Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg has said, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” Candice Dodson was that leader. Sadly, we lost Candice’s bright light in July but we are here to affirm that her impact and her influence continues to be felt in her absence. As the former Executive Directors of the SETDA, we feel pride in all that Candice accomplished at SETDA, for Indiana, and for students and educators across this country.
Candice was a leader who had a uniquely positive impact on elected officials, education leaders, parents, partners, co-workers, and stakeholders from across the education community. She had a contagious joy and a generous spirit in interacting with others – and this made her influence even more profound. She had an uncanny ability to connect with everyone she met and to include them, build them up, and celebrate their successes. She was a talented consensus builder and true collaborator, a champion for innovation and creativity, an advocate for educators, and a believer in what students could accomplish. She contributed her voice regularly through social media and was highly engaged with the field, serving on panels and podcasts, contributing to articles, and organizing and participating in high-impact events.
Candice’s leadership was just what SETDA needed to move the organization and its members to the next level. Those of us who have worked in or with state government know that there are never enough people or dollars to roll out a new initiative and the red tape is never in short supply. To be effective, state leaders have to get creative, build a network of champions across the state, and partner with outside organizations in order to innovate, to shift mindsets, and to enact real and lasting change. Successful state leaders—like Candice—find ways to exert a positive influence not only in their state, but well beyond.
When we lost Candice, we lost an amazing champion for educational technology and a close friend. For that reason, we are grateful that the SETDA Board of Directors has announced the Candice Dodson Influencer Award to commemorate the values, professional influence and personal contributions to the field of educational technology that Candice championed every day, and to recognize similar qualities in present and future leaders who carry on this important work. We think it fitting to honor her memory by building up others and celebrating the influencers who follow in her footsteps.
We know that Candice’s legacy will inspire greatness in others and that her impact will always be a part of SETDA and its members.
About the Authors of this Guest Blog Post
This post was a collaboration among a group of SETDA’s Former Executive Directors including:
SETDA and CoSN commend the FCC for acting this week to help rural telecommunications providers offer affordable broadband to qualified students. The agency’s decision to revise tariffs for rural providers is a helpful action at this historic moment when far too many rural students lack access to online learning.
More steps must be taken, however, to ensure that all students have access to broadband during the pandemic. CoSN and SETDA renew their call for the FCC and Congress to work collaboratively to address this urgent national need, so that no students fall behind.
About SETDA
The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership association launched by state education agency leaders in 2001 to serve, support and represent their emerging interests and needs with respect to the use of technology for teaching, learning, and school operations. setda.org
About CoSN
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. cosn.org
SETDA and CoSN commend the Wireline Bureau for opening an emergency E-rate filing window to help schools address their higher than expected on campus bandwidth demands. The Bureau’s decision will help schools support their students during a very challenging period and we appreciate the agency’s swift recognition of this on campus digital learning need.
Separately, CoSN and SETDA hope the FCC and Congress will also act this month to ensure that every student has a broadband connection at home. We strongly encourage Congress to approve the Emergency Educational Connections Act.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership association launched by state education agency leaders in 2001 to serve, support and represent their emerging interests and needs with respect to the use of technology for teaching, learning, and school operations. setda.org
About CoSN
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. cosn.org
It is difficult to believe that it has been 13 years since SETDA’s 2008 journey in developing and publishing the Class of 2020: Action Plan for Education. This project included a Student Bill of Rights and a series of white papers (below). At that time, the critical topics that bubbled to the top were broadband access, online assessments, professional learning, online courses/content and STEM. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light onto the various topics related to digital learning which include similar subjects from the Class of 2020 work. Technology tools, resources and efficiencies may have evolved since 2008 but unfortunately, most classrooms remained the same. Yes, there have been pockets of innovation such as SETDA’s Student Voices Finalists and Winners and many other schools across the country that have been driving forward, leveraging technology to support all learners. However, the digital divide continues.
The concept of the Class of 2020 was a simple idea from one of SETDA’s most influential leaders, Lan Neugent (retired – Virginia Department of Education) that led to the collaborative initiative which created the foundation for much of SETDA’s work over the last 12 years. Developed with support from members, private sector partners and education leaders from a variety of organizations, these resources provided advocacy and implementation support for digital learning at the state and federal level. The original concept was to inform the new administration about the potential of digital learning and provide the membership with resources to support state work. SETDA leveragedthe work to advocate for 2009 stimulus funding direct for education technology which included over $600 million dollars to states via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA funds did drive some districts to be innovative and support technology integration, however the investments were relatively small and districts often did not plan well to support digital learning once the grants finished. At that time, some districts still considered technology as a “nice perk” versus a new way of learning so technology tools and resources were supplemental versus the norm.
