Case Study

North Canton City Schools partnered with Lightspeed Systems to streamline their edtech management, focusing on app data privacy management, usage analytics, and simplified app approvals.

Opportunity: Streamline Edtech Management

As a member of the Ohio Student Privacy Alliance (OHSPA), North Canton City Schools needed efficient application management. “We needed a process for managing data privacy agreements and tracking approved and unapproved apps, as well as for allowing staff to request new apps,” said Kim Nidy, Director of Technology.

The district also sought to simplify the app approval process for faculty and staff, and to gain greater visibility into app user engagement. “There are times vendors will share usage data, and times they won’t. We were excited about the possibility of seeing what is going on in our own learning environments,” explained Nidy.

We needed this ability to see what is approved or not approved in conjunction with our data privacy policies and those of the OHSPA. Now we can view whether something is being used and whether it is something we are paying for.

Solution: Lightspeed Digital Insight

Lightspeed Digital Insight™ provides robust app analytics, streamlined data privacy management, and simplified app approvals. It gave North Canton’s IT and instructional technology leaders a single view of district edtech usage, enabling data-backed decisions on budget, security, and professional development.

“We needed this ability to see what is approved or not approved in conjunction with our data privacy policies and those of the OHSPA. Now we can view whether something is being used and whether it is something we are paying for,” said Nidy.

The district also implemented edtech review and approval processes, allowing IT leaders to manage app approvals and maintain a public list of approved applications.

I love that I can store all my contract information in Digital Insight. I no longer have to use a spreadsheet to track costs and all my contract-related tasks.

Results: Solidified Partnership and Cost Savings

North Canton’s partnership with Lightspeed began with a positive implementation experience. “This was the smoothest rollout we’ve had with the best training,” Nidy said.

With Lightspeed Digital Insight, North Canton identified and managed current apps, gaining insight into costs and approvals. “My initial focus has been on reviewing all our apps and identifying those we are paying for and not paying for and which have been approved for use,” Nidy stated.

App usage analytics helped evaluate ROI and drive purchasing decisions. “We faced a 27% cost increase for an application we’ve used for over 10 years,” Nidy exemplified. “Usage data from [Lightspeed] Digital Insight showed that only seven out of over 100 teachers in our most active building used it. Sharing this data with our principals led to a decision not to renew, saving us over $24,000 with just one app.”

Usage data from [Lightspeed] Digital Insight showed that only seven out of over 100 teachers in our most active building used it. Sharing this data with our principals led to a decision not to renew, saving us over $24,000 with just one app.

The district also benefited from storing contract information. “I love that I can store all my contract information in [Lightspeed] Digital Insight. I no longer have to use a spreadsheet to track costs and all my contract-related tasks,” Nidy said. They also plan to use the system’s data to evaluate professional development efforts. “We have some professional development coming up and are going to use [Lightspeed] Digital Insight to see if usage increases afterward,” Nidy noted.