Grunwald Survey

Recommendations

Clearly, our survey of school leaders evoked strong sentiments about the perceived benefits of technology as well as strong concerns about the budgeting barriers to its effective use, both in classrooms and in administrative offices. The findings also indicate that educators' attitudes and community support can make the difference between increasing schools' technology budgets and losing ground.

Based on the survey findings, CoSN offers these recommendations for educators to improve results in the next frontier in technology use - integrating technology effectively with teaching and learning:

Move from automating administrative practices to transforming teaching and learning.

Schools are at the tip of the iceberg in using data to drive decision-making. The challenge - and the opportunity - today is to manage the information that technology captures and channel it effectively to transform teaching and learning. Led by their chief technology officers, school districts should follow the lead of businesses and other intensive users of technology to realize more substantive gains from the technology they already have.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, investments in technology had not yet resulted in dramatic improvements in core business operations. In fact, technology actually proved to be a drain on productivity because it was layered on top of existing business processes. What changed by the late 1990s is that businesses and other organizations learned to use technology to reengineer key business functions. Retailers, for example, now rely on technology to monitor supplies and track purchases in real time, which enables them to customize their products, respond quickly to customer demand, and increase productivity and profits. Companies like Amazon.com use technology to customize product offerings that meet the specific needs/interests of the individual customer.

While schools have different goals and face different challenges, of course, they can use the lessons learned from early users of technology to improve their core mission - enhancing learning. Perhaps the most promising and powerful application of technology in education is the delivery of personalized instruction. We are only beginning to glimpse how technology can enable educators to assess students' knowledge and skills continually and get results immediately. Educators can use this data to customize instruction to meet the individual needs of every student, rather than the generic needs of "average" students in a classroom. While individual education plans are common for students with special needs, they are not the norm for most students. Technology could make this feasible so that the best instructional strategy is deployed for each child.

For example, teachers of young elementary students can monitor students' decoding skills in reading using computer software, then provide targeted instruction and additional practice to bolster the skills of students who have difficulty cracking the print--sound code, then reassess students to track progress. Technology enables schools to accelerate this cycle of continuous improvement. In addition, technology can be an effective tool for differentiating instruction for classrooms of students who learn in very different ways, including visual, spatial and kinetic learners.

Invest in technology leadership.

School superintendents, district administrators and school boards need to understand that technology can dramatically reshape and improve not just administrative functions, but the teaching and learning experience in every classroom.

To create and sustain a vision for integrating technology into the enterprise of learning, large school districts should create a senior, full-time position for chief technology officer. This person should be deeply involved in district leadership, working as a senior member of the superintendent's team of key advisors to infuse technology into the district's educational vision, goals and strategies.

This will require a shift in focus for most school districts, which now relegate technology matters to a stand-alone department - often staffed by a part-time director of technology, whose main responsibility is managing equipment purchases and repairs. Smaller school districts should explore the possibility of pooling their resources and sharing the services of a chief technology officer. Investing in technology leadership will foster a strong, team effort to support deeper and more effective use of technology in classrooms.

Create new professional development initiatives.

Federal, state and regional education agencies and school districts can and must address the "failing grades" for educators in technology integration revealed in our survey by providing adequate professional development for teachers and administrators. Unfunded mandates are not enough. Every school district in the country should schedule routine technology workshops to continue the learning process for educators.

This is the next big milestone on the path to effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning. Clearly, as our survey findings show, school leaders overwhelmingly recognize that teachers need support in learning to integrate technology seamlessly into their classroom practices. Likewise, superintendents, principals and other administrators need an increased understanding of how technology can be wisely applied in school settings. Now is the time for school districts to make this a priority.

Professional development should be a major part of technology budgets. We support the call by most experts who recommend that up to 30 percent of technology budgets should be allocated to professional development. In addition, all professional development in every academic discipline should incorporate training in effective use of technology to meet academic goals and improve student achievement.

At the federal level, we urge Congress and the Administration to renew their commitment to training teachers to use technology and integrate it into their classrooms by providing full funding ($1 billion annually) for the the Enhancing Education Through Technology program; reauthorizing and funding the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program to ensure that pre-service teachers receive appropriate technology training before they begin their teaching careers; and enacting new programs within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that will allow teachers to receive training in using assistive and universally designed technologies.

Recruit the active support of parents and the community.

School districts have proven they can succeed - despite budgetary constraints - when they tap into their communities to build understanding and support for technology spending and use. Parent and community support can be the make-or-break factor in moving schools forward in using technology effectively. Parents and community members can be critical advocates and experts in helping schools develop a vision and implement strategies for technology spending and use. Schools should not only make sure that parents and community members are active in technology planning, but also play an active role in determining the budget priorities for the district in technology.

School districts must be aggressive in seeking the support and collaboration of outside partners, such as businesses, professional groups, parent and community organizations, and after-school providers, to create an environment for better access and effective use of technology. Educators can learn from these outside groups - and they all can work together to strengthen technology use with programs in schools and in the community.

Further, school districts should create opportunities for the community to benefit from the technology available in schools. Parents and families who have no access to technology at home should be able to use technology after school hours. Schools alone cannot solve the enormous issues of equity that pervade education. However, they can do their part in helping to close the widening digital divide.