On November 19, three Alabama Superintendents were selected by the U.S. Department of Education to attend the first-ever National Connected Superintendents Summit at the White House. Matt Akin from Piedmont City Schools, Suzanne Lacey from Talladega County Schools, and Jon Campbell from Jacksonville City Schools, all of which are current or former A+ College Ready partners, were among the 100 top school leaders from across America recognized for their leadership in helping transition their districts to digital learning. The Summit provided opportunities for leaders to share lessons learned with each other to help disseminate promising approaches across the nation.
During his remarks at the Summit, President Obama noted the progress in education even with a turbulent economy saying, “We’ve made gains in education, thanks to the hard work of school leaders like you. Dropout rates are down. The graduation rate is the highest on record. More young people are earning college degrees than ever before.”
President Obama went on to talk about the need for increased technology usage in the classroom. “In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee,” the President quipped, “the least we can do is expect that our schools are properly wired. And when many of us can’t go even an hour without reaching for a tablet or a smartphone, we’ve got to make sure these devices are within reach of our students. Because outside of school they’re certainly understanding how to use technology. That’s where they’re living. And if we aren’t incorporating that into how they are learning in the classroom, then we’re not doing our job. We’ve got to bring the world to every child’s fingertips, because they’re already more technologically savvy than we are, but if they think that the school is 20, 30 years behind, then they’re going to lose interest in school.”
In June 2013, President Obama announced the ConnectED Initiative, starting with a goal of connecting 99% of students to next-generation connectivity within five years. Model schools and districts across the country are using technology to create personalized learning environments; technology will play an increasingly crucial role in the future.
Future Ready superintendents demonstrate effective use of technology in some of the following ways:
- Fostering and leading a culture of collaboration and digital citizenship;
- Transitioning schools and families to high-speed connectivity;
- Empowering educators with professional learning opportunities;
- Accelerating progress toward universal access to quality devices;
- Providing access to quality digital content;
- Creating access, equity, and excellence – particularly in rural, remote, and low-income districts;
- Offering digital tools to students and families to help them prepare for success in college;
- Sharing best practices and mentoring other districts in the transition to digital learning.
Source: Office of Educational Technology (http://tech.ed.gov/superintendentsummit/) and the White House Briefing Room (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/19/remarks-president-connected-superintendents-summit)