“Looking back now at this work and the focus on the need for resources such as broadband and professional learning, we were spot-on,” shared Rick Gaisford, Education Technology Specialist, Utah State Board of Education.
The COVID-19 pandemic recently forced all schools and districts to identify inequities in access to technology and for most, to attempt to implement remote learning. This summer is an opportunity to evaluate the ability to implement digital learning and prepare administrators, teachers, students and families for not only potential blended or remote learning for the fall, but to shift teaching and learning moving forward. The silver lining of crisis can be having equitable, educational opportunities that support the Student Bill of Rights published in 2008. The terminology may have changed but the concepts remain the same.
So cheers to the Class of 2020! May your adventures be golden and may you drive innovation in this global society. Cheers also to the Class of 2032! Entering Kindergarten will not look the same as it did in 2008, the students won’t know the difference as much as the parents and educators. As Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper noted back in 1987, the most damaging phrase in the language is “We’ve always done it this way.” May this silver lining of this pandemic be revolutionized educational models that SETDA and its members have been campaigning for since 2001.
Class of 2020 White Paper Series (Published in 2008)
Inspiration The children of former SETDA staff, Mary Ann Wolf and Sara Hall (Matthew and Hannah) started kindergarten in 2008 and were part of the inspiration for the Class of 2020 Action Plan.
This guest blog post was written by SETDA partner, Monica Cougan, Product Marketing Manager, ENA
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic looks like it will continue disrupting education this fall. Schools nationwide must
therefore prepare by developing remote and blended learning strategies that meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. But here’s the good news: schools have spent the past few months finding innovative responses to the challenges they face and developing some best practices that can help districts both large and small.
Santa Fe Public Schools was one such innovative district. Dr. Neal Weaver, the district’s Director of Digital Learning, started overcoming the innumerable challenges created by COVID-19 through a resolute commitment to success. “Early on we resolved to have the mindset that we have to do distance learning successfully because our students deserve it,” he said.
To get results, Dr. Weaver decided to leverage the power of data analytics. Thanks to CatchOn, an expansive data analytics tool that provides administrative leaders a window into the efficacy of their technology investments and integrations, he has been able to track how the district’s 12,000 students actually engage with the district’s technology—and therefore get real-time data about how to develop an effective digital learning program.
As a result, Santa Fe has already achieved real success through its remote learning initiatives. More than 96% of the district’s students connected to essential tools and services—plus they did so for longer and longer periods of time, indicating sustained engagement. The district has partnered with local community institutions, such as the University of New Mexico, to create hot spots around the city that help close the connectivity gap.
Looking back over his district’s successful transition to digital learning, Dr. Weaver has the following advice for other educators facing similar challenges.
Always think of your initiatives as works in progress
Everyone—administrators, educators, students, parents—is learning as they adapt to changing circumstances. “That’s why I really emphasized to my team that we won’t be perfect, but that’s ok,” Dr. Weaver said. “It’s just so important to keep moving forward and not get stuck.” That way, it’s easier for districts to learn from mistakes and to adapt to new opportunities and challenges.
Gather data about your community’s actual technology use
With a data analytics tool such as CatchOn, districts can see how students actually engage their remote learning initiatives—and therefore evaluate key performance indicators in real-time. “That shows us which apps the district really needs to support,” Dr. Weaver said. Furthermore, effective analytics empowers districts for the first time to gather quantitative data about what portion of students has reliable connectivity access—and that means the district can be more responsive to the community’s actual needs.
Rethink your ideas about success to match the new circumstances
Santa Fe quickly found that the old metrics of success no longer applied. Attendance, for instance, is no longer about having all students present at the same moment. Instead, the district has discovered through data analytics that many students access resources at different times throughout the day, allowing them to juggle other responsibilities they may have at home. And so Dr. Weaver recommends districts engage the community for feedback on ways each district can meet the needs of all students, regardless of different circumstances.
