Technology Use in Rural High Schools Improves Opportunities for Student Achievement

Transcription

1 Technology Use in Rural High Schools Improves Opportunities for Student Achievement March 2005 Southern Regional Education Board th St. N.W. Atlanta, GA (404)

2 This report was developed by Dianne Griffin, staff associate, Educational Technology, with assistance from Billie Sherrod, SREB special consultant. For more information,

3 Technology Use in Rural High Schools Improves Opportunities for Student Achievement Technology has changed how the world works. It has changed how schools reach students and do their business. SREB s Goals for Education: Challenge to Lead Introduction Can technology be used effectively in rural high schools to provide opportunities for improved student academic achievement? The overwhelming answer is yes, when leadership, funding and support provide rural high schools with the motivation and the means to move forward. When placed in the larger context of educational progress, technology is now recognized for its potential in helping all students reach high standards particularly students from rural schools. SREB s landmark report, Goals for Education: Challenge to Lead, outlines an aggressive set of goals that embrace both progress for students from rural schools and use of technology to promote teaching and learning. The goals challenge the 16 SREB states to bring all children to high levels of achievement. In focusing on all students, Challenge to Lead emphasizes that students from all subgroups can reach high standards. And, while it calls attention to students from the familiar subgroups of race, gender and income, it categorically recognizes that Geography matters, too. In fact, SREB has identified performance of rural students as one indicator of progress in bringing all students to high standards. Challenge to Lead also stresses the role of technology in meeting goals noting in particular that technology applications weave through many goals and are a part of the core mission of schools. While few schools today fully embrace technology, there is greatly increased use in many rural high schools in the 16 SREB states. For their fortunate students, these schools are greatly improving both teaching and learning.

4 Until recently, education in rural high schools had not changed noticeably in many years. Many schools and states have continued to try to meet current student and school academic needs by doing the same things they have always done, but expecting different results. Rarely does this happen! Rural high school students today often still lack access to essential core and advanced academic courses and do not have a qualified teacher in each subject. Many schools are not able to provide opportunities for students to accelerate their academic programs. Most rural schools share other common characteristics as well: small student enrollments, limited curricular offerings, teachers who teach multiple subjects or grade levels, teacher salaries that are less than that of their suburban counterparts, lack of proximity to a college or university, communities with little or limited industry, a low tax base, smaller percentages of graduates who go on to postsecondary institutions, and school systems that are more likely to depend on nonlocal funding to support their schools. Many of these are areas where greater use of technology can have a significant impact. When schools talk about using technology for teaching and learning, what do they mean? What is meant by technology integration or technology use in schools? The integration of technology is the selection of appropriate tools, resources, techniques and systems to promote and support student learning. Effective technology use in school answers these questions: How does technology use relate to student achievement, and what technologies could schools use to meet the teaching and learning needs of teachers and students? All schools, including rural high schools, are at varying points on the road to answering these questions. Rural high schools use technology to communicate with teachers, students, parents, administrators and the community. At its most basic, technology now helps schools to communicate much faster and more effectively and to work more efficiently at many different levels. At some schools, students broadcast the school news of the day over closed-circuit televisions. They use extensively to receive assignments and turn in projects, 2

5 seek information and help, work as teams on a project, and send work home to continue working on assignments. Students taking online classes also use to communicate with their instructors, and teachers use to confer with other teachers to improve instruction and to discuss student learning with students and their parents. Technology also benefits the bottom line. By using to communicate district and student information instantly to teachers, students, parents and the community, many school systems have reduced the rising costs of paper and mailing. While is not yet the norm, one school reports, We have moved to a paperless environment. Some rural schools, including Easton High School in Maryland, Latta High School in South Carolina and Forsyth County Schools in Georgia, also are using technology to increase parent involvement. Using the Internet for communications between the school and home, parents receive not only their children s grades but also an alert if a student is not in class. Teachers often parents with their concerns when a student s effort in their class changes. In addition, and Web access provide new opportunities for teachers to communicate with other teachers in their field to learn new teaching strategies, access lesson plan resources online, participate in online classes and share important academic data about students progress. Schools use technology for administrative tasks. Rural schools report that the use of technology by their administrators is rapidly growing. The technologies used most frequently are software programs that collect and organize student information for grading and attendance. Schools use these applications to review student and school data, make decisions for improved instruction and meet school accountability requirements. Administrators use data to identify achievement gaps of students. Teachers use assessment tools to help them efficiently monitor student progress and adjust their instruction to repeat teaching concepts not learned. 3

