So I took a trip around the web and visited most of the state education websites to see what’s going on outside of my corner of the world. I wasn’t too surprised by what I saw; most states are focusing on making themselves look good for NCLB. However, my other goal was to find out what the state of technology in education is in other states and that is where I was most surprised.

First off, I wasn’t aware that the United States Education Department has implemented a National Education Technology Plan. What was most enlightening about this site was the success stories that describe what is being done in districts around the country to integrate technology into the curriculum. The reason this section surprised me so much was because I had visited many of the state education department websites for districts that were highlighted here and for the most part I did not see any reference to these programs on the main pages of the sites. Some of these programs are incredibly innovative and inspiring and should be publicized much more. Here’s a brief overview:

Eugene, OR districts are implementing handheld computer technology into K-12 classrooms. This program is being funded through the NCLB Title IID and allows students and teachers to have access to handheld computers, laptops, and curriculum enhancing software, as well as the training needed to allow teachers to make the program successful.

A San Antonio, TX district has distributed 1,400 handheld computers to teachers and administrators to assess student and teacher data. They have found that this program cuts down on paper documentation while increasing productivity because of easier access and organization of pertinent information.

A Eureka, CA district has implemented a program that makes technology an integral part of each students day, just as pen and paper has been to the traditional instruction methods. Technology tools are used to access and analyze student assessments, assist in student productivity, create curriculum and allow students to engage in activities that would be difficult to replicate without technology.

It was refreshing to see that so much can be done with technology, and that NCLB provides funding to promote this. What is disheartening, however, it that it is not more widespread in districts across the country. Most districts will complaing that funding does not allow for them to increase the use of technology in their schools; while this leads to an entirely different topic, I wonder how many schools are taking advantage of Title IID funds?

Technology integration is not something that can be achieved overnight, but schools do need to make it a priority and take advantage of existing programs that will allow them to do so. Many computer companies offer education incentive programs that are not being taken advantage of by the schools that need them most.

Where does your district stand with technology integration?

Technorati tags: education NCLB education reform technology technology integration department of education

Views on NCLB legislation…

A coworker sent me this link to an animated movie created by the American Federation of Teachers. They have a blog that reviews NCLB in action and allows teachers to express their views on the legislation. Basically, teachers seem to understand this legislation is more about numbers than education.

What this legislation has accomplished is to label thousands of schools across the country as substandard under NCLB. This has led many states to petition the federal Education Department to review the way they measure student progress. While the feds are considering the changes suggested by schools, they are not willing to compromise on “certain core principals,” including breaking down student performance by race, ethnicity, income, disability, and gender. All this does is force schools to focus on statistics, and education becomes subverted by the stress districts face to meet standards that may not be realistic in all cases. Districts that are in high poverty communities are feeling the effects more than most because it is impossible for them to make a significant turn-around in one year. What I want to know is what is the government doing with all of these numbers? It seems that it’s a case of rich get richer…

And when we consider what our students need to succeed in the world beyond high school, how effective is NCLB going to be in actually not leaving them behind? Is it helping students like Gabriela who decided to drop out of high school in the twelfth grade because she couldn’t pass the new state requirements even after seven tries? What will become of her? When schools focus so much on making sure the students pass these exams they necessarily ignore the needs of the students. I have personally seen numbers “fudged” in order to make the requirements of NCLB. How much is that helping the students?

Technorati tags: education NCLB education reform