At the heart of Dr. Weaver’s recommendations—and therefore of effective digital learning—is powerful data analytics. The more a district knows about how students engage technology, the more administrators will be able to make informed decisions. “Simply put,” he said, “data provides a means to guide the district.”
About the Author: Ms. Cougan joined ENA in 2012 and oversees ENA’s partner program and product marketing initiatives in her role as product marketing manager. Monica has over 30 years of experience in education technology integration that she leverages to help assess, identify, and support the needs of today’s education communities.
This guest blog post was written by SETDA partner, Patrick Cook, Account Executive, UPD Consulting.
Why do we do what we do? Is it the best way to achieve our desired outcomes? How do we know?
Innovation drives improvement. It begins with good fundamentals that are affirmed through a process of discovery and intentional design. UPD is proud to have been selected to work with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to support their vision to sustainably drive successful outcomes through an innovative approach to data systems design. Improving processes and human capacity is at the core of their people-centered development project. We’re excited to be a part of this project because we specialize in connecting systems to the processes that make them work and the people who use them.
MDE recently restructured its technology office into the Office of Technology and Strategic Services (OTSS), which now includes research and a stronger role in data analysis and reporting. OTSS created goals and deliverables in nine key process areas under an overarching change management strategy. They identified 35 additional goals and priorities to implement their vision for a future state design in order to fully achieve Goal 5 of MDE’s Strategic Plan: “Every Community Effectively Using a World-Class Data System to Improve Student Outcomes.”
Building on the strength of its staff and structure, OTSS is now poised to address the other components of its IT Capacity Maturity Model—technology and processes. Well-designed processes must surround technology systems so that high-quality information is used to inform decision-making and service delivery.
UPD begins this crucial initiative with the end in mind, a future state where a thriving organization regularly uses interconnected data to manage its outcomes. Rich data that is easy-to-access and easy-to-understand in the hands of all decision-makers being used every day to continuously improve the way we work together.
We understand that to achieve MDE’s vision, data must be used not only to measure progress, but to drive implementation, to course correct, to shift approaches, to test new theories, and to relentlessly examine assumptions. It is important to know what works, but equally so to quickly stop doing the things that aren’t working and to do more of the things that are. The goal is to provide stakeholders at all levels of the education system—students, parents, teachers, leaders—with the power and agency that comes with access to effective data.
Over the next two years, we will help MDE design a world-class educational data system by first understanding the questions educators and their constituents are asking and the processes they use to answer them. That’s modernization through innovation. Integrated technology systems built to empower the people who use them to drive change, to improve student outcomes and to increase operational efficiency. We are excited to be part of this work, and we welcome your insight.
[If you’re interested in being informed of progress, please join the UPD Systems, Processes, and People Newsgroup. Privacy statement: your email address will only be used for this newsgroup and you may opt out of communications at any time.]
About the Author: Patrick Cook, UPD Consulting, is an expert in organizational behavior and analysis who specializes in finance, performance management, process improvement, and data use for decision making. He helps clients to understand that organizations are all perfectly designed to deliver their current results, and that any desired change in those results requires some change of the organization.
In support of state leadership, SETDA recently published the State Education Agency Considerations for CARES Act Funding as Related to Digital Learning. As state education agencies (SEAs) plan for the 2020-21 school year and work to ensure that high quality learning opportunities are available to all students, each has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership. To support equitable opportunities for all students across a state, SEAs can provide direction and resources to help ensure that all students, regardless of location, race, language, special needs or socio-economic barriers have access to quality digital learning experiences. School districts, especially small districts, do not always have the capacity to develop plans, make purchases or provide professional learning in the same way that large or even medium-size districts can. With guidance, policies and modeling, SEAs can demonstrate a commitment to digital learning both on and off-campus. States can support such processes with some or all of the following:
enacting state digital learning plans that include SEA leadership for implementation
encouraging district digital learning plans
defining personalized learning
giving guidance around the implementation of digital instructional materials
developing digital learning standards for students
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds and state emergency response funds provide a unique opportunity for SEAs, eligible local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools to develop plans and processes to support remote learning for emergency situations as well as long term digital learning initiatives. With planning, policies and practices, state leaders can demonstrate to districts and schools a commitment to quality digital learning which also support the personalized needs of all learners. In collaboration with the membership, SETDA developed the State Education Agency Considerations for CARES Act Funding as Related to Digital Learning document to provide a resource for state leaders regarding considerations for expenditures related to digital learning implementation. States may consider statewide contracts or state master contracts to support districts and to provide more cost effective implementation of digital tools resources and/or professional development. In addition, districts should consider multi-district or regional consortia to potentially drive down costs. Some items that may be considered for statewide, state master contracts and/or consortia purchasing may include:
digital devices, hotspots and/or monthly access fees
Smart spending can support seamless access and reduce overall costs at a time when, more than ever, every dollar counts. In some regions of the country, states are considering multi-state consortia to drive down costs as well. SETDA recommendations are not limited to CARES Act funds, SEAs or the current crisis, and may be considered long term as states and districts move to comprehensive digital learning over time.
