Roselle, N.J., public schools are determined to lead with innovation and change

Dr. Henry A. Dixon, director of operational technology at Roselle Public Schools, has been steadily closing the gap in preparing the community’s students for college and their lives ahead.

Modernizing the network, foundational to classroom learning and smooth district operations, was a critical starting point to adopting the latest digital learning tools and methods. The district’s aging, chassis-based switches were retired, giving way to a fast, flexible, and resilient network from Juniper.

Next up was modernizing the Wi-Fi networks, replacing the old-school wireless LAN controller with the Juniper Wireless Access solution, driven by Mist AI. Juniper provides a robust suite of cloud-based microservices that support Wi-Fi 6, IoT, AI, automation, and location-based services.

“I gravitated to Mist AI,” says Dr. Dixon. “I used to teach computer science, so I understood how the AI could help me in the future.”

Student and teacher expectations for quality digital experiences have risen along with remote learning requirements. Everyday learning incorporates more video, applications, and online resources. Classrooms have many more connected devices. 

With a Juniper network, Roselle Public Schools is better positioned to incorporate the tools of modern learning so teachers can better address the pandemic’s impact on learning and bring educational equity to the children of hard-working families. 

AI-driven operations has transformed IT support, empowering an IT staff of four to deliver better user experiences while also streamlining their workload. 

Wi-Fi connectivity problems are rare. And, network maintenance no longer needs to be performed after hours. “If we need to make a network change in the middle of the day, we can move traffic in three seconds with no operational impact to the schools,” says Stevens.

The Juniper Mist Cloud portal makes it easy for Dr. Dixon to keep tabs on network user experiences from anywhere and avoid problems that could impact learning or district operations. 

“With Juniper, we have better visibility and can fix problems faster,” says Dr. Dixon. “Marvis and Mist AI allow us to think about the next set of problems and how to improve the Wi-Fi coverage as our needs change.”

Driving student achievement through power of connected devices and anytime, anywhere access to education is front and center on Roselle Public Schools’ agenda.