to ensure all students receive a high-quality education that prepares them to pursue their dreams and passions after high school. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon, a Master of Arts degree in teaching from Lewis and Clark College, and is currently a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at Washington State University. His research focuses on understanding students’ perceptions of safety in their high schools and using their voices to guide initiatives to create safer learning environments.

Chris Bailey is the Director of Technology for the Edmonds School District, leading the district’s work around education technology implementation, networking, and infrastructure. Chris has been with the district for over 15 years and has previously held positions in IT operations, technical support, and technology project management. Chris enjoys engaging in sustainable edtech planning and sharing the work his team is doing with other technology professionals in the education community. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Seattle Pacific University and a Master of Business Administration in IT management from Western Governors University.

A native of Bethel Park, PA, Johnathan Skaris was a high school social studies teacher for 13 years before becoming an Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Darlington County School District. He believes technology should never compete with an educator’s teaching methods, but instead should always complement lesson plans. Johnathan holds a bachelor’s degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Education from Coker College. He is certified to teach secondary-level social studies and is a certified Apple Teacher and Google Certified Educator (Level One). Johnathan lives in Hartsville, SC with his wife, Traci, and their two children, Aiden and Reagan.

Amanda Cadran, Ph.D. is LearnPlatform by Instructure’s Program Director for Rapid Cycle Evaluation. In her role, she works with local, regional, and state education agencies nationwide to leverage LearnPlatform’s IMPACT technology to conduct rapid-cycle evaluations on priority edtech tools for formative process improvement. A versatile, hands-on program director and academic researcher with a background in teaching, curricula, and instructional technology, Dr. Cadran has been with LearnPlatform for nearly seven years in various customer success roles.

Previously, Dr. Cadran held positions in curriculum development and online instruction for the Duke University Talent Identification Program, K-12 research consulting, and as a classroom educator and technology director with the Diocese of Raleigh. Dr. Cadran holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism and a master’s degree in public policy analysis from Lehigh University. She earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from North Carolina State University.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Technology in Schools community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.