For almost twenty years, SETDA has been advocating for quality digital learning experiences for all learners including supporting the concept of statewide and consortia initiatives to provide leadership and help drive down costs. SETDA has developed a variety of resources in support of digital learning and all resources are opening available to the public. To learn more, access SETDA’s priorities page which includes access to resources related to equity of access, digital content, digital learning, interoperability and professional learning.
This guest blog post was written by SETDA partner, Brendan Desetti, Director of Government & Stakeholder Relations for D2L.
As the school year comes to an end in many places around the country, the uncertainty of COVID-19 looms in the future. What is certain, is that while we once hoped for summer respite, the needs of schools and children demand overdrive planning to curtail future learning disruption.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently indicated that a second wave of infections is “inevitable.” The continued threat of COVID-19 means school districts are not likely to re-open for the fall semester, if they open at all, without physical distancing mandates that fundamentally change the way schools operate.
In this new reality, it is imperative that states use their CARES Act dollars to support school districts in redesigning their learning systems for resiliency. Our schools must be able to serve students face-to-face and online simultaneously. Further, they must be capable of serving all students face-to-face one day and all students fully online the next day, without missing a beat of learning. Resilient systems of learning will keep student learning moving forward. Never stagnant. Never falling behind.
To ensure resilient and equitable systems of learning, it is the State that must provide the digital learning infrastructure necessary to operate under any condition. Providing for the digital learning infrastructure means:
closing the homework gap by supporting district efforts to provide a device to every student that needs one and internet access to every family without it;
providing for a statewide learning platform to enable teacher-led instruction, learning progression, and parent engagement; and
increasing professional development for teachers to adapt to the pedagogical needs best suited to their instructional method (in-person or online) and their students’ needs.
The state assuming this role helps to ensure that every district has the same level playing field and expectations to provide high-quality, teacher-led, learning to students. By alleviating this burden, districts can focus their resources on providing the teaching and non-academic supports necessary for every student to succeed.
Digital learning infrastructure has historically been left to school districts to support and implement independent of state intervention. In some cases, districts have been able to afford and support it, and we are seeing early successes in those places to quickly shift students online and continue learning and services uninterrupted (see Gwinnett County Public Schools). But in most school districts, especially those serving rural and at-risk students, the infrastructure simply does not exist or isn’t sufficient to serve the full population.
Only through state level action can learning inequities, based on access to and quality of digital infrastructure, be addressed in an equitable manner. The disruptions to learning arising from COVID-19, makes it is necessary that the state step in to address these inequities. The CARES Act funding provides that opportunity.
Brendan Desetti is the Director of Government & Stakeholder Relations for D2L (www.d2l.com). In his role, Brendan works with policymakers and education stakeholder groups to identify and promote positive education policy and practice to support and expand learning opportunities for all students. His portfolio includes accessibility of technology for students with disabilities, student data privacy, and differentiated learning pathways.
This guest blog post was written by Doug Casey, Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology
Introduction
Imagine a breakthrough therapy that promised to improve the condition of millions of children across the country. Access to the treatment would come through scientific, research-based trials in partnership with flagship research institutes. This may sound promising, but what if the trials were limited just to kids in large cities or wealthy suburbs? Children in small, poor, or rural areas were not eligible and would just have to wait for the treatment to become more widely available someday.
As state leaders, we see a similar inequity of access to research-based educational technology (ed tech) adoption. The time and resources necessary to pilot ed tech in meaningful ways — with proper design, measurement, fidelity of use, professional supports, etc. — have often been limited to large or wealthy districts. Most educators and school leaders without these supports often have to base product adoption decisions on vendor demos and websites, opinions from colleagues, and reviews from print and online trade publishers.
