Salute and Trailblazer District Winners Announced
National School Boards Association Recognizes Two School Districts for Technology Innovations
Pascack Valley Regional High School District, Montvale, N.J., and Orange City Schools, Pepper Pike, Ohio honored
Alexandria, Va. (June 22, 2012) – The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Technology Leadership Network (TLN) has named the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Montvale, N.J., as this year’s TLN Salute District for its focus on technology innovations that promote student achievement. A previous Salute District, Orange City Schools in Pepper Pike, Ohio, was named as a TLN Trailblazer District for its recent innovations that share the district’s accomplishments with parents and the local community through the enhanced use of video and social media.
Pascack Valley Regional High School District – Located in Northwest Bergen County, this high school district has offered a 1:1 learning initiative since 2004 and attributes the program’s success as a result of keeping a keen focus on educational goals and the curriculum rather than letting the technology drive the program. The district embarked on the program to give students an opportunity to acquire 21st century skills, have 24/7 access to resources, and develop a love of learning. During a 2011 TLN site visit hosted by the district, educators were impressed by the seamless use of the technology across the curriculum, including online simulations, use of original source materials, routine videoconferencing with Taiwan, and the use of Google maps in immigration studies.. While there are a growing number of 1:1 programs, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District was honored for its systemic approach, commitment to professional development, and ongoing needs assessment to ensure the district’s technology investments continue to enhance learning.
Orange City Schools – Honored as a TLN Salute District in 2004 and host of a 2006 TLN site visit, the Orange City Schools was awarded the TLN Trailblazer designation for its continued excellence in technology innovation. The Trailblazer award is given to past TLN Salute Districts that have launched exceptional new initiatives since they were first recognized. , The Orange City district has embraced Web 2.0 tools to communicate information to the community, a particularly noteworthy accomplishment given the recent financial struggles faced by school districts across the country. The district now uses its web page to tell its story and has created a special feature, “A Slice of Orange,” to highlight student work through short videos.
"Because the thoughtful technology decisions embraced by these districts were made to address specific educational goals or meet a particular challenge, they have experienced positive outcomes,” said Ann Flynn, NSBA's Director of Education Technology. “Their success speaks to the need for a comprehensive vision of how technology fits into a district’s overall operation and what the key components are that need to be in place to ensure the technology can effectively deliver on the goals set forth.”
Since 1987, NSBA's TLN has served local district leadership teams that establish policy and implement technology decisions to enhance teaching and learning, administrative operations, and community outreach.
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Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. Working with and through our state associations, NSBA advocates for equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. www.nsba.org