Connecticut’s CIO has ‘unique’ role heading edtech commission

Connecticut Chief Information Officer Mark Raymond says he has a unique job for a state CIO: In addition to his usual duties, he also heads the state’s Commission for Educational Technology. The job, he says, involves taking on the state’s “digital equity question,” which is why some have access to technology and high-speed internet, and others do not. “We know that we’re a really connected state, so having the ability to have access 98-percent-plus of our population have the ability to, but only 80% of them actually get it,” he says. Raymond says the disparity can be accounted for by differences in personal finances, a distrust in institutions or a lack of digital skills. It’s his job, he says, to reduce the gap, in part by funding “digital navigator” programs that provide people with digital skills.

This video was recorded on Oct. 1, 2024, at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers annual conference in New Orleans.