| District Initiative (PDF) |  |
| An article highlighting how an underachieving district used data-driven business practices to improve student achievement |  |
| Best Practices: Lemon Grove School District | |
| A case study that illustrates data driven decision making. Lemon Grove School District turned underperforming schools around by holding all students to high standards and using disaggregated data to target resources. | |
| Voices Of Experience | |
| An article describing strategies for designing and implementing a successful data management system | |
| The Practical Principals | |
| Two principals, Melinda Miller, principal at Willard East Elementary just outside of Springfield, Missouri and Scott Elias, the 11th grade 11th grade assistant principal at Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado are using podcasts and blogs to share their practice with other principals and to connect with the community and districts they serve. They have a shared podcast called Pratical Principals for sharing their insights with others and both have individual blogs. Miller has a school based podcast. These sites that serve as examples of some of the ways that technology can help support communication among staff and community. But they also raise issues about privacy and what is appropriate to share with the internet world about a school. | |
| Superintendents Use Blogs As Outreach Tool | |
| As school district leaders look to improve stakeholder relations across their districts, some superintendents are experimenting with a tool more commonly associated with tech-savvy students and teachers than administrators: the blog. | |
| Exhibition Night 2006 | |
| This video shows students demonstrating their projects to the school community in the form of exhibitions. Exhibitions are a great way of moving learning out of the classroom and into the community as parents and community members benifit from the learning efforts of the students. | |
| Vegas Virtual | |
| Clark County, in Las Vegas, has a virtual school program which serves approximately 4,500 students. Online education allows students to have more control over their curriculum. Both teachers and students cite increased communication, access, and convenience as benefits of online learning; however, they acknowledge that in order to be successful, students must be self-motivated. | |
| Schools As Hubs Of The Community | |
| The West Des Moines school district in Iowa believes that their schools should serve as magnet for community activies, cultural enrichment, and social services for both students and community members. All 15 schools are open day and night, 7 days per week, for use by everyone in the community. The Community Education Program coordinates over 400 classes and social services at the school. The belief in West Des Moines is that education and technology creates equal opportunity, and they hope to instill a culture of learning throughout their entire community. | |
| Board, Superintendent Relations | |
| This article discusses how school board members in one district modeled leadership and technology use by going paperless. | |
| Let's Be Clear | |
| Public schools are often subject to criticism from many stakeholders. Rather than ignore ciriticsm though, schools should promote transparency in an effort to educate critics. In this article, the authors discuss how to promote transparency and what the pitfalls may be. | |
| Outdoor Education Touted At Kihei Charter School | |
| This article discussed a school that has developed its outdoor lessons with the help of partnerships with several community organizations, cultural groups and government offices, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Maui Coastal Land Trust. | |
| Building Collaborative Cultures | |
| Educators and policymakers are paying close attention to the quality of schools for children in urban settings. Indeed, their concern with reshaping urban schools is increasing as areas such as Dade County (Florida), Chicago, and San Diego attempt major transformations in urban school systems. Transforming urban schools entails many issues and possible approaches. One approach that stands out is the attempt by teachers and administrators to develop a more collaborative culture in the urban school. The intended result is a supportive, professional culture that promotes the continuous renewal of instructional methods and curricular offerings in an atmosphere of collegiality, trust, and shared mission, serving all of the students in the school. This type of school culture may not be a panacea for urban schools, but it can be a foundation for change, improvement, and renewal. | |
| The Impact Of Technology On Learning Environments (Document Missing) | |
| Presentation from architecture firm on designing tech-enabled spaces for learning | |
| Teacher Dispositions As Predictors Of Classroom Technology Use (PDF) | |
| A research study showing the effects of teacher attributes and attitudes on technology use in the classroom | |
| USA's Top Principal Could Teach CEOs A Thing Or Two | |
| There are few leadership positions more challenging than high school principal, especially if the school has a history of under performance. Molly Howard is the 2008 Principal of the Year selected by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and MetLife. Her Jefferson County High in small-town Louisville, Ga., has increased graduation rates, raised test scores and believed enough in students -- 80% of whom live in poverty -- to eliminate remedial courses. Howard, 52, spoke to USA TODAY corporate management reporter Del Jones. Following are excerpts, edited for clarity and space. | |
| Finding Funds For Student Laptops | |
| An article describing different approaches to funding one to one laptop initiatives | |
| Eastern Townships School Board Announces Exciting Positive Results From Laptop Initiative (PDF) | |
| Press release from Canadian School Board showing positive results in its third year of laptop program | |
| Around The World With Technology | |
| Since the onset of the internet, teachers and students have found strong learning outcomes from having students engage cross-classroom, cross-community collaboration. This article profiles two of the organization that lead the way in using technology to provide this opportunities for teachers and students to learn. The international Education and Resource Network (www. iEARN.org), provides a high quality set of cross-classroom projects that have been designed by students and teachers working on human needs, and environmental issues. The Global Schoolnet Foundation (www.gsn.org) also includes a project registry and sponsors the International Cyberfair contest each year that inspires thousands of students to engage in service learning partnerships in their local community. The students bring their technology skills to help community efforts provide a range of social services. | |
| High Bandwidth Education | |
| A think piece on what education would be like with unlimited bandwidth. | |
| Planning Worksheet | |
| Use this planning worksheet to develop a plan for further research and action when implementing a student technology support program. | |
| Apple Podcasting In Education Video Series | |
| A three part series that explores (1) what podcasting is; (2) how standards can be met with podcasting; and (3) an administrators view on podcasting. | |
| The Power Of Learning And Leadership | |
