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 ncreasingly,
school districts are finding ways to reform and enrich education
through technology. The exemplary achievements of a few such districts
are honored each year at the Technology + Learning Conference,
sponsored by the National School Boards Association (NSBA). At
the meeting this past fall in Denver, Electronic School joined
NSBA's ITTE: Education Technology Programs in video salutes to
three outstanding districts.
This year's honorees -- members of NSBA's Technology Leadership
Network -- demonstrated a commitment to student learning and staff
development, community support, and technology integration. All
three are examples of the power of technology to enhance teaching
and learning.
Six years ago, a reform effort began in the community of Arlington
Heights. This community wanted to ensure that its nearly 12,000
high school students would be technologically prepared when they
entered the work force. So administrators, staff, and business
and community leaders joined in an initiative that resulted in
27 short-range and nine long-range goals. The goals focused on
professional development, technology acquisition, and network
infrastructure.
In 1998, with support from the school board and $25 million
in funding, the district developed a five-year technology plan
that included the previous goals as well as a focus on community
involvement and engaged student learning. The vision of the district's
Staff Support Program was for "all students and staff" to "employ
technology as a tool to access, analyze, utilize, and communicate
information." This vision was driven by the district's belief
that "all students can learn and that the use of technology will
enhance the learning experience of each student."
"Our mission was to improve student learning and provide students
an electronic environment in which their work would mirror what
they would see when they left the high school," says Keith Mann,
director of media and network services.
A major component of the technology plan has been professional
development. The technology staff has pledged to be "committed
to providing opportunities for staff to learn how to use technology
that will directly impact student learning, improve services and
promote professional collaborative relationships." The district's
technology offerings reflect and support that mission.
In the first phase of the professional development plan (1994-98),
all district employees, ranging from custodians to administrators,
had a chance to take part in technology training through the Voluntary
Technology Staff Development Program. This program allowed all
certified and noncertified staff to earn $1,500 in Apple-compatible
hardware and software in return for completing 60 hours of professional
development over a three-year period. Approximately 75 percent
of the district's staff participated in the program, which focused
on network applications, software, engaged learning, and leadership.
The second phase of the professional development plan includes
the District Applied Technology Academy (DATA), geared mainly
for those who use technology for instructional purposes. As in
the first phase, this program allows participants to earn $1,500
in Apple hardware in exchange for completing 62 hours of training.
In addition, however, participants must prepare a professional
technology portfolio. The DATA program provides training in learning
and teaching applications, electronic searching, publishing and
communicating, and paperless office applications. According to
Mann, about 75 percent of those who are eligible participate in
the program and have created web-based classroom assignments.
"The first phase taught basic information, such as how to use
the equipment," says Mann. "The new program is taking the next
step. We're now answering such things as, 'How do I use this in
the classroom? How can I develop things for the kids? What can
I expect in using this in an instructional mode?'"
One of the toughest challenges is actually getting teachers
to use technology in the classroom, however. Mann says a major
goal is to get teachers to understand and know when it is appropriate
to use technology in instruction. But the biggest challenge the
program has faced is retaining technology support staff.
"We had a gentleman who left us, went to a company where he
increased his base salary by almost 30 percent, got stock options,
and travel expenses," says Mann. "It's hard to fight that."
But despite a possible support shortage, the program has had
many successes. Technology has improved communication between
the school district and parents, between staff members, and between
staff and students. A video-distribution system allows even more
communication from outside sources. And with a cable television
in every classroom, students have access to a world of knowledge,
ranging from news to documentaries.
In addition, the district helped create the Northwest Technology
Articulation Committee, a 12-district group that meets monthly
to discuss technology issues. The group shares information dealing
with purchasing, equipment, and upgrading. The committee has also
coordinated grant submissions, training activities, and the installation
of wireless wide-area networks.
The goal, Mann says, is to keep changing and improving. "This
is not something you do with a one-time shot," he says. "You'd
better be looking to put money in it every year. It's called sustainability.
A lot of people can build it, but can you sustain it?"
For more information, contact Keith Mann at the district
web site.
Plymouth, a rural community in northeastern North Carolina,
is plagued with poverty. But here -- where there are many single-parent
families and more than 70 percent of school-age children are eligible
for free or reduced-price lunch -- technology is making a difference.
Nearly four years ago, Washington County Superintendent Ralph
Waltman realized that technology should be an integral part of
education in the county's five public schools. He charged Julie
Gurganus, coordinator of instructional technology, with developing
and implementing a technology program that would not only prepare
students for the 21st century but would also give teachers and
administrators the knowledge needed to use technology as an instructional
tool.
After applying for and receiving a five-year renewable Technology
Literacy Challenge Fund grant, Gurganus took up the task of creating
a full-fledged technology program for the Washington County Schools.
"We realized that introducing technology in the schools was
a critical component for preparing our students for the future,"
says Gurganus. "Our goal was to not only have the resources available,
but to also have our staff trained so that technology could be
used as a resource within the curriculum."
In the first year, with a grant for $75,000, the district established
a Teacher Technology Center and a Technology Leadership Academy
in one of the county's elementary schools. A resource center that
houses computers, multimedia equipment, scanners, and software,
the technology center is used as a lab for classes and for training.
The academy is a training program for teachers and administrators.
After receiving a $100,000 challenge fund grant the following
year, the district established a technology center and academy
at a local high school and instituted Innovatively Challenging
Classrooms (ICC) at an elementary school. Teachers in the ICC
classes use multimedia software to implement the North Carolina
Standard Course of Study, as well as a computer skills curriculum.
