[House Hearing, 111 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE FUTURE OF LEARNING: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
EDUCATION AND LABOR
U.S. House of Representatives
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JUNE 16, 2009
__________
Serial No. 111-28
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
Available on the Internet:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/education/index.html
----------
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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
GEORGE MILLER, California, Chairman
Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Vice Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,
Chairman California,
Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Senior Republican Member
Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin
Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott, Virginia Peter Hoekstra, Michigan
Lynn C. Woolsey, California Michael N. Castle, Delaware
Ruben Hinojosa, Texas Mark E. Souder, Indiana
Carolyn McCarthy, New York Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan
John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Judy Biggert, Illinois
Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania
David Wu, Oregon Joe Wilson, South Carolina
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey John Kline, Minnesota
Susan A. Davis, California Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Tom Price, Georgia
Timothy H. Bishop, New York Rob Bishop, Utah
Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
David Loebsack, Iowa Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Tom McClintock, California
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania Duncan Hunter, California
Phil Hare, Illinois David P. Roe, Tennessee
Yvette D. Clarke, New York Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania
Joe Courtney, Connecticut
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire
Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio
Jared Polis, Colorado
Paul Tonko, New York
Pedro R. Pierluisi, Puerto Rico
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
Northern Mariana Islands
Dina Titus, Nevada
[Vacant]
Mark Zuckerman, Staff Director
Sally Stroup, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 16, 2009.................................... 1
Statement of Members:
Castle, Hon. Michael, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Delaware.......................................... 5
Prepared statement of.................................... 6
McMorris Rodgers, Hon. Cathy, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Washington, prepared statement of........ 71
Miller, Hon. George, Chairman, Committee on Education and
Labor...................................................... 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Statement of Witnesses:
Bergland, Jennifer, Bryan Independent School District........ 24
Prepared statement of.................................... 25
Chopra, Aneesh, chief technology officer, White House Office
for Science and Technology................................. 9
Prepared statement of.................................... 10
Hartschuh, Wayne, Ph.D., executive director, Delaware Center
for Educational Technology, Delaware Department of
Education.................................................. 34
Prepared statement of.................................... 36
Kinney, Scott, vice president of media and technology,
outreach and professional development, Discovery Education. 19
Prepared statement of.................................... 20
McAuliffe, John, general manager, Educate Online Learning,
LLC........................................................ 41
Prepared statement of.................................... 43
Real, Abel Alejandro, sophomore, East Carolina University.... 29
Prepared statement of.................................... 31
Short, Lisa, middle school teacher, Montgomery County
(Maryland) Public Schools.................................. 16
Prepared statement of.................................... 17
THE FUTURE OF LEARNING:
HOW TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
----------
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Education and Labor
Washington, DC
----------
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in room
2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. George Miller
[chairman of the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Miller, Kildee, Scott, Woolsey,
Hinojosa, Tierney, Holt, Hirono, Altmire, Hare, Fudge, Polis,
Tonko, Petri, Castle, Ehlers, Biggert, and Cassidy.
Staff present: Paulette Acevedo, Legislative Fellow,
Education; Tylease Alli, Hearing Clerk; Alice Cain, Senior
Education Policy Advisor (K-12); Adrienne Dunbar, Education
Policy Advisor; Curtis Ellis, Legislative Fellow, Education;
Denise Forte, Director of Education Policy; David Hartzler,
Systems Administrator; Fred Jones, Staff Assistant, Education;
Jessica Kahanek, Press Assistant; Sharon Lewis, Senior
Disability Policy Advisor; Ricardo Martinez, Policy Advisor,
Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and
Competitiveness; Daisy Minter, Financial Administrator; Alex
Nock, Deputy Staff Director; Joe Novotny, Chief Clerk; Lillian
Pace, Policy Advisor, Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
Elementary and Secondary Education; Lisa Pugh, Legislative
Fellow, Education; Melissa Salmanowitz, Press Secretary;
Margaret Young, Staff Assistant, Education; Mark Zuckerman,
Staff Director; Stephanie Arras, Minority Legislative
Assistant; James Bergeron, Minority Deputy Director of
Education and Human Services Policy; Robert Borden, Minority
General Counsel; Cameron Coursen, Minority Assistant
Communications Director; Alexa Marrero, Minority Communications
Director; Susan Ross, Minority Director of Education and Human
Services Policy; Mandy Schaumberg, Minority Education Counsel;
Linda Stevens, Minority Chief Clerk/Assistant to the General
Counsel; and Sally Stroup, Minority Staff Director.
Chairman Miller [presiding]. A quorum being present, the
committee will come to order. I want to welcome everybody to
this morning's hearing.
This is the first in a series of hearings on the future of
learning. In this economy, it is more important than ever to
ensure that every student in every classroom has the
opportunity to grow, thrive, and achieve to their fullest
potential. This is becoming increasingly important as our
competitiveness abroad has shifted.
Several years ago, Speaker Pelosi asked us to come together
around an innovation agenda. We went to Stanford University and
talked to the best in the high tech, biotech, and venture
capital fields.
We talked about innovation and discovery, believing that
discovery and innovation are really the only sustainable
sources of economic growth in the world today.
What evolved from these conversations was an interesting
definition of the kind of person employers would want to bring
to their companies. They want workers who can work across
companies, across countries, and across the continents.
They want the most diverse workforce in history to assemble
solutions to emerging problems stemming from the most diverse
client base in history.
Unfortunately, this does not sound like what we are
preparing today's kindergarten students to participate 16 years
from now or even 12 years from now. This is not today's
education system in America.
But to quote Secretary Duncan, we now face the opportunity
of a lifetime to work with our schools and other partners to
build an education system that benefits students, families, our
economy, and our country for generations to come.
For quite some time, I have been cataloging all the reports
that acknowledge that we are running an industrial-based
education system for an agrarian society on an agrarian clock.
You might not believe me, but it has been very interesting.
It acknowledges a fundamental mismatch that we haven't paid
much attention to other than a rather clever anecdote from time
to time acknowledging that fact.
