TLN Salute Districts showcase new ideas
Fall '09 -- TLN members are already among the most progressive districts when it comes to using technology, making the task of selecting three different districts to spotlight each year at the T+L Conference a challenging task, says Ann Flynn, NSBA’s director of education technology.
In the end, the judges chose these districts: Alabama’s Cullman City Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools in Denver, and Virginia’s Newport News Public Schools. Flynn says this year’s Salute Districts, as always, represent a broad cross-section of America’s public schools.
Jefferson County, for instance, serves 9 percent of Colorado’s students. The district is a sprawling system covering 780 square miles of urban, suburban, and rural communities. Despite its size, Jefferson County has worked hard to involve and collaborate with staff at every level, through various committees and work groups, ensuring new technology is integrated into learning.
For example, the district revolutionized the way it provides technical training and professional development by creating site-based teacher librarians, staff who can instruct and work with teachers to get them comfortable in using new technologies in the classroom.
Cullman City Schools is a small district with an enrollment of less than 3,000 students. It has done wonders on a small budget, however, committing to a one-to-one laptop initiative for its seventh-through 12th-grade students in 2005 and steadily working toward that goal. Besides placing teacher training at the apex of this radical change, Cullman City also made sure to survey and involve parents, and continually use data to stay responsive and flexible to changes.
No one can accuse Newport News of being static, with district officials reviewing its technology plan on a quarterly basis.
Newport News, a mid-sized diverse district in central Virginia, has distinguished itself in another area: It recently established an executive director of innovation and development position, who will oversee the professional development, instructional technology and student career pathways.
Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2009, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.