6 States use technology to monitor students progress. Several states also are moving toward the use of online testing to obtain student and school results more quickly and accurately. For example, Virginia decided in 2000 to make online testing available to every school in the state. In spring 2004, Virginia reported that 95 percent of its small and rural schools are using the program. Kentucky and West Virginia are also using online testing in pilot projects in their state. Most rural school administrators and teachers report using data from statemandated and locally chosen standardized tests to measure student learning against state standards. Teachers also use information data generated from instructional software programs (e.g., PLATO Learning, LeapFrog and Renaissance Learning ) to monitor student learning. Based on this information, teachers can tailor instruction to address each student s skill gap and move these students forward where appropriate. Technology makes this process more efficient and more usable. Rural schools use one of a variety of available technology programs that seek to give the teacher and student immediate feedback of the student s understanding of the concept taught. Such programs provide links to the appropriate lesson as the student masters the concept, providing a full spectrum of lessons tied to state curriculum standards, as well as a variety of instructional tasks and assessments that report the level of student success. Analyzing student data derived from these programs increasingly drives decision-making by the teacher and administrator. Schools use technology for classroom teaching and learning. Rural schools are discovering the advantages of using mobile technologies laptops and mobile carts with multiple laptops, as well as hand-held computers for instruction. For example, Clewiston High School in southwest Florida provides its social studies students with hand-held computers and interactive assessment software for facilitating communication between student and teacher. In class, teachers check for learning by asking questions that all students respond to electronically, and an instant summary of student responses is created on the teacher s computer. Schools using this technology report higher engagement of students and increased data for teachers about learning. 4

7 Some schools utilize mobile carts with a variety of technologies, such as a multimedia projector, scanner, document camera and DVD player. These carts are checked out as teachers need these resources. Classrooms contain an Internetaccessible computer, printer and perhaps an interactive whiteboard on which key points can be highlighted, software programs and Web sites projected, and notes written. All work on this board can be saved to a file that can be printed, ed or posted to a Web site. Other schools use a set of laptops on a mobile cart to allow one-on-one computing in a class without moving students to a computer lab freeing up muchneeded classroom space. Henry County Schools in Virginia began a one-on-one computer initiative with the goal of assigning a laptop to every student, but because of reduced funding they switched to classroom sets of laptops on mobile carts for all four of their high schools. This approach allows the schools to achieve their goal of making computers available to teachers and students when and where they need them. Recently, Greene Central High School in North Carolina provided laptops for all students and teachers to use both in school and at home. The school has a wireless network so that students have access to their work and Internet resources throughout the campus. The staff receives professional development instruction on a technology topic at least twice a week, and parents are asked to participate in a training session at the time their child receives the laptop. Schools use technology to expand learning opportunities. Rural schools also use content-specific instructional software to improve learning. The software provides Web-based resources to teach a skill or concept, such as video clips that focus on a specific subject, as well as lesson plans aligned with state academic standards, and online reference resources. One science teacher reported that before using technology, it took her two days to teach a lesson on genetics and chromosomes. Now she uses the Internet to access an interactive video about the concept. It is so well illustrated that she can teach the lesson in 20 minutes, allowing her to go deeper into the topic and expand student learning. Participation in Web-based projects provides many other new opportunities for students to expand their learning. They can see new places, meet experts and participate in virtual fieldwork. Students at Winnsboro High School in Louisiana 5