Today's students use technology in almost everything they
do. From the moment they wake up from the digital alarm clocks,
listening to their iPods as they walk to school, communicating
with their friends on Twitter and Facebook, or sharing
information on YouTube they are used to customizing their
worlds at the click of a computer.
But school today for far too many kids does not look like
the rest of their world. It does not capitalize on technology's
potential to engage students and to improve learning.
One critical element of learning in the future must be to
provide technology-rich classrooms for all students. Research
shows that when technology is systemically integrated into
classrooms and used by digitally-savvy staff, it can improve
teacher effectiveness and student achievement, and reduce the
dropout rate.
And as my grandkids tell me, it makes school a lot more
fun. We call that engagement. Take, for example, the Stephen F.
Austin Middle School in Bryon, Texas where the students were
given laptops to help integrate technology tools into their
daily instruction.
This led to an improvement in student achievement in both
math and reading. In the 7th grade alone, reading scores
increased by 13 percent and math scores by 14 percent.
At Dionne Warwick Institute in East Orange, New Jersey, 4th
and 5th grade students wrote and recorded educational raps
about civil rights leaders for a Black History project.
This project also helped them demonstrate their
understanding of math strategies and concepts. Students who
participated in these projects saw their math scores increase
by an average of 9.6 points and social studies scores increase
by 9.4.
It seems to me that if technology can substantially
increase student engagement, raise student achievement and
graduation rates, and prepare our students for college and the
workforce, then we must do everything we can do to support
these types of innovation in all our classrooms.
But this is about more than just the future of our
workforce. It is about the future of our democracy. The
options, opportunities, and availability that technology can
bring to a classroom must be available to everyone.
And I am extremely encouraged that we expanded this access.
We will make more progress in closing the achievement gap. I am
encouraged that we are taking steps in the right direction.
This Congress has already endorsed several important
pillars of reform included in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Program, particularly in Secretary Duncan's Race
to the Top, which has unprecedented potential to shape the
future of learning in our nation.
It also included $650 million for educational technology
state grants, and I believe this money can be well spent. In
any industry, it is considered smart business planning to look
to the future and how a company and the industry will change,
grow, and adapt.
If we are serious about creating world-class schools and
regaining our competitive edge, then it is time we start
thinking about education the same way.
Today's hearing will explore how innovation and technology
are changing the way teachers teach and students learn. We will
see firsthand how transformational power of technology can
unleash the talents of our teachers and students so they will,
in fact, be able to use discovery and innovation to assemble
solutions to the problems that future generations will face.
I would like to thank our witnesses for being here, and I
look forward to your testimony.
Now I would like to recognize Congressman Castle for the
purpose of making an opening statement.
[The statement of Mr. Miller follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. George Miller, Chairman, Committee on
Education and Labor
We're here today for the first in a series of hearings on the
Future of Learning.
In this economy, it is more important than ever to ensure that
every student in every classroom has the opportunity to grow, thrive
and achieve to their fullest potential. This is becoming increasingly
important as our competitiveness abroad has shifted.
Several years ago, Speaker Pelosi asked us to come together around
an innovation agenda. We went to Stanford and talked to the best in the
high-tech, biotech fields, and the venture capital fields.
We talked about innovation and discovery--believing that discovery
and innovation are really the only sustainable sources of economic
growth in the world today. What evolved from these conversations was an
interesting definition of the kind of person they would want to bring
into their companies. They want workers who can work across companies,
countries, and continents.
They want the most diverse workforce in history, to assemble
solutions to emerging problems stemming from the most diverse client
base in history.
Unfortunately, that does not sound like what we are preparing
today's kindergarten students to participate in 16 years from now or
even 12 years from now. That is not today's education system in
America.
But, to quote Secretary Duncan, we now face the opportunity of a
lifetime to work with our schools and other partners to build an
education system that benefits students, families, our economy and our
country for generations to come.
For quite some time, I have been cataloging all the reports that
acknowledge that we are running an industrial-based education system
for an agrarian society on an agrarian clock.
You might not believe me--but it's all been very interesting. It
acknowledges a fundamental mismatch that we haven't paid much attention
to other than as kind of a clever anecdote.
Today's students use technology in everything they do.
From the moment they wake up to the digital alarm clocks, listening
to their iPods as they walk to school, communicating with their friends
on Twitter and Facebook, or sharing information on YouTube--they are
used to customizing their worlds at the click of a computer.
But school today, for far too many kids, does not look like the
rest of their world, and does not capitalize on technology's potential
to engage students and improve learning. One critical element of
learning in the future must be to provide technology-rich classrooms to
all students.
Research shows that when technology is systemically integrated into
classrooms and used by digitally-savvy staff, it can improve teacher
effectiveness and student achievement, and reduce the dropout rate.
And, as my grandkids tell me, it makes school a lot more fun.
Take for example, Stephen F. Austin Middle School in Bryan, Texas
where the students were given laptops to help integrate technology
tools into their daily instruction. This led to improvement in student
achievement in both math and reading.
In the 7th grade alone, reading scores increased by 13 percent and
math scores by 14 percent.
At the Dionne Warwick Institute in East Orange, New Jersey, fourth-
and fifth-grade students wrote and recorded educational raps about
civil rights leaders for a Black History Project.
This project also helped them demonstrate their understanding of
math strategies and concepts. The students who participated in these
projects saw their math grades increase by an average of 9.6 points,
and social studies scores increase by 9.4.
It seems to me that if technology can substantially increase
student engagement, raise student achievement and graduation rates, and
prepare our students for college and the workforce, then we must do
everything we can do to support these types of innovations in all our
classrooms.
But this is about more than just the future of our workforce. This
is about the future of our democracy.
The options, opportunity, and availability that technology can
bring to a classroom must be available to everyone. And I am extremely
encouraged that as we expand this access, we will make more progress in
closing the achievement gap.
I'm encouraged that we're taking steps in the right direction.
This Congress has already endorsed several important pillars of
reform included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan,
particularly in Secretary Duncan's Race to the Top Fund, which has
unprecedented potential to shape the future of learning in our nation.
It also included $650 million for educational technology state
grants. I believe this is money well spent.
