Ashland, Oregon Schools Blaze a Trail for Digital Learning with AI-Driven Networking

A few years ago, the Ashland School District outlined a strategic plan for student success, and it backed those intentions with a bond measure to renovate schools, redesigning classrooms and strengthening educational technology. With digital learning an integral part of every day, the school site networks were refreshed.

Steve Mitzel, director of IT at Ashland School District, runs an innovative team. “As we did our research for the network upgrade, we were introduced to Mist at an executive briefing center event. We left with a feeling of intrigue, and we began our research.” The objective was to refresh the networks serving the high school, two middle schools, and three elementary schools. Technology is integral to learning, whether it’s kindergartners who are just exploring the world or high schoolers exploring future careers in engineering and manufacturing technology. Delivering a great network experience for students, teachers, and administrators was a top priority. Equally important was streamlining network operations.“

Ashland School District was among the first K-12 schools in the U.S. to deploy Mist. “We committed early to Mist, and we’ve never looked back,” Mitzel says. “We have raw respect for the trailblazing work that Mist did, and we wanted to be aligned with that innovation.” That innovation gives a district of 3000 students an advanced network that districts ten times that size might have—but without any added complexity.

“Mist scales easily across the K-12 landscape, from big urban school districts to small, rural districts,” Mitzel says. “The Mist solution works in so many scenarios.” That provides a foundation for the future of learning, whether in the classroom, in the theater, or on the field. And it can count on its partnership with Juniper and Mist. “The Juniper and Mist team have been great,” Mitzel says. “Their level of engagement is unheard of these days.”