8 actually create their own Web sites to showcase the results of these projects. Just one good example of a Web-based resource is the Smithsonian s museum site ( where students can search through thousands of works of art by selecting artist, century or style. In addition, many state departments of education have created Web resources linked to their state academic standards. SREB s EvaluTech Web site provides links to all 16 SREB states instructional Web sites, as well as accurate and up-to-date resources on many instructional topics, including instructional software reviews and information about technologies available to assist students with disabilities. Examples of state Web sites include: Georgia Learning Connections, ALEX (the Alabama Learning Exchange) and South Carolina: Teaching, Learning and Connecting. One rural high school principal made the point regarding the value of Web-based resources to rural schools rather clearly when he said, Technology opens the world to the school [which is] important because we are living in the sticks. Schools use technology to access courses not available locally. Rural schools often face the challenge of providing courses to students when there is no teacher available to teach the subject or there are too few students needing the course. Online learning provides a solution for rural schools in both cases, as well as successfully addressing conflicts in course scheduling, core academic courses, career/technical courses, Advanced Placement (AP) courses and postsecondary options/dual credit courses. At the 480-student Dooly County High School in Georgia, 40 students have taken online AP classes over the last three years. Previously, no AP classes had been available there. Furthermore, because of the interest generated in AP courses through the online program, the school has added face-to-face AP courses as well. Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, West Virginia and some other SREB states departments of education provide online courses through a state online school. This allows the departments to monitor the quality of courses 6

9 delivered online. As one example, many West Virginia rural high school students take foreign language courses through the West Virginia Virtual High School, co-developed by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Florida Virtual High School. These courses are taught by West Virginia certified teachers. The recently published SREB Report on State Virtual Schools provides more detailed information about state efforts to provide online courses and is available at VirtualSchools.pdf. Some schools also provide students with access to needed courses through interactive television (ITV). In Swain County Schools in North Carolina, 25 students took core academic and elective courses from Southwestern Community College in the academic year. Students receive dual credit for high school and from the college for these courses. One Swain student indicated that through her participation in ITV and online courses during the regular school day, she acquired and will graduate with 33 college credits. This will give her a jumpstart toward her college degree, at a lower cost to her parents. Schools use technology to develop work force skills. Use of technology in schools has a positive impact on the state s economic development. Business and industry need a location that provides a good educational system for their employees children and a local work force with the requisite skills to make their enterprises successful. Technology-rich schools provide this environment. In the past, career/technical education was the area of high school curriculum where most technology use was found, if there was any use at all. Does the traditional shop class of the 1960s still exist? Yes and no. Career/technical education classes are still a likely place for the use of technology in rural schools, but the classes now are quite different. Today, career/technical education includes classes in which students complete computer projects designed to teach a variety of work skills. Standards for career/technical education classes have been raised, requiring students to complete more challenging academics in their career/technical education classes than in the past. In addition, career/technical education teachers are requiring students to use academic skills to complete challenging assignments. Often the class has been 7

10 industry-certified, meaning that the program has been evaluated by professional standards (e.g., Microsoft s MOS-Microsoft Office Specialist and MCSA-Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator). Today s career/technical automotive class curriculum includes learning to use computer diagnostics. Cleveland High School in Tennessee is part of Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national pre-engineering program offered as part of SREB s High Schools That Work program. Cleveland has a high enrollment, in relation to the school s student population, in this academically challenging program. Morgan County Schools in West Liberty, Kentucky, also has participated in PLTW since 1999 and reports much success and an increased number of students going to college. They have won numerous first place awards in their State Technology Student Association and others in national competitions. Both Cleveland and Morgan County offer college credit for most of these pre-engineering classes. Another rural high school program that helps students develop work force skills is the EAST Lab class. The Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) Initiative s goal is to provide technology and training to high school students in rural schools to improve their work force skills, as well as to bring technology to the attention of the entire community. The focus is on teamwork, solving real community problems and collaboration with other groups (schools, service organizations and universities), as well as on developing skills with environmental and spatial technologies, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and Computer Assisted Design (CAD). Teachers work as facilitators, guiding students decisions on a community project to solve a problem, identify the technologies needed, set up the hardware, and design training to accomplish their defined goals. Students from schools in Arkansas, Alabama, California, Louisiana and Mississippi participate in EAST Lab classes in their own communities. Most schools also teach word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation applications. Business education classes, in fact, were often the first extensive users of these productivity tools. A different instructional strategy to teach these skills today is reported by Fairmont Senior High School in West Virginia: The language arts department has been using a rotating schedule where all students spend nine weeks in a computer lab using Microsoft Office, online texts and materials, online writing assessments, and other online resources to train every student in the appropriate use of computers while improving their grammar, literature appreciation, communication and writing skills. 8