In any industry, it's considered smart business planning to look to
the future--and how a company or an industry will change, grow adapt.
If we're serious about creating world-class schools and regaining
our competitive edge, then it's time we start thinking about education
the same way.
Today's hearing will explore how innovation and technology are
changing the way teachers teach and students learn.
We'll see first-hand how the transformational power of technology
can unleash the talents of our teachers and students so that they will,
in fact, be able to use discovery and innovation to assemble solutions
to the problems that future generations will face.
I'd like to thank our witnesses for being here today and I look
forward to hearing your thoughts.
______
Mr. Castle. Good morning, and thank you, Chairman Miller,
for holding today's hearing. I am pleased that the committee is
exploring the timely issue of how technology is transforming
our nation's public schools.
More often, people are using different technologies to
gather and disseminate information. I believe that in today's
technologically driven world, states and school districts
throughout the country had the opportunity to use these new
technologies to improve academic achievement and help America's
children compete in a world where new technology is the norm,
not a novelty.
In many instances, this is already happening in schools
today. The International Society for Technology and Education
and the Consortium for School Networking has studied the impact
of technology in schools. They have found that technology can
help students improve in reading, writing, and math.
Technology also can improve a student's critical-thinking,
problem-solving, and communication skills. Technology can help
children with disabilities interact with their peers and better
understand the subject matter.
Adaptive technology can also provide accommodations for the
assessment process giving these children the opportunity to
learn and achieve and demonstrate their success just like
everyone else in the class.
Children in remote and rural areas benefit from technology
too. They are no longer limited to the few books available down
the road at the county library. Through technology, they now
have access to all the libraries in the world right from their
homes.
And for children in rural communities whose schools are not
making adequate yearly process, technology opens up a new world
of tutoring options that were not available before the era of
the Internet and interactive online learning.
Technology makes more parental options available through
supplemental education services under ``No Child Left Behind''
to students who might not otherwise have access to them simply
because of geography. But technology helps more than the
students. Studies have shown that administrators can use
technology to approve efficiency, productivity, and decision-
making at their schools.
Technology also helps teachers meet professional
requirements so they are qualified in their subjects. They also
can use networks to learn and share the latest teaching
techniques. Even parents can benefit. Through Internet-based
programs, they can monitor their children's attendance,
homework, and performance.
Technology is a wonderful and necessary addition to our
schools, but it hasn't come for free. Over the years, Congress
has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to schools to
acquire and use technology, and that is before the additional
funding provided in the recent American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
In fact, in fiscal year 2009, the Education Technology
State Grant program received approximately $270 million.
Technology can be a transformative force in our classrooms, and
I am a strong supporter of innovation and creativity.
However, as we examine new technologies and hear from this
distinguished panel of witnesses on how new technologies may be
incorporated into the classroom to improve student achievement,
we must remain mindful of these trying economic times, and
ensure all federal funds for education technology serve a
purpose and approve opportunities for students.
I look forward to learning about what is happening in
classrooms at the cutting edge and hopefully exposing other
educators to the types of tools and resources available. And,
of course, I welcome the witnesses here today.
And just a word of caution, a concern of mine is as we deal
with technology, I worry that we get too far ahead of ourselves
sometimes in terms of what is next instead of how to
incorporate what is there to make sure it is working correctly.
And, hopefully, we can address that today too.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman Miller. I yield back.
[The statement of Mr. Castle follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Michael Castle, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Delaware
Good morning and thank you, Chairman Miller, for holding today's
hearing. I am pleased the Committee is exploring the timely issue of
how technology is transforming our nation's public schools.
More often, people are using different technologies to gather and
disseminate information. I believe that in today's technologically-
driven world, states and school districts throughout the country have
the opportunity to use these new technologies to improve academic
achievement and help America's children compete in a world where new
technology is the norm, not a novelty.
In many instances, this is already happening in schools today. The
International Society for Technology in Education and the Consortium
for School Networking have studied the impact of technology in schools.
They have found that technology can help students improve in
reading, writing, and math.
Technology also can improve a student's critical thinking, problem
solving, and communication skills.
Technology can help children with disabilities interact with their
peers and better understand the subject matter. Adaptive technology can
also provide accommodations for the assessment process, giving these
children the opportunity to learn and achieve--and demonstrate their
success--just like anyone else in the class.
Children in remote and rural areas benefit from technology, too.
They are no longer limited to the few books available down the road at
the county library. Through technology, they now have access to all the
libraries in the world, right from their homes.
And for children in rural communities whose schools are not making
adequate yearly progress, technology opens up a new world of tutoring
options that were not available before the era of the Internet and
interactive online learning.
Technology makes more parental options available through
Supplemental Educational Services under NCLB to students who might not
otherwise have access to them simply because of geography.
But technology helps more than the students.
Studies have shown that administrators can use technology to
improve efficiency, productivity, and decision making at their schools.
Technology also helps teachers meet professional requirements so
they are qualified in their subjects. They also can use networks to
learn and share the latest teaching techniques.
Even parents can benefit. Through Internet-based programs, they can
monitor their children's attendance, homework, and performance.
Technology is a wonderful and necessary addition to schools--but it
hasn't come for free.
Over the years, Congress has provided hundreds of millions of
dollars to schools to acquire and use technology. And that's before the
additional funding provided in the recent American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. In fact, in Fiscal Year 2009, the Education
technology State Grant Program received approximately $270 million.
Technology can be a transformative force in our classrooms, and I
am a strong supporter of innovation and creativity. However, as we
examine new technologies and hear from this distinguished panel of
witnesses on how new technologies may be incorporated into the
classroom to improve student achievement, we must remain mindful of
these trying economic times and ensure all federal funds for education
technology serve a purpose, and improve opportunities for students.
I look forward to learning about what's happening in classrooms at
the cutting edge, and hopefully exposing other educators to the types
of tools and resources that are available.
With that, I welcome our witnesses today. I look forward to hearing
your testimony.
Thank you, Chairman Miller. I yield back.
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you, and I would like now to
introduce our distinguished panel.