| The Youth Technology Support Collaborative (YTSC), a group of non-profit organizations, technology companies, and professional associations, created this on-line guide for school decision makers, interested in student technology support programs. It is designed to help decision makers define the type of program best suited to their student and school needs based on the best practices of current practitioners. | |
| K12 Online Learning | |
| This 2007 study is one of the first studies to collect data on and to compare fully online and blended learning in K-12 schools. The goal was to explore the nature of online learning in K-12 schools and to establish base data for more extensive future studies. Issues related to planning, operational difficulties, and online learning providers were also examined. This research should help in thinking about if online learning should be a part of the technology plan. | |
| Beyond Bandwidth (PDF) | |
| Describes the growth of bandwidth. Has ideas on educational applications. | |
| Charlotte County Public Schools: Accelerating Web Applications, Streaming Media, and SSL | |
| District in a rural area of Florida using BlueCoat web appliances for bandwidth management. | |
| NCES Internet Access in Schools 1994-2005 (PDF) | |
| The latest NCES report. It includes a copy of the survey that they sent to schools. Their questions about bandwidth only differentiate between broadband and narrowband. | |
| Are Our Schools On The Verge Of A Broadband Crisis? | |
| Short article-Hayes Group. Shows bandwidth calculation for 1:1 computing in a progressive high school. Cites reports that say a bandwidth crisis is looming, and also cites figures for per student bps. Then does a calculation of bps/student for high usage | |
| A Report On Internet Speeds In All 50 States | |
| Report by the makers of "speedmatters" a recent look at Internet speeds using data obtained from people hitting their speedmatters.org website | |
| From Poky To Lickety-split | |
| USA Today (3-26-07) on how long it takes to download or stream variously sized multimedia files over different Internet connections (dialup, wireless, DSL, cable) | |
| Future-Proof Network | |
| The Perkin School District in Illinois builds an ATM network that handles Internet, digital video and telephone. | |
| MUSE: National Internet2 K20 Initiative | |
| The National Internet2 K20 Initiative brings together Internet2 member institutions and innovators from primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and museums to extend new technologies, applications, middleware, and content to all educational sectors, as quickly and connectedly as possible. | |
| Managed Internet Network Services: Making The Case For Schools | |
| Examines the benefits of having one company plan network services for large districts or states. | |
| Digital Video Content And Delivery Systems (Document Missing) | |
| Describes several vendor's solutions to providing video content into classrooms. | |
| Connectivity: Beyond The Promised LAN | |
| March 1999 report on thinking about the WAN vs. LAN | |
| Schools Get More Bandwidth For Their Buck | |
| New technology for wireless access points allows seamless access to multiple access points. | |
| Fayette County Public School's Technology Assessment | |
| A report from the ongoing evaluation of Fayette County Public Schools' technology initiative. This is the second yearly report and includes recommendations for the next year of the initiative. | |
| Trading Roles: Teachers And Students Learn With Technology (PDF) | |
| Maine Learning Technology Initiative Research Report #3 describes the effects that the one-to one initiative in Maine is having on both teachers and students. | |
| Online Professional Development: Get The Facts | |
| This article gives information about online professional development options, benefits, and technical requirements. The article also provides information on how online PD fits into federal and state standards. | |
| The ACSD Idea Exchange | |
| This is a forum for principal to share ideas with one another around issues of professional development programs and initiatives. By joining and participating in these discussions, a principal models the routine, intentional, and effective use of technology. | |
| Teacher Supervision and Development: An Instructional Module for Edutopia | |
| This module will help school leaders organize their thoughts, experiences, and resources to answer these questions for their own schools. Included are materials to assist school leaders in their own efforts to establish and sustain an environment that supports teacher development and the professional growth of teachers. In today's context, many school leaders find that their faculty includes a large number of beginning teachers and those who have come to teaching from alternative routes. These groups of teachers make the role of the principal as instructional leader especially important. Experienced teachers must also keep abreast of new policies, curriculum, brain-based research, technology, etc. | |
| Schools Mull Needs Of Adult Distance Learners | |
| Many ed-tech advocates have voiced support for distance learning as a way for K-12 students to take courses not offered at their regular schools or enroll in courses for college credit. But another group of learners--adults who turn to distance learning to return or expand their schooling--is attracting more and more national attention. | |
| Civic Center: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Business leaders, local employers, city leadership, and community members in general can be vocal advocates for effective and meaningful use of technology to support student learning and school operation. It is not enough to be competent in basic word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. Businesses need employees who can use tools in creative ways to approach work issues in new ways. Technology is not a separate skill in the workplace; rather, it must be leveraged to the fullest extent for competitive value. | |
| Community: Part One (PDF) | |
| Technology can help community members and businesses share their expertise to help address students' academic needs and interests. This can provide opportunities for ongoing school-community engagement beyond volunteering or occasional presentations. Technology can also expand the size of a schools' community, allowing students to access expertise in their region, state, nation, or throughout the world. | |
| Community: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Online learning offerings can expand access to life-long educational opportunities that transcend traditional schooling. When courses are available online, community members can connect to classes that interest them or that they need to improve their employment prospects. Public access to technology can ensure that these educational opportunities are available for those who lack access at home. | |
| 'Dashboards' Provide Data Designed To Help Parents Rate School Performance | |
| U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has unveiled a new tool to show the public a snapshot of how schools fare in reading and math achievement, graduation rates and participation in challenging Advanced Placement exams. | |
| Community: Part Three (PDF) | |
| The Internet can provide information for parents from all communities. A parent portal that provides information in the primary languages served by the school can help improve parents' involvement and engagement in their students' education. Properly constructed, parent portals can provide information about student assignments and performance, two-way communication with teachers and administrators, and paperwork reduction, as well as announcements of school and community events and activities to parents from all language backgrounds. | |