K-12 Digital Infrastructure Brief: Adequate and Future Proof

Introduction & Overview

The needs, capabilities, and expectations of technology infrastructure vary significantly by context. A rural outdoor learning school in the mountainous American Southwest will face challenges and have needs much different than a district within an urban center along the East Coast with an all-digital curriculum. The recommendations within these briefs are meant to help build, augment, and sustain digital infrastructure supportive of learning no matter the location.

Education Infrastructure is Critical Infrastructure 

Education’s digital infrastructure is officially considered critical infrastructure, and just as we work to provide physical infrastructure that is safe, healthy, and supportive for all students, we need to align resources to create digital infrastructure that is safe, accessible, resilient, sustainable, and future-proof.

What Are We Working Toward?

  1. Digital infrastructure should be adequate and future-proof. 
  2. Digital infrastructure should be defensible and resilient. 
  3. Digital infrastructure should be privacy-enhancing, interoperable, and useful.
  4. Digital infrastructure should be accessible to individuals with disabilities and multilingual learners.
  5. Digital infrastructure should enhance student digital health, safety, and citizenship skills.

Whose Job Is It?

  • District Leaders
  • District Technology Leaders
  • Educators
  • Students and Families 
  • State Leaders
  • Vendors and Service Providers


PART 1 OF THIS SERIES “K-12 DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE BRIEF: DEFENSIBLE & RESILIENT” can be found here.

PART 3 OF THIS SERIES “K-12 DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE BRIEF: PRIVACY ENHANCING, INTEROPERABLE, AND USEFUL” can be found here.