Aneesh Chopra is the nation's first chief technology
officer. Prior to his appointment by President Obama, Mr.
Chopra served as the secretary of technology under Governor Tim
Kaine where he led the strategy to effectively leverage
technology and government reform.
Prior to joining Governor Kaine's cabinet, he served as the
managing director of the Advisory Board Company, a publicly
traded healthcare think tank. Mr. Chopra received his B.A. from
John Hopkins University and graduated with a master's in public
policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of
Government.
Lisa Short is currently a middle school science teacher in
Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools. Ms. Short is
successfully using interactive white boards to improve student
engagement and student achievement through interactive science
lessons that require students to demonstrate their
comprehension of science content through technology tools. She
teaches students with diverse needs including the English
language learners.
Abel Real is a student in East Carolina University, where
he is studying nursing. Prior to entering college, Mr. Real was
a student in Green County, North Carolina, a rural community
that uses technology in teaching core curricular areas to
improve student achievement.
He credits the innovative instructional approaches that he
was exposed to in school in helping him to earn a college
scholarship. He is the first in his family to attend a
university.
Scott Kinney is the vice president of Outreach and
Professional Development at Discovery Education. He manages a
large portfolio of professional development efforts and also
serves as the education liaison for public policy.
Mr. Kinney has co-authored multiple articles about the use
of technology as a tool to help differentiate instruction.
Jennifer Bergland is the chief technology officer at the
Bryan Independent School District. Prior to becoming technology
officer, Ms. Bergland spent 17 years teaching social studies.
The Bryan Independent School District was recently honored
with the Consortium of School Networking team awards, which is
presented each year to the district that has used technology to
transform learning.
Ms. Bergland graduated from Bryan High School, received a
B.A. in Political Science from Southern Nazarene University,
and a masters in Educational Administration from Texas A&M.
And, Mr. Castle, I believe, is going to introduce our next
witness.
Mr. Castle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to welcome Dr. Wayne Hartschuh to the panel.
Dr. Hartschuh is the executive director of the Delaware Center
for Educational Technology within the Delaware Department of
Education.
He is also a member of the State Educational Technology
Director's Association Board of Directors, currently serving as
chair of the board.
Dr. Hartschuh originally came to Delaware in 1995 as the
director Instructional Technology at the Delaware Department of
Public Instruction and moved to the Delaware Center for
Educational Technology in 1996 as the chief education officer
before becoming the executive director in 1998.
In his time at the Delaware Department of Education, the
Delaware Center for Educational Technology wired every public
school classroom in the state of Delaware for Internet access
between 1996 and 1998 making Delaware the first state in the
nation to wire every classroom in the state.
For this effort, the Center received the computer world's
Smithsonian award. Wayne has also received the Council of State
Government's Innovations Award on behalf of DCET, which is the
Delaware Center for Educational Technology.
Wayne has his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Arizona
State University; his master's of science in school computer
studies from Northwest Missouri State University; and a Ph.D.
in curriculum and instruction with a specialty in educational
media and computers from Arizona State University.
Prior to coming to Delaware, Wayne taught and coached at
Buckeye Union High School in Buckeye, Arizona between 1977 and
1987; taught and coached at Central High School in Kansas City,
Missouri from 1991 to 1993; and was an assistant professor at
the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio from 1994 until
1995.
And I would just add that I was last Governor of Delaware
in 1992, and I don't think any of this was started then. So we
congratulate you, Wayne, for all the work you have done.
Chairman Miller. Welcome to the committee.
Our final witness will be Mr. John McAuliffe, who joined
Education Online Learning as its chief financial officer in
February 2008 and became the general manager in June 2009.
Prior to Educate Online, Mr. McAuliffe was the senior vice
president and chief financial officer at Thompson Prometric,
the world's largest computer-based testing organization.
Welcome to the committee for all of you.
We are going to begin with you, Mr. Chopra. When you begin
speaking, you won't see it, because it is not in front of you,
but you have to pay attention to it. You understand? Okay.
A green light will go on, and then when there is 1 minute
remaining in your time, a yellow light will go on, and we would
like you to use that time to summarize and to finish, and then
there will be a red light. But we want you to finish in a
coherent fashion, so don't panic when you see the red light.
But don't dawdle.
Welcome.
Mr. Chopra. [OFF MIKE]
Chairman Miller. Is your mic on?
Mr. Chopra. [OFF MIKE]
Chairman Miller. It is?
Mr. Chopra. It is better now.
Chairman Miller. It is now.
STATEMENT OF ANEESH CHOPRA, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, WHITE
HOUSE OFFICE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Chopra. It is now. Technology. Where is that IT guy?
Okay. Mr. Chairman, and distinguished members of the committee,
it is indeed an honor to appear before you on this extremely
important subject.
As the father of two young girls, I can assure you that
today's topic is both a professional and a personal priority
for me.
President Obama understands that in order to renew American
competitiveness, we need to harness the power and potential of
technology and innovation to revamp our educational system. You
said it very well yourself in your opening remarks, Mr.
Chairman.
We will need a greater proportion of our population with
college degrees, an increased pipeline of students that
excelling in the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics disciplines, and breakthrough strategies to uncover
the hidden talent that we know resides throughout our country.
I am pleased to share my experiences on the role of
technology and innovation in demonstrating meaningful progress
against these challenges as we look to the future of learning.
Beginning on the framework for educational innovation, I would
like to share with you a few perspectives on where the
president has put his emphasis.
We are committed to ensuring that all students are trained
to use technology to research, analyze, and communicate in any
discipline. However, we must integrate technology into the
classroom in ways that research would demonstrate is truly
helpful in the process of student learning.
Promising approaches include facilitating public-private
partnerships in the development of new curriculum incorporating
emerging technologies; integrating technology throughout the
classroom to transform the method by which we teach; deploying
collaboration tools to support teachers in the sharing best
practices; and developing better student assessments to allow
teachers and parents to make data-driven decisions on how to
improve performance.
We are making great progress on these priorities, and we
will continue to evaluate their impact. We are very proud of
the fact, for example, that the OECD recently ranked the United
States as number one in broadband access to schools, as it is
built upon the $2.25 billion in annual contribution through the
E-rate program.