This should not be the case. Every district should have access to research-based pilots of high-quality ed tech solutions. For that reason, last fall we designed and launched the Framing the Evidence program to benefit — and take advantage of the unique strengths of — SETDA’s state and private sector partners.
Program Overview
Think of Framing the Evidence as an expert-guided matchmaking service, facilitating pilot design and delivery aligned with the needs of districts and our ed tech partners. SETDA facilitates such pairings in a way that individual state leaders cannot, given the potential conflict of interest that many of us face in working directly with third-party providers. Instead, our organization has created intake forms that ask district candidates to share — with no obligation to participate — their academic, socio-emotional, or operational needs by school, geographic location, student enrollment, and other criteria. In a parallel process, private sector partners submit information about their products and services as well as their target audiences and use cases.
From the dozens of requests that we have received so far, we can create data-driven, objective matches between school needs and vendor solutions. Potential pairings receive review by both parties before engaging in the development of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which governs the engagement. Designed to protect the interests of all parties, the MOU defines the commitment required of the pilot, including resources brought to bear — e.g., free software and professional development from vendors, staff time from districts — as well as other key contractual requirements. Aligned with the four tiers of evidence required by the U.S. Department of Education’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Framing the Evidence pilots can range from relatively short-term to multi-year engagements. The latter might include researchers from local colleges and universities, who have interest in demonstrating what works in the learning sciences.
Benefits
The design and mechanics of the program all point to a rich set of benefits for each of SETDA’s constituent groups:
SETDA State Members: Strengthened relationships with their local district leaders as well as SETDA private sector partners through objective matchmaking that does not present a conflict of interest
Private Sector Partners: Direct engagement with schools that leads to a body of evidence supporting the impact of their product(s) in a diversity of geographic, socio-economic, and cultural environments
Districts: Equity of access to research-based pilots, innovative technology, and professional development, leading to student gains and deeper return on investments in ed tech, all governed by an MOU that significantly reduces risk and exposure.
Get Started
We warmly invite all private sector partners and state leaders to learn more about the program on our Framing the Evidence web page. There you will find more detailed background information as well as recorded presentations tailored to SETDA private sector partners, state leaders, and schools.
Partners can get started — again, with no obligation to participate — by submitting the intake form at www.bitly.com/PSP_FtE. State leaders can share the opportunity with their district and school networks. To help in that effort, SETDA has professionally designed presentation decks and staff ready to help you spread the word. For districts ready to engage, have them complete the school intake form at www.bitly.com/EdTechEvidence.
We look forward to hearing from you on this exciting new venture to bring the power and evidence of ed tech to every state, partner, and community that SETDA serves.
Doug Casey serves as the Executive Director for the Connecticut State Commission for Educational Technology (CET). In that role, he designs and manages strategic plans that help ensure the successful integration of technology in Connecticut’s schools, libraries, universities, and towns. The CET has direct oversight of statewide programs including the Connecticut Education Network (CEN, the state’s research and education network), its digital library (researchIT, formerly iCONN), and other initiatives.
This guest blog post was written by Mineola Middle School students Luke Martinez, Emma Powers, Joseph Parrino, Catherine Dinh, & Jordan Chaver.
Mineola Middle School was awarded the chance of a lifetime when we got to present at this year’s SETDA Leadership Summit in Washington D.C., where we were honored to receive the 2019 SETDA Student Voice Award. Having been nominated and the recipient of the Student Voices Award was a great honor and a unique experience. It made us feel very grateful that we can go to school at such an amazing place that offers so many different experiences for everyone in our community. This award showed us that we really are lucky to be going to such a great school that truly deserved this award.
We are very thankful for the teachers and administrators for choosing us to be the student ambassadors. Representing the Mineola Middle School was a huge deal. Without this experience we wouldn’t have made the connections that we have made with others and also amongst ourselves.
Leading up to the big presentation was stressful and fun. We had both good and bad run-throughs. After we all got used to working together, we were on a roll, and grew together as a team. With the help of all the teachers in the making of this presentation, it definitely pushed us and motivated us. It was also fun to see how much our school does and how it helps our community. Some of the things in our presentation taught us was not to take what we have for granted. It also taught us that our school is unique.
Going on stage, we were confident because we designed the presentation how we like to learn; interactive and engaging. Our audience was very interested in what we had to say and it made us feel like we truly had a voice. If you want to see us in action, you can access the video archive of our presentation online.