Last year, Washington County was awarded a $95,000 grant. The
technology center was expanded, an administrator academy was created,
and an ICC was introduced at a local high school. This year, with
a $75,000 challenge grant, a fourth teacher technology center
was added and an ICC was established at a middle school.
Other technology initiatives include a network-engineering class,
which trains students to establish and maintain computer networks;
a computer recycling program, which teaches students how to build,
repair, and upgrade computers; videoconferencing rooms, which
allow students to take courses that are not offered in the district
because of a staff shortage; and virtual high school courses,
which students take via the Internet.
Gurganus says the most crucial component of the technology program
has been pursuing external funding. Along with the Technology
Literacy Challenge Fund grant, the district also received $300,000
in E-rate discounts. And by working with the county commissioners,
the district was able to lease more than $300,000 worth of equipment
and software in a lease-to-purchase program. As a result, the
student-to-computer ratio is now 5-to-1 for multimedia equipment
and 3-to-1 for basic computers.
These initiatives have had a positive impact on learning. Forty-one
percent of third-graders who took part in the ICC program gained
more than 10 points on post-tests in reading, compared with only
21 percent of other third-grade students. In math, results were
similar: More than half (55 percent) of the ICC students gained
more than 10 points on math post-tests, compared with only 32
percent of regular third grade classes.
"Our goal is high student achievement, and we're always moving
toward that," says Gurganus. "Results don't happen in a year,
but if we stay with it, positive results will show up in the future."
The district has had success in the area of staff development
as well. About half of the district's teachers have received some
technology training, and nearly half of those (48 percent) use
computers for individual or small-group instruction. Gurganus
says the goal is to have all teachers trained in technology within
the next five years. But there are several challenges, she says.
One is adapting to the ever-changing world of technology. Another
is convincing traditional teachers that technology can be a resource
in the classroom, to be used as a tool just like a textbook.
"We still need to persuade some teachers that technology, if
integrated into the curriculum, can actually improve their instruction
and student learning," says Gurganus.
A more difficult challenge, however, has been keeping technology
teachers. Like most districts, Washington County has a high turnover
rate of trained technology instructors. Despite these setbacks,
Gurganus still is positive about achieving the district's goals.
"My vision is to see every classroom and every teacher using
technology," says Gurganus. "We're not there yet, but we're moving
forward."
For more information, contact Julie Gurganus at the district
web site.
As the seventh largest public school district in Tennessee,
the Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools serve more than 24,000
students in 18 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high
schools, and an adult high school. In keeping with its mission
"to educate and empower students to reach their potential," the
district developed a comprehensive technology initiative to enhance
student achievement.
"Our goal was to expose every grade level to technology," says
Ray Woodall, director of information systems for the district.
A 1993 state technology initiative helped the district establish
a technology center and a technology department, which includes
a staff of classroom technicians, wide-area network technicians,
and computer programmers. The $20-million program was initially
funded through state funds. Today, the district receives funds
from the county commission. The technology plan is on a five-year
cycle in which equipment is upgraded and replaced and new goals
are set each year.
The district's vision for its technology program is to "provide
an optimal, lifelong learning environment in which the tools of
technology support teaching and learning in ... communities, enhancing
the mastery of academics and life skills necessary for ... students
to become productive, responsible 21st-century citizens."
With this vision in mind, the district has put a major emphasis
on technology integration that will help students apply critical-thinking
and problem-solving skills to meet state objectives and national
standards. The district's goals include acquiring state-of-the
art technology to use as part of the curriculum and in classroom
instruction; developing an ongoing technology training program
for staff, faculty, and administration; and pursuing funding for
technology resources.
The vision is being realized in classrooms every day. Distance
learning labs in three high schools allow students to take classes
for college credit or courses not offered at a particular site.
Video broadcasting classes give students the opportunity to create
their own programs, and Internet integration training helps teachers
develop Internet activities based on the curriculum. Each school
has an on-site technology coordinator, each classroom has Internet
access, and every teacher has a computer.
Most important, student achievement has improved. Through the
use of diagnostic instruments that track individual students'
progress, teachers have been able to raise standardized test scores.
According to Woodall, the state report card found that the district
had exceeded national norms on every subject area tested in grades
K-9.
What's more, the district's technology initiative has changed
the way educators view technology. "Teachers expect technology
now," says Woodall. "At first we had to push it on them -- now
they come asking for technology."
Although the technology program has proved to be a success,
Woodall admits the district still faces challenges -- mainly finding
personnel to install and keep the technology up and running. So
far, the district has relied on community support and partnerships.
The 501st Signal Battalion at Fort Campbell's military post provides
the district with staff for assembling and installing computers.
Through the Adopt-A-School program, businesses provide technology
training. And in a Foster Grannies program, senior citizens teach
keyboarding skills to children. In addition, the district has
Family Tech nights where students and parents learn the basics
of computers together.
The goals now, Woodall says, are to keep improving the curriculum,
add foreign language courses, and improve communications with
parents through e-mail and Internet access. But most of all, he
says, the district wants to continue its staff development efforts
so that "every teacher, every administrator, and every clerk can
perform their jobs better."
For more information, contact Ray Woodall at the district
web site.
Lottie L. Joiner
is assistant editor of Electronic
School.
About the District Video
Salutes
Salute districts are selected by a team of reviewers, who look
for evidence that the district's improvement efforts:
• Are initiated at the district level
• Demonstrate moral and financial support, as well as long-term
commitment, from the school board and the community
• Integrate learning experiences with administrative functions
• Use a variety of media or systems tools
• Are designed to improve student achievement.
Submissions, which are due by April 15, 2001, are limited to
members of NSBA's Technology Leadership Network. More information
is available online.
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