I have seen the promise of an investment in technology as
Virginia's secretary of Technology. When properly deployed, it
can serve as the foundation for technology-led educational
transformation.
With your permission, I will hit the highlights on several
of what I consider to be nearly a dozen innovative proof-of-
concept initiatives that might help you understand better the
realities on the ground, as I believe, Congressman Castle, you
asked for.
Three brief examples: In Virginia, a volunteer panel of
scientists convened at the governor's request in 2007 to
evaluate our science, physics, chemistry, and engineering
curriculum more specifically.
Led by a retired NASA scientist, a federal collaborator, we
uncovered a number of opportunities for improvement in the
content itself, and this group of experts came together and
issued a report basically calling for some very basic changes:
the idea that our classrooms should encourage more lab work;
that we should incorporate emerging technologies into our
curriculum aligned with the Commonwealth's overall strategic
goals from an economic development standpoint; and that we
facilitate the sharing of ideas across the science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics community for best-practice
sharing.
Traditionally, such reports sit in a policy-making process
for review. But in the opportunities of technology and the
potential for transformation, Governor Kaine asked that the
superintendent of public instruction alongside my colleague,
the secretary of Education, work together to bring together a
collaboration at no cost to the taxpayers that would help get
the community to write the physics chapters that would align to
the Commonwealth's future.
Modeling and simulation, as an economic discipline, has
great potential for job creation as does the field of nuclear
physics. Both of which didn't have content developed in the
classroom.
All of that now in less than 6 months using a Web-based
Wiki-like platform allowed for teachers from all over the
country to join in writing technology chapters that could be
used for free by any classroom across the Commonwealth.
One such school is deploying a netbook platform that will
have prebaked all of this curricula on it. You can still print
a hard copy, if you will, for a few bucks at the local print
shop, but a technology platform that actually is cost effective
by deferring some of the costs of the upgrade on textbooks that
wouldn't have had some of this content involved.
I will share a number of other stories with you, perhaps by
written statements in light of the time, but simply want to end
with one final comment: We do see the great power and potential
of these capacities to improve learning with students with
disabilities and see tremendous opportunity to uncover that
hidden talent across this country.
And I thank you for the opportunity to continue the
dialogue on this important subject.
[The statement of Mr. Chopra follows:]
Prepared Statement of Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer, White
House Office for Science and Technology
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon and distinguished members of
the Committee, it is indeed a great honor to appear before you today.
As the father of two young girls, I can assure you today's topic is of
both a professional and personal priority for me.
President Obama understands that in order to renew American
competitiveness, we need to harness the power and potential of
technology and innovation to revamp our educational system. We will
need a greater proportion of our population with college degrees, an
increased pipeline of students excelling in STEM fields, and
breakthrough strategies to uncover the hidden talent we know resides
throughout our country. I am pleased to share my experiences on the
role of technology and innovation in demonstrating meaningful progress
against these challenges as we look to the future of learning.
A Framework for Educational Innovation
President Obama is committed to ensuring all students are trained
to use technology to research, analyze and communicate in any
discipline. However, we must integrate technology into the classroom in
ways that research demonstrates truly help students learn.
Promising approaches include facilitating public-private
partnerships in the development of new curriculum incorporating
emerging technologies; integrating technology throughout the classroom
to transform the method by which we teach; deploying collaboration
tools to support teachers in sharing best practices; and developing
better student assessments to allow teachers and parents to make
``data-driven'' decisions on how to improve performance.
We are making progress on these priorities and we will continue to
evaluate their impact. We're also proud of OECD's recent ranking of the
US as #1 in broadband access to schools as it has built upon the $2.25
billion annual contribution through the E-rate program.
I've seen the promise of an investment in technology as Virginia's
Secretary of Technology. When properly deployed, it can serve as the
foundation for technology-led educational transformation. With your
permission, I thought to share a few examples from nearly a dozen
innovative ``proof-of-concept'' initiatives that might better
demonstrate the future of learning.
Virginia's Physics Flexbook: In 2007, Governor Kaine challenged a
volunteer panel of scientists and engineers to review our physics,
chemistry and engineering curriculum. Led by a now retired NASA
scientist, Jim Batterson, the panel strongly recommended a focus on
contemporary and emerging topics that could be updated through an
online collaboration platform. By July, 2008, and in partnership with
legislative leaders, the Secretaries of Education and Technology and
the Superintendent of Public Instruction jointly issued a call for
volunteer contributors to propose contemporary and emerging physics and
lab modules. Within six months, a dozen or so authors, at no pay,
completed ten chapters as a supplement to the traditional textbook
covering areas key to Virginia's economic growth like modeling and
simulation, and nuclear physics, available at virginia.ck12.org.
Powering the demonstration project was a free online collaboration
platform, CK12, which facilitated a rigorous quality review process and
design interface for teachers, students and administrators to
seamlessly incorporate new content into curriculum.
Albemarle County Schools Superintendent Pam Moran secured board
approval to purchase low-cost ``netbook'' computers for every physics
student, pre-loaded with the flexbook. By capturing the savings from
eliminating the purchase of new physics textbooks, she lowered the
school's total cost of ownership and has dispatched her instructional
team to focus on the content her students need to learn in order to be
globally competitive.
Learning Without Boundaries and the ``Mobile Learning Apps
Challenge'': Virginia's Department of Education demonstrated a new
approach to teaching and learning through the use of wireless mobile
computing devices on the premise that 93% of 6-9 year olds lived in
households with a cell phone. To test the benefit of this platform,
Virginia issued a national application development challenge on the
problem of poor test scores in 6th grade mathematics (68% pass rate in
2008, up from 60% in 2007) at www.lwbva.org. With modest prize money
($5K) we are eagerly anticipating the results by the end of June. Early
designs have shown tremendous creativity in exploiting the features of
the iPod Touch to inspire kids to learn fractions, proportions, and
measurement.
