Feb
12
Written by:
Dan Maas
2/12/2010
In a report released by the US Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics, a number of trneds have been identified for IT in public schools. You can read the report for yourself HERE. I will pull out the "Selected Findings" from page two and compare them to LPS. Green indicates where we meet or exceed the national trend and red indicates where we don't.
- 97% of schools surveyed have Local Area Networks and 100% of those with a District network are connected to the Internet.
LPS: All schools have a Local Area Network and are connected to the Internet
- 55% of schools linked to a District network are connected via fiber-optics.
LPS: The District network is fiber-optic and does connect all LPS schools. The Charters are also linked to our network via a Qwest leased connection.
- 37% of Districts have a direct fiber-optic connection to the Internet.
LPS: The District has a direct fiber-optic connection to the Internet.
- 67% of Districts have a formal computer replacement program reflected in long-term budget planning.
LPS: All computer replacement funds have been exhausted and no long-term funding plan is currently in place. The roll-out of netbooks has been funded by competitive grants, the LPS Foundation and the remaining one-time capital funds from the 2004 Mill election.
- 87% of Districts provide online resources to all teachers.
LPS: LPS resources online include Assessment Data, Absence Reporting, Student Data Management, Financial Data Management, File Storage, Web Presence, Email, Forms, Instructional sources, Professional Development, etc.
- 82% of Districts have online library resources for secondaries and 72% for elementaries.
LPS: K-12 schools have access to online library resources and video streaming services.
- 83% of Districts provide file storage for secondary students and 62% provide for elementary students.
LPS: K-12 students can save files electronically.
- Policies for student use of email (82%), social networking (76%), wikis and blogs (52%), and other Internet use (92%).
LPS: Policies have been updated to address all of these.
- 100% of Districts keep student data electronically. 85% have systems for assessment data.
LPS: Infinite Campus is our solution for student data and AssessTrack is our assessment data system.
- 51% of Districts have a technology leader role. Only 5% of Districts larger than 10,000 students do not report having a technology leadership position.
LPS: The CIO supervises IT and reports to the Superintendent of Schools. The title was changed from Director of Technology to reflect the reporting structure change in 2006.
- Teacher training includes integrating technology (95%), using Internet resources (91%), and Internet safety (89%).
LPS: Training includes all these topics.
- 83% of teachers agreed to a survey question asking if "teachers are interested in using technology in classroom instruction." 58% indicated teachers were sufficiently trained to do so. 42% agreed that funding for technology in classrooms was adequate. 83% agreed that technology funds were being spent in appropriate ways.
LPS: No data
So except for the obvious funding issues the entire district faces (not just in technology), we are meeting or exceeding the trends for technology in public schools. What's missing? How about voicemail alert lights on our phones? That's for another post...