Alexandria, Va. - September 25, 2009 - The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has named the Jeffco Public Schools in Golden, Colorado as a 2009 Salute District for its focus on using technology, combined with quality instruction, to promote student achievement.
Jeffco is one of three districts in the nation receiving the award, including Cullman City Schools in Alabama and the Newport News Public Schools in Virginia. The Salute District honor is a recognition program of NSBA’s Technology Leadership Network that showcases school districts that have effectively executed technology resources to make a positive impact on learning. The three Salute Districts will be honored during NSBA's 2009 T+L Conference in Denver, October 28-30.
Jeffco Public Schools, which educates nearly ten percent of the children in Colorado, or nearly 86,000 students, was selected for developing an approach that ensures instructional needs drive every technology decision. The district’s comprehensive Digital Professional Development initiative blends the best research on professional development with new technology tools that provide educators with online courses, site-based support from teacher-librarians, and district wide digital Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s). All staff are active in either their grade level PLC for elementary educators, or a specialized content area PLC for the upper grades, plus many have elected to participate in one or more optional PLCs.
Ann Flynn, director of education technology for NSBA, said, “From the organizational chart to the creation of professional learning communities and teacher-librarians who play a key role in the district’s commitment to preparing students with 21st century skills, it is clear this district has made decisions that ensure its technology investments support systemic change rather than random projects.”
Jeffco has been invited to host one of NSBA’s TLN site visits, May 5-7, 2010, to provide educators from around the nation with an opportunity to observe the district’s initiatives firsthand and talk with the educators who were instrumental in contributing to the district’s success. To register for that event, visit www.nsba.org/tln.
Since 1987, NSBA's Technology Leadership Network (TLN) has served local district leadership teams that establish policy and implement technology decisions to enhance teaching and learning, administrative operations, and community outreach.
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (www.nsba.org) is a not-for-profit federation of state associations of school boards representing 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
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