Virginia ``Open Classroom'' Project: Mecklenburg Public schools, a
rural district, secured a Governor's Productivity Investment Fund grant
to lower IT operating costs while delivering greater value for
classroom instruction and professional development. Through the
deployment of open collaboration platforms, Mecklenburg has
dramatically increased the ability for teachers to exchange ideas,
curriculum ``objects'' and student/parent messaging resources. These
initiatives delivered $123,000 in cost savings this fiscal year and
enabled the district to launch www.vaopenclassroom.org as a portal to
replicate results across dozens of other districts.
Spirit of Commonwealth--PlugGED In: The real test for
transformation, however, is in our ability to harness technology to
uncover hidden talent. Invoking Virginia's ``spirit of Commonwealth'',
we launched PlugGED In, a bold experiment to connect high school
dropouts to technology jobs within six months. A broad coalition of
adult education instructors, community colleges, 4-year institutions,
and even technology companies built a program that offered an
accelerated GED, a Microsoft certification, and a project assignment to
guarantee entry-level tech job interviews for each graduate. We will
see the results of our first graduating class this July but the
experience reminds us that every American, regardless of background,
deserves the chance to compete and win in our technology-based economy.
I would in closing like to mention the importance of technology as
an aid to learning for students with disabilities. For example,
captioning, computer reading and dictation programs and the growing
availability of instructional materials in convenient accessible
formats are tremendous advances. The electronic equipment accessibility
provisions of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the compliance
efforts by hardware and software providers have greatly increased the
capacity of individuals with disabilities to use and benefit from
technology in education.
In conclusion, with ubiquitous connectivity, mobile platforms,
compelling content, well trained teachers, and further research into
what works, we can deliver a whole new world of learning opportunities.
We can transform the way teachers teach and students learn.
I welcome any questions that the Committee may have.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Ms. Short? Welcome. I just say to members of the committee,
our panelists--some will be demonstrating some of the
technologies they are using. They will be going back and forth.
Their written statements explain what they are about and what
they have done and what they have accomplished. So you feel
free to proceed in the manner in which you are most comfortable
here.
Ms. Short. [OFF MIKE]
Chairman Miller. No. We are adapting here. This is adaptive
technology. In the old days, you would have thought of this as
a glitch. This is adaptive technology.
Ms. Short. Can you hear me if I speak----
Chairman Miller. Yes.
STATEMENT OF LISA SHORT, SCIENCE TEACHER, GAITHERSBURG MIDDLE
SCHOOL, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Ms. Short. Well, that is an icebreaker. Good morning
Chairman Miller, Congressman, and guests. I am honored to stand
here to demonstrate how technology has transformed the
educational experiences of my students and how it has
drastically improved my ability to teach students with various
learning styles and needs.
I am currently teaching 8th grade science at Gaithersburg
Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland, and my middle
school has a very diverse population of students, and we are
considered to be a highest needs school.
Every day, my students walk into school, and they are
carrying iPods, cell phones, video games, sometimes laptops,
and the first thing we ask them to do is power down and put it
all away.
And up until this year, the only thing I have had to
capture their attention has been a chalkboard and an overhead
projector. I have only had this type of technology in my
classroom for 1 year, but I can't imagine walking into a
classroom without one now.
If you could imagine trying to perform your job without the
use of cell phones, would you technically be able to do it?
Yes. Would it be efficient? Probably not. But my point that I
am trying to make is if cell phone technology is available, why
not utilize it.
I would like to share a student success story with you.
Alan Vera Lopez. I had the joy of teaching him for this past
year. His grade increased from a 63 percent to a 75 percent by
the end of the year. You may not think that that is
significant, but for an English language learner who is still
currently reading at a 3rd grade level, it was huge.
So how did this increase happen? When you use this type of
technology in a classroom, student engagement increases. Every
single student wants to come up to the board to interact with
this.
Whenever I incorporate a drag-and-drop page, which I am
going to demonstrate in a second, every single student's hand
goes up into the air. It got to the point where I had to
develop a random number generator in order to make sure that
everybody had an equal opportunity to come up to the board to
participate.
I am going to demonstrate why my students were so
interested in one of the drag-and-drop pages. I originally had
another sound byte in here, but they took that out.
Students love positive reinforcement, and I like to
incorporate a lot of sound bytes from movies that students have
seen because, in general, they know that I am trying to meet
their interest. And in my experiences, whenever you have an
opportunity to make connections with students like that,
student academic success increases.
This type of technology allows teachers to incorporate all
the various learning styles that students have. I can
incorporate visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic learning
processes in a single lesson.
Now for my English language learners and my visual learner,
I can imbed a 2\1/2\ minute video clip from Discovery
Education. I can take snapshots of the main ideas, drag it to
the bottom of the page.
And let me demonstrate. So after the 2\1/2\ minute video
clip is finished playing, I can invite students up to the board
to write down a summary of the main ideas. There is no longer a
45-minute video that may be hit and miss on the content that
you have covered in that lesson for the day.
For my tactile and kinesthetic learners, it is essential
for them to be able to manipulate things in order for them to
understand the curriculum. On this page, I have developed a
lesson that the students could come up to the board, physically
click on a landmass, manipulate it, and put it together like
pieces of a puzzle to form a larger landmass. And then, of
course, you can show them the correct answer.
So, in closing, I just have one final question for you, and
I am actually going to ask you to use that odd-looking device
at your stations--it is called an activote--about what
percentage of classrooms in the United States have interactive
whiteboards? (A) 64 percent; (B) 42 percent; or (C) 12 percent.
Just take a moment. You can see how they are registering at the
top.
And in the interest of time, I am going to have to cut you
off. [Laughter.]
Now, this has been done in anonymous mode, so no individual
name has been paired up with a response up on the board, which
is fantastic for my students, especially when we are trying to
address prior knowledge, uncover misconceptions, but we have
data immediately after it is done. And since it is in anonymous
mode, I get truthful, honest answers.
The correct answer was (C). [Laughter.]
And I can also paste the answers up onto the board, save
them for later usage for team meetings or staff development
training. The last point I would like to make is that only 16
percent of classrooms have this technology. If it is available,
why not use it?
Right now, the United Kingdom is at 70 percent. Thank you.