A big highlight of our trip was our sightseeing adventures in Washington D.C. after we presented at the Student Voices forum. Riding the train through national landmarks, posing in front of the White House in Lafayette Square, walking by the huge US Treasury Department building, and finally arriving at the Washington Monument, a majestic column lit up against the clear night sky were all memories we cherish. The World War II Memorial, the illuminated fountain, the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool made great group photo-ops. On our final day, we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We took turns experimenting with rotational momentum by spinning a wheel, saw Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit and walked through a Skylab Orbital Workshop. This was followed by a walk through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, and by the FBI Headquarters. The lessons learned of the various monuments and the memories we created with our teachers and friends will remain with us forever. This experience was an interdisciplinary experience that changed our lives. We are all so lucky to have been a part of something like this and to have the opportunity to be a part of such a great school community. It was amazing and is something that none of us will ever forget.
To hear how the district and school implements powerful learning opportunities, visit this Webinar Archive, Empower Student Voices with Design Thinking with Mineola Superintendent of Schools, Michael P. Nagler, Ed.D., Principal and Mineola Middle School’s Andrew Cascale.
Nominations for the 2020 Student Voices Award will open in mid-February via SETDA’s Student Voices Award page. SETDA members and partners may nominate schools and districts. If you are interested in being nominated please contact your state’s SETDA team or an Affiliate connected to your state.
Thank you to AT&T Aspire for underwriting the Student Voices 2018. AT&T invests in education and job training to create a skilled and diverse workforce that powers our country for the future. Technology is making it easier for everyone – regardless of age, gender, income or geography – to learn anytime, anywhere. Through the AT&T Aspire initiative, AT&T brings together the power of its network – its employees, its technology and organizations – to connect people to opportunities through education and job training. Since 2008, AT&T has committed $400 million to programs to help millions of students in all 50 states and around the world. Learn more at att.com/aspire.
better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” Candice Dodson was that leader. Sadly, we lost Candice’s bright light in July but we are here to affirm that her impact and her influence continues to be felt in her absence. As the former Executive Directors of the SETDA, we feel pride in all that Candice accomplished at SETDA, for Indiana, and for students and educators across this country.
As a result, Santa Fe has already achieved real success through its remote learning initiatives. More than 96% of the district’s students connected to essential tools and services—plus they did so for longer and longer periods of time, indicating sustained engagement. The district has partnered with local community institutions, such as the University of New Mexico, to create hot spots around the city that help close the connectivity gap.
all students present at the same moment. Instead, the district has discovered through data analytics that many students access resources at different times throughout the day, allowing them to juggle other responsibilities they may have at home. And so Dr. Weaver recommends districts engage the community for feedback on ways each district can meet the needs of all students, regardless of different circumstances.
This guest blog post was written by SETDA partner, Patrick Cook, Account Executive, 
Building on the strength of its staff and structure, OTSS is now poised to address the other components of its IT Capacity Maturity Model—technology and processes. Well-designed processes must surround technology systems so that high-quality information is used to inform decision-making and service delivery.
In support of state leadership, SETDA recently published the 
treatment would come through scientific, research-based trials in partnership with flagship research institutes. This may sound promising, but what if the trials were limited just to kids in large cities or wealthy suburbs? Children in small, poor, or rural areas were not eligible and would just have to wait for the treatment to become more widely available someday.
A big highlight of our trip was our sightseeing adventures in Washington D.C. after we presented at the Student Voices forum. Riding the train through national landmarks, posing in front of the White House in Lafayette Square, walking by the huge US Treasury Department building, and finally arriving at the Washington Monument, a majestic column lit up against the clear night sky were all memories we cherish. The World War II Memorial, the illuminated fountain, the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool made great group photo-ops. On our final day, we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We took turns experimenting with rotational momentum by spinning a wheel, saw Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit and walked through a Skylab Orbital Workshop. This was followed by a walk through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, and by the FBI Headquarters. The lessons learned of the various monuments and the memories we created with our teachers and friends will remain with us forever. This experience was an interdisciplinary experience that changed our lives. We are all so lucky to have been a part of something like this and to have the opportunity to be a part of such a great school community. It was amazing and is something that none of us will ever forget.
To hear how the district and school implements powerful learning opportunities, visit this 