11 Schools use technology to provide professional development opportunities. Of course, while the Web provides vast resources with potential for rural classroom instruction, the larger challenge is to provide professional development for instructors in rural locations so that they have up-to-date, relevant and high-quality professional development when and where they need it. Many states, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina, have implemented statewide technology integration programs to accomplish this goal. Some of these programs utilize the Web to deliver online professional development instruction and provide video conferencing. Together with instructional television, the number of teachers receiving this needed training has been greatly expanded. The Tennessee Department of Education provides online professional development through its GEAR (Generating Equal Access to Remote Areas in Tennessee) program with the dual goals of building local capacity for high-quality, ongoing professional development in technology integration (especially in remote areas) and promoting teachers effective use of technology in classroom instruction. Rural schools report that an increasing number of teachers are taking online professional development courses. Teachers cite the following reasons: to increase the ease of working from school and/or home; to obtain an advanced degree; because the course was not offered within driving distance of their school; to learn a new strategy to improve classroom instruction; to meet recertification requirements; for professional enrichment; and as a means of support for first-year teachers. Source: Survey of Technology Use in Rural High Schools, conducted in 2004 by SREB. 9

12 Through this program, Tennessee has trained instructors in school districts to facilitate online workshops on technology integration and to teach online professional development courses for educators in their districts and neighboring districts. Baltimore County and Howard County Schools in Maryland have joined to provide 30 online professional development courses for teachers. This program began in Baltimore County in 1991 with 100 teachers and now provides courses for over 700 teachers. The courses, provided free by the counties, cover topics including special education, reading, literacy and several that are targeted at new teacher training. Another statewide online professional development initiative is the Florida Online Reading Professional Development Program, which uses the Web to provide all Florida teachers with professional development to improve reading instruction. The SREB Multi-State Online Professional Development (MOPD) initiative offers support and assistance to SREB states and schools that use the Web to provide quality professional development to teachers. The MOPD initiative has resulted in over 100 staff members from SREB states departments of education being trained to be online instructors. In addition, hundreds of other instructors from local schools were trained through the efforts of the initiative. Concurrently, MOPD developed the Web-based ToolKit to support the use of the Web by schools and states departments of education. (See This report demonstrates that there are many powerful uses of technology. What, then, is needed to help more rural high schools begin to use technology effectively? Why are some rural schools extensive technology users while many others are limited in using technology as a support of teaching and learning? Generally, rural schools face significant barriers in implementing and sustaining technology initiatives. Those schools successfully using technology have faced the barriers and found ways to overcome them or at least confront and manage them. Schools using technology readily admit that acknowledging and working through the barriers is an ongoing, and often difficult, process. 10

13 Rural schools that effectively use technology as part of daily life cite five major factors as critical components of their success: effective leadership; adequate and sustainable funding; development of a technology plan focusing on student outcomes and improved student achievement, including continuing evaluation of the success of the program; focused, high-quality professional development; and competent and available technical support. What actions are states taking to encourage technology use in rural schools? Illustrations of state efforts to address these five major factors include: Leadership. State and school leaders are starting to communicate the importance of the use of technology to increase student achievement. For example, in 1990 the state of West Virginia implemented its Basic Skills/Computer Education program to provide comprehensive teacher training on utilizing computers in the classroom as a tool for improving basic skills. The program continued over 10 years, making it the nation s longest-running state program for the implementation of technology in education. Studies of program effectiveness indicate that the use of technology led directly to significant gains in mathematics, reading and language arts skills. Supporting local school leaders who possess essential technology knowledge and skills also is helping to establish a better climate for effective use of technology in schools. The Louisiana LEADTech project prepares school principals and district superintendents with an in-depth understanding of the role of instructional technology as it relates to total school improvement and increased student learning. Over 1,200 administrators, including 900 principals, have completed the training within the past four years. This includes the Louisiana State Superintendent of Schools, who completed the training and often shares his experience with others. This is the kind of modeling and promotion that is needed in every state. 11

