In Placentia-Yorba Linda USD in Orange County, California, there is a great amount of socioeconomic diversity among the district's 26,000 students. "We have elementary schools where every student has his or her own iPad, and some where students do not have access to any technology at home," says Joey Davis, director of assessment & accountability. […]
Student-centered CIOs must now focus more on the user experience than onjust keeping networks and machines functioning. "To be successful you have to dedicate 80 percent of your resources toward the service side of IT, and 20 percent to keeping the boxes working," says Jason Saltmarsh, an education technology consultant and former district technology director. […]
What do you do when your school district grows by 12,000 students in 10 years? In Rutherford County Schools in central Tennessee, the answer is build. One of the fastest growing districts in the nation, Rutherford's enrollment rose from 29,600 in 2003-04 to 41,000 this year. It is now the fifth-largest in the state behind […]
ince its inception in 2001, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) has required internet content filtering to keep students safe online. Policymakers amended CIPA in 2008, requiring that students also be educated on internet safety. In addition to providing this required online safety training, schools must show evidence that training has occurred. With the new […]
Oak Ridge, a Tennessee city founded by the U.S. government in 1943 as a secret production site for the Manhattan Project, is steeped in technology. It's home to the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex and a multitude of technology companies. The complex is a manufacturing facility that […]
The New Lenox School District 122 serves 5,400 pre-K through grade 8 students in 12 schools, and is located about 30 miles outside Chicago. The district has been noted for its high levels of achievement, with an average of 85 percent of students meeting or exceeding the Illinois Learning Standards in each of the last […]
At the core of powerful coaching relationships is the most important quality of effective performance and interactions: High emotional intelligence quotient, or EQ. To increase one's EQ, coaching needs to focus on four domains: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management. As leaders, we seldom get the training we really need on how to coach […]
Navigating turbulent waters of uncertain budgets, district leaders have a great challenge: Answer the growing push for accountability and heightened community expectations in 2015. "The overall trend is that more and more administrators must become professional problem solvers," says David Miceli, superintendent of New Providence School District in New Jersey. "We are going to be […]
Computing devices embedded in jewelry and glasses. Microchips tattooed into skin and sewn into clothing. In one form or another, devices that gather data without any help from the user will slowly infiltrate districts in 2015. In fact, the number of people with a wearable computing device will more than triple this year, according to […]
Better ways to use data. High-tech professional development. Differentiated instruction. Some exciting advancements are on the horizon for classrooms in 2015. While they sound technical, the biggest changes aren't going to be driven by an app, a computer program or a new kind of tabletÁ'they will come from new theories about how to engage both […]
