| 14 Tips For Negotiating Software Agreements |  |
| A short article that provides information on how to successfully negotiate contracts with software vendors. |  |
| A Change in Attitude: Incorporating Technology In the Classroom Gives Curriculum A Boost | |
| This video shows how technology was integrated into a classroom in Mississippi | |
| Achieving With Data (PDF) | |
| This report is the second in a three-part research effort to investigate the prevalence of performance-driven practices in urban school districts across the country. The first study, "Anatomy of School System Improvement: Performance-Driven Practices in Urban School Districts," analyzed the state of performance-driven practices within 28 leading school districts. This second year of research has been conducted with the support of the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and in partnership with the Center on Educational Governance at the University of Southern California. The study captures the details of data-driven instructional decision making at the classroom, school, and system levels in two urban school districts and two nonprofit charter management organizations. In doing so, the researchers document effective performance-driven practices, identify salient themes regarding the structure and culture of the systems, examine needs for improvement, and make recommendations for policy and practice. | |
| 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. | |
| Assessment Tools | |
| This website provides links to numerous assessment and technology articles, tools, and materials. | |
| At Your Service: An Interview With Miami-Dade's Public School CTO | |
| This is an interview with Debbie Karcher, the CTO of the Miami-Dade County Public School district. She discusses how their district moved from having each school employ an independent tech support employee/staff to a shared model. Now, the district communicates rules, policies, and procedures to all tech staff, who then go out into the schools. There is also a central group of field techs available to help everyone. This model stresses the need for communication and shard information. | |
| Best Practices Case Studies: Macomb Intermediate School District | |
| This case study talks about a school district which started an inclusion movement, after the need for shared expertise and collaboration across its diverse schools became clear. The article discusses how the district communicated and collaborated to solve instructional challenges. Begin With ME! is a project that includees professional development opportunities, amplifying technological and instructional support and managing pilot projects that renew and improve curriculum and instruction. The project illustrates the value of shared vision, embedded professional development and constant communication. | |
| 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. | |
| Building A Committed Team | |
| An article that can give a CTO information on how to build a successful team. It provides goals, action options, and implementation pitfalls. The article provides audio links to interviews with experts, and there are links to short case study examples. | |
| 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. | |
| Building Virtual Communities | |
| This article discusses online communities and factors that lead to success in online communities the most important of which is the role of the community organizer. Online communities is an innovative strategy for establishing cross-functional teams as members do not have to find a common meeting location or time. | |
| Center For Applied Research In Educational Technology Topics: Student Learning | |
| Information on how technology can develop higher order thinking and problem solving | |