SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 27, 2014) - Top-ranked school districts have been announced in the tenth annual Digital School Districts Survey by the Center for Digital Education (CDE) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). The survey showcases exemplary school boards' and districts' use of technology to govern the district, communicate with students, parents and the community, and improve district operations.
This year's recognition goes to school districts for their expanding use of innovative technologies district-wide as well as in the classroom.
Here are a few of the examples of the technology and information used in the school districts who placed first in each classification, based on student enrollment.
- Prince William County Public Schools' school board meetings in Virginia are televised and streamed live, and available via podcast and on-demand, connecting the public digitally without having to attend Board meetings in person. They have embraced social networking from email, blogs, and discussion boards to forums and more. They use Twitter as part of communications with parents, students and the community. They teach students proper techniques and standards for participation, and explain issues of privacy, tool use and network etiquette. Plus, they expanded their virtual high school (VHS) to include 22 courses for over 9,000 students.
- Henry County Public Schools has the largest digital textbook initiative in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Currently sixth graders have their science book installed as an e-text, with plans to add more textbooks as they become available digitally. Plus, the new Parent Connect mobile application not only links parents and students to the same apps, it also extends the curriculum to all mobile devices.
- Springfield Public Schools in New Jersey has continued their one-to-one laptop initiative creating a virtually paperless environment with almost no textbooks in the classroom. Teachers use web-based curriculum and students and teachers have e-lockers and
e-portfolios.
"Schools and school districts are embracing technology and it is really exciting not only to see the innovative ways they implement technology, but how they are using technology effectively to teach and advance education," said Alan Cox, Senior Vice President for the Center for Digital Education. "These education leaders serve as an inspiration to other school districts nationwide for their creative efforts to provide an outstanding education for today's students. Congratulations to this year's winners!"
"Technology innovations enable local school boards to connect with their communities and support students and teachers in ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago," said NSBA's Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel. "The 2014 Digital School Districts Survey offers powerful examples of technology's role in the transformation of public education."
The top ten rankings are awarded to those school boards/districts that most fully implement technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education, as represented in the survey questions.
The first-place winners in each classification are:
Prince William County Public Schools, Va. (12,000 students or more)
Henry County Public Schools, Va. (Between 3,000 and 12,000 students)
Springfield Public Schools, N.J. (3,000 students or less)
All U.S. public school districts are eligible to participate in the survey within the three classifications based on size of enrollment. View the full list of school districts honored.
CDE thanks Sprint for underwriting the survey and for their support of school districts across the nation.
About the National School Boards Association
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is the leading advocate for public education and supports equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. NSBA represents state school boards associations and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. Learn more at: www.nsba.org.
About The Center for Digital Education
The Center for Digital Education is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. CDE provides education and industry leaders with decision support and actionable insight to help effectively incorporate new technologies in the 21st century.
CDE is a division of e.Republic, the nation's only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.