14 In June 2004 the state of Virginia also announced the creation of the Virginia Virtual Advanced Placement School, designed to expand student opportunities and support the state s Education for a Lifetime initiative using the Internet and instructional television. Funding and Costs. States are recognizing that technology programs in schools will never be implemented on a statewide or equitable basis without annual state funding. Several states have tried to partially fund K-12 technology programs using lottery or other soft fund sources but have eliminated such funding over time. However, just as businesses are now dependent on technology for continual improvement, states increasingly recognize that technology is now a critical component, central to the work of schools. It should become an annual line item in the state budget that could be used for new purchases, technology personnel, professional development instruction, maintenance and recurring costs. Planning and Evaluation. More states are insisting that technology use be included as an essential part of every school improvement plan and school evaluation. In spring 2000, for example, the commonwealth of Virginia launched the statewide Web-Based Standards of Learning Technology Initiative, which uses Web-enabled systems to improve Standards of Learning (SOL) instructional, remedial and testing capabilities of high schools. This comprehensive initiative directly addresses securing adequate hardware and high-speed, high-bandwidth Internet, as well as the assurance that all high school students have Internet access at their school, backed by up-to-date instructional and remedial software applications. In spring 2004, Virginia reported that 95 percent of rural schools in the state use this online testing program. Giving all students access to technology tools and high-quality learning regardless of where they live in the state is imperative. For example, Florida enacted legislation in 2003 that provides FTE funding for any Florida student who successfully completes Florida Virtual School (FLVS) courses. Schools use the online program when they are unable to provide courses locally that students need. During the school year, FLVS had over 17,000 students enrolled. Professional Development. If teachers and administrators are to understand and use technology effectively, they must receive training and ongoing support. States are starting to support more programs that provide this training, including online professional development instruction to train teachers and administrators at any time, regardless of where they work or live. (See Online 12

15 Professional Development: Why SREB States Should Use It at org/programs/edtech/pubs/pdf/onlineprofessionaldevelopment.asp.) For example, Georgia legislation passed in 2004 (HB1698) requires colleges, universities (and any other state agencies that provide professional development for certification or recertification for teachers and other professionals) to provide some of the training online. Both Georgia and Louisiana have created comprehensive teacher-training programs focused on integrating technology into classroom instruction delivered online. Technical Support. No business today would attempt to conduct its activities without adequate technical support. States are starting to promote a similar expectation and fund more technical positions for schools. For example, in Georgia every school receives state funding to provide full- or part-time technical support, depending on the size of the school. It is only when sufficient technical staff is available to support the technologies in place at all schools that technology will be considered fully integrated and part of the school culture. Summary Are rural schools effectively using technology? As the success stories included here illustrate, the answer varies greatly. Yes, many rural high schools do use technology to provide greater opportunities for students, but most rural high schools do not use technology to meet student and teacher needs nearly as often, or as effectively, as they could. A critical need exists for the development of state-level policies and programs for all schools, especially targeted to rural areas. State policies should focus on three priorities: 1) developing leadership that promotes technology use; 2) providing funding for technology; and 3) providing support for the use of technology both for professional development instruction for teachers and for technical support. Developing Leadership That Promotes Technology Use Leadership is the most critical component in envisioning and implementing technology initiatives. Schools will not be successful in implementing technology initiatives unless strong leadership promoting technology exists. States should recognize that all leaders need to understand the potential of technology, that it is vital to all education goals and that each state should develop models appropriate 13

