Business and industry have harnessed the power of technological advances to increase productivity by employing an enterprise-wide approach to the acquisition and implementation of technology resources. Schools, however, have typically acquired technology systems for specific functions in a fragmented and piecemeal way as budgets permit.

As a result, "islands of information" that are difficult to integrate have proliferated throughout the Miami-Dade County School District at a time when the No Child Left Behind Act has increased the urgency to provide accurate and timely data about student learning to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Schools, like business and industry, must recognize the need for careful planning to ensure effective and cost-efficient uses of technology for increased student learning and enhanced staff productivity.