Chairman Miller. If I might just interrupt you while you
are at the board, if we are all above average here, we got the
answer right. But if you had (A) and (B) responses, you would
then be able to do what with that data?
Ms. Short. If I could show the results again. Whenever the
students leave and you have an opportunity to take a look at
your data, you can determine whose activote--I have a database.
All the kids' names are linked to a specific activote
number, and I can see who answered what incorrectly, and then I
can really look at my data to determine are they the same
students who are missing it over and over again, and what type
of strategies do we need to incorporate to reach their needs.
And if the majority of the class answered the question
incorrectly, then I know tomorrow, I am going to come in and
re-teach it before I move on in my curriculum. So it is
immediate feedback.
[The statement of Ms. Short follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lisa Short, Middle School Teacher, Montgomery
County (Maryland) Public Schools
Good morning Chairman Miller, Congressman, and guests. I am honored
to have this opportunity to demonstrate how technology has transformed
the educational experiences of my students and how it has drastically
improved my ability to teach students with various learning styles and
needs. I am currently teaching 8th grade science at Gaithersburg Middle
School in Montgomery County, Maryland. My school has a very diverse
population of students and is considered to be a highest need school.
Technology plays such a critical role in my students' every day
social lives and it must be a part of their academic lives. When my
students walk into school they are carrying cell phones, iPods, video
games, and sometimes laptops. The first thing they are told to do is
``power down.'' They are asked to keep all of this technology in their
lockers so instructional time is not interrupted. Two years ago they
walked into a classroom that only had a chalkboard and an overhead
projector. That is no longer the scenario at my school.
I am happy to share that since the integration of technology in my
classroom and at my school, student engagement has increased along with
academic successes. I would like to share a student success story with
you. Alan Vera Lopez is an English Language Learner who is currently
reading at a 3rd grade level. His grade at the end of the first marking
period was a 63 percent. At this point in time, I was still learning
how to use the interactive board effectively in my classroom. As the
year progressed, and as I improved my skills with the technology, my
lessons became more interactive. By the end of the school year his
grade had improved from a 63 percent to a 75 percent.
How did this happen? When you use a Promethean board, student
engagement increases. Every student, including Alan, wanted to come up
to the board during my lessons to demonstrate their knowledge and show
off their skills. Whenever I incorporate a ``drag and drop'' page,
every hand goes up in the air. They all want to participate. I have to
use a random number generator to ensure that everyone has an equal
chance of getting selected to use the wand. Using this technology has
greatly improved my relationship with students. I like to use sound
bites from movies that students have seen to provide positive
reinforcement when they answer correctly on the interactive board.
These small touches show students that I am making an effort to relate
to their interests. In my experiences, academic success increases when
these types of connections are made.
The interactive board allowed me more opportunities to address the
different learning styles of students. I was able to integrate visual,
kinesthetic (movement), auditory, and tactile (touch) processes into a
single lesson. For my English Language Learners, the use of diagrams,
pictures, and videos were essential for their comprehension of the
curriculum. During a lesson discussing the theory of continental drift,
students were able to come up to the board to manipulate landmasses
like pieces of a puzzle, in order to create the supercontinent Pangaea.
A great deal of paper was saved that day.
How has this improved my teaching? At the tips of my fingers, I
have access to resources that I can use to prepare my lessons. I can
download video clips from Discovery Education, include a diagram from
the teacher's edition of our textbook, use images from the Internet, or
can use published lessons developed by other teachers. I am able to
make my lessons rigorous and differentiated to meet individual
student's needs. I'm excited to develop lessons again. My husband is
also a teacher, and we have an unspoken competition as to who can
create the best flipchart.
I use activote questions to assess students' prior knowledge. I
have immediate feedback as to the foundation that I am getting ready to
build upon. When I begin teaching a unit, I use the activotes in
anonymous mode so students don't feel intimidated when they don't know
the correct answer. After my lesson, the data from the activotes
allowed me to process my students' feedback efficiently. It enabled me
to make ``at-the-moment'' decisions as to whether or not my students
understood the information or if I had to re-teach before moving on to
the next topic in my curriculum.
Finally, with this technology, our students have greater access to
resources at home. I can post my assignments, notes, and lessons on
Edline. Every student and parent in Montgomery County has access to
Edline, which allows them to monitor grades, determine when an
assignment is due or when an assessment will be. If students miss a day
of instruction, they can log on and print the lesson from that day.
Parents have a better understanding of what is taking place in the
classroom and can look at lessons and help their child with their
homework. Not only can we increase engagement in our schools, we can
hopefully increase engagement at home.
Thank you for allowing me this unique opportunity to share my
successes throughout the past year. It has been a learning experience
for not only for the students, but for teachers and parents as well.
Through professional development and trainings, this technology can
truly change the profession of teaching.
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Mr. Kinney?
STATEMENT OF SCOTT KINNEY, VICE PRESIDENT, DISCOVERY EDUCATION
Mr. Kinney. Thank you Chairman Miller and committee
members. It is an honor to appear before you today. My name is
Scott Kinney, I am vice president of Outreach and Professional
Development for Discovery Education. Previous to joining
Discovery, I served 14 years in education in the Pennsylvania
school system.
Our parent company, Discovery Communications, is the number
one non-fiction media company in the world with networks such
as the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and the Science
Channel. At Discovery Education our goal is to provide the most
up-to-date instructional content in an interactive and engaging
format, in a sense, bringing the world to their world.
And this is our student's world. According to the Kaiser
Family Foundation study, students spend an average of 6\1/2\
hours a day with media. Since they don't take weekends off,
that is 45\1/2\ hours a week, the equivalent of a full-time
job.
The National School Board Association commissioned a study
in which they found that 96 percent of all students engage in
some form of social networking.
If MySpace were a country, it would be bigger than France,
Germany, and the United Kingdom. Given that is the way our
students prefer to consume information and interact with
content today, it is no longer acceptable for us to ignore that
when we choose instructional materials.
When we do look at the way they choose to interact with
information, our own research at Discovery Education has shown
multiple times that this has a positive impact on student
achievement. When used effectively, media and technology in the
classroom makes a difference.