16 for developing leaders. Unfortunately, few state models exist to provide these skills to current and future leaders. That s why states must set a strong vision for schools that includes technology expectations. States need to carry the banner, stating: We expect all schools to use technologies not as an add-on to the curriculum, but as a way of teaching the curriculum better. We expect the schools will carry out the state vision, and incentives will be provided to support these efforts. Only when schools statewide understand both the expectations and the benefits can they focus their efforts toward effective and efficient use of technology to improve student learning. Providing Funding for Technology Technology today provides the backbone and the support system on which quality education programs increasingly reside. This trend will not reverse. Technology is now a permanent, integral component of our daily lives and part of our culture. As a result, students in public schools, and especially lower-income rural schools, need for their state to provide specific, ongoing funding for technology. It is only through sustainable state funding that equity in education can be achieved. States should make technology funding a priority and embed it in the annual state budget, along with an accountability process to ensure that this funding is properly used. States should require that all new education programs and initiatives include technology costs in proposed budgets. Leaders should calculate the real costs of technology, including new purchases, upgrades, software, maintenance and repairs, recurring costs, technology personnel and professional development and make appropriations accordingly. Providing Support for Technology Use, Both for Professional Development for Teachers and for Technical Support What people do not know, they will not use. Greater use of technology in schools will not occur unless teachers are well trained in its effectiveness and have the technical support to keep it operational. States should create comprehensive teacher-training programs focused on how to integrate technology into classroom instruction. These programs must be scalable to reach all teachers, with access to training matched to the technologies available to those teachers. 14

17 And they must be ongoing. States should recognize that as new and more powerful technologies continue to evolve, professional development instruction on technology use will be a recurring need in order to attain state education goals. Why should teachers risk using technology in their classrooms if they cannot be sure it will work when they need it? Only when sufficient numbers of skilled technical support staff are available will technology be fully integrated and become part of the school culture. States need policies that provide statewide technical support so that teachers can focus on students academic learning not on keeping the computer equipment fixed and networks maintained. Challenging States to Lead As SREB s Challenge to Lead goals indicate, states must weave technology into the fabric of their educational systems. They must use it to solve real problems and to promote real progress. Often, however, the technology solutions are not as apparent as they might seem. Helping rural high schools improve student achievement through the use of technology is analogous to many years ago when banks wanted to increase customer satisfaction while acquiring new customers. They introduced a new way for customers to access their money through the use of automated teller machines or ATMs. Since ATMs are a substitute for bank tellers, banks logically put them inside the banks, where the human dispensers of money were located. Right problem, wrong solution. It was only when banking leaders thought about the problem in a totally new way and moved the ATMs outside that they met their customers needs, and use expanded rapidly. In many ways schools are at the same point now in their understanding of the impact of technology on education as those early banking executives were. States need to go beyond simply thinking of technology as an add-on to existing curriculum. Instead, the focus should be on helping schools do a better job of preparing students for the challenges and expectations of higher education, the workplace and their communities. In the 21st century, integrating information and technology skills throughout the core academic subjects has become essential to achieving these goals. All students, regardless of where they live, should have equitable access to technology and a high-quality education. After all, Geography matters! 15

18 Benefits of Using Technology Use of the Internet opens a world of research and information to students that they would not experience otherwise. Online courses expand curriculum offerings for students, especially in advanced courses where a limited number of students are enrolled, or in disciplines where the school does not employ a teacher who has the expertise and content knowledge to teach a course. Online professional development allows teachers to take courses to meet requirements to become highly qualified, or simply to obtain needed skills or advanced degrees, and it can provide a vital method of support to beginning teachers. Administrative software provides data management options needed by administrators and teachers to review student and school academic progress and make informed decisions about educational programs. High-quality instructional software addressing specific curriculum or concepts supports student learning by providing challenging content and by requiring student interaction with immediate feedback and a record of the learning for instructional decisions. Use of the Web provides a home-to-school connection, allowing parents to receive updated information on students absenteeism, assignments and academic progress. Use of technologies provides students with skills such as problem solving and abstract thinking that are requisite for the 21st-century work force. Information gathered for this report includes data from a technology-use survey completed by rural high schools in SREB states. These results were included in a SREB report to the Southern Governors Association, supported by funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 16

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