Consider what the world will be like in 2031 when today's kindergartners graduate high school. "We don't know exactly what it'll look like, but there are a couple things we do know" says Randy Ziegenfuss, superintendent of Salisbury Township School District (Pennsylvania). "For people in that world to be successful, they're going to have to […]
A1,100-student school district in Minnesota had been purchasing food supplies through a buying group of five other school systems—but it wasn't efficient. "We would have to meet quite often" says Director of Food Service Sandie Rentz of Wadena-Deer Creek Public Schools. "We wrote our own bids and market basket. Then we would go out for […]
During Noel Petrosky's 12 years at different Saint Marys Area School District elementary schools, she saw assessment data accurately predict student performance on state tests and inform instruction that led to student growth. That wasn't the case at Saint Marys Area Middle School when she became principal two years ago. "I thought, 'I can't go […]
Why is personalized learning so important? Marcy: It leverages a student's interests, their strengths, then tailors instruction to their specific needs and goals. Rich: It gets into predictive analytics. Traditionally the analytics type of reporting is a look at what has been happening. Personalized learning is looking at what is going to happen. How can IT officials […]
Robert Sexton has worked with school-based tech for more than 15 years, so there's not much he hasn't seen. "Kids are pretty ingenious; keeping up with them is a challenge" says Sexton, currently the director of technology for Olentangy Local School District, just north of Columbus, Ohio. That challenge is mitigated by the district's secret […]
A renovated, expanded library and a new 8,840-square-foot wing with four classrooms now stand at Donaldson Primary School in Louisiana. CHALLENGE: From 2009 to 2012, enrollment at Donaldson Primary rose from 573 to 611. So Ascension Parish Public Schools decided to add more classrooms. The district also renovated and expanded the primary school's library. "The […]
Managing school energy use can save money and accelerate conservation. The latest in energy management technology can prevent waste automatically while allowing administrators to control ventilation and other systems from a computer or mobile app. Some platforms also track billing information and send alerts during emergencies, such as power outages. One energy management solution even […]
Ware County School District in Georgia has downsized its inventory of assistive technology. Thanks to a slew of technological advances, many of the specialized tools their special education students had used to communicate and learn are now redundant. "We don't need portable keyboards or word processors anymore" says Barbara Sonnier, the district's assistive technology coordinator. […]
Teachers in the Susquehanna Township School District are finding success with their new curriculum mapping program using Chalk. With it, they can easily locate and align state standards with lesson plans, and if they have any questions, they can get live technical assistance through "Mr. Chalk" an online chat feature operated by company employees. Mr. […]
How do you go from a career in telecoms and airport security to chief innovation officer for one of the largest school districts in Washington state? According to Derrick Brown, the man who's done it: Be a lifelong learner. "For anyone in technology, or anyone really, who thrives and doesn't like to be complacent, you […]
