KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ( KCPS )
276 for his work at KCPS . Yet Phillips is far more occupied with the achievements of the district . “ My key responsibility in this role is to use technology to improve the lives of our students , and I am particularly invested as I know how our kids feel and what they face every day . They can ’ t wait several years for change , they need it now in order to be equipped for the future .”
The key way in which Phillips is doing this is via a project he calls ‘ The Classroom of Now .’ “ Many other districts may have projects called ‘ The Classroom of Tomorrow ’ or ‘ The
Classroom of the Future ’, but our kids don ’ t have time to wait for this ,” he says . Phillips shares that there are currently 42 technology projects underway to improve upon the district ’ s infrastructure , cybersecurity and classroom experience . “ Our largest project is the district-wide refresh of technology , so that our students can get the bestof-the-best and our teachers aren ’ t hindered by technological difficulties .”
At the core of these edtech initiatives is a clear goal : to become the go-to strategic partner across the entire organisation . “ If we can help every
“ Many other districts may have projects called ‘ The Classroom of Tomorrow ’ or ‘ The Classroom of the Future ’, but our kids don ’ t have time to wait for this ”
— Joe Phillips , Director of Technology , KCPS
APRIL 2020