We have looked at several types of schools, whether it is
LA Unified or schools in rural Virginia. We have looked at
different grade levels, whether it was math, social studies, or
science.
We looked at grades three, six, and eight, and regardless
of the type of school, the grade level, or subject, when used
effectively, student achievement increases. So in addition to
this, we should also be providing this:
[Play video clip.]
Mr. Kinney. After countless years of research and multiple
studies, we know that students learn differently from one
another and yet, in many places, we continue to teach them as
if they all learn the same.
This is an example of an interactive glossary within
Discovery Education Science, a way for us to provide
information in multiple formats to reach students' different
learning styles.
So we can take one concept like food chains and display the
text definitions, a short animation on the same concept. If
that doesn't reach children, we can show them a short video.
[End video clip.]
Mr. Kinney. And we can also support their learning with
images as well. This is an example of one of our virtual labs,
an environment where students can test hypotheses quickly,
isolate and manipulate variables in a very safe environment.
And when we provide media and technology to students and
let them construct their own meeting, they will undoubtedly
surprise us. ``Hometown Heroes'' is a documentary created by
high school students in North Canton city schools in Ohio that
looks at the impact that their town had on World War II.
And for the first time, we are seeing a small number of
progressive states encouraging this transition. In the state of
Indiana, for example, the state Board of Education sent a
letter to all school districts, which, and I quote, encouraged
them, ``that they should feel no obligation to utilize the
standard form of social studies textbooks.''
As a result, we are currently working with Indianapolis
Public Schools to align a number of their pacing guides to rich
media assets such as video, images, audio, and writing prompts.
Recently, in Florida, they changed their language that
defines instructional materials to include electronic media and
computer courseware or software that serve as a basis for
instruction for each student.
On the 8th of this month, Governor Schwarzenegger announced
that a new initiative in California, which he stated high
school students will have access to science and math digital
textbooks by the beginning of the school year. Similar language
has been proposed in Texas as well.
The only caution I would introduce today, though, is that
this is fundamentally a change in the way we are asking
teachers to engage our nation's students. It is imperative
that, along with this change, we provide high quality, ongoing
professional development to teachers as we embark in this new
way of learning.
Our own data suggests that there is a great degree of
variance between districts that utilize ongoing professional
developments versus those who do not. It is one of the reasons
that at Discovery we support the Discovery Educator Network, a
global community of teachers that we bring together both online
and in person who learn, share, and collaborate the best uses
of media and technology and share that with others.
So thank you for your time today. I appreciate your
attention to this incredibly important matter.
[The statement of Mr. Kinney follows:]
Prepared Statement of Scott Kinney, Vice President of Media and
Technology, Outreach, and Professional Development, Discovery Education
Thank you Chairman Miller and Mr. McKeon. It is an honor to appear
before the Committee.
I address you today as a lifelong educator. I began my career as a
Technology Specialist in Pennsylvania's public education system, where,
in a number of roles, I worked to encourage the use of digital media
and educational technologies in the classroom.
In my current position at Discovery Education, I serve as the Vice
President of Media and Technology, Outreach, and Professional
Development, and am advocating today on behalf of Discovery Education
for the creative and effective application of educational technologies
and digital content in America's schools.
During my tenure as an educator, I've seen a profound shift in
students.
Today's technology savvy students enter the classroom possessing a
wide range of skills that are different than those of their parents and
teachers. These students are extremely familiar with digital media and
technology, multitask with ease, process information in many different
ways, and interact with information and content at what people who did
not grow up in this environment may see as a dizzying pace.
The data are clear regarding how much media students are exposed to
on a daily basis, and how they allocate their personal media budgets
across a variety of activities that deliver content to them
instantaneously. They do this in the context of balancing their time
with other activities that constitute their lives outside classroom
walls.
Consuming, processing, and learning from media, in many forms
simultaneously, is how today's tech-savvy students function. For more
than six hours per day--eight when you count exposure to multiple forms
of media at the same time--our students consume media. This constant
interaction with media equates to a full-time job of learning through
``untraditional'' means.
With this data in mind, I ask you to consider the implications and
the educational community's response.
Currently, our education system requires students to abandon the
way they typically interact with content when they walk into school and
learn in an environment much different from the digital world they
inhabit outside the classroom. Instead, I believe the educational
community should utilize the digital tools at our disposal to present
instructional content in a way that piques students' interest and
engages them in the meaningful construction of knowledge. In my
opinion, this is where the future of learning lies.
Our instructional practices need to be infused with the tools and
activities from which our students learn naturally. This can include
methods as simple as using a short two-minute video segment to activate
prior knowledge at the start of a lesson; providing multiple
representations of content via images, video and audio; or giving our
students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in different
media-enhanced ways.
In doing so we can translate our instructional objectives to our
students and get them interested in learning the skills, content, and
ideas they need to develop.
It is clear how students use digital resources to learn. As we move
forward to the classrooms of the future, the education community's
challenge is to find points of intersection between what our students
do in their free time and our instructional goals. The content and
services provided by educational providers, such as Discovery
Education, need to continue to evolve to facilitate student engagement
and interaction with media.
Likewise, the federal government and state governments need to
continue to show leadership in supporting the integration of digital
content into America's classrooms. Finally, adequate professional
development resources need to be allocated by school districts to help
those educators who are not as comfortable with technology to implement
digital content into their classroom activities, across all subject
matters.
While the use of digital content in the classroom is a success
story, the continuing evolution of media's use holds even more promise.
The story of content integration into curriculum began in the 1990s
when educational media migrated from films and filmstrips to VHS tape.
Videotape and VCRs initially held tremendous promise for the use of
content in the classroom.
However, video's advantages over films and filmstrips proved
minimal. Yes, teachers could fast-forward or rewind videos to utilize
only the content they thought relevant, but that process was relatively
laborious and continued to eat into classroom time. Likewise, the
transition to video did not change the need for schools to continue to
invest in expensive hardcopy libraries and for teachers to continue to
compete against one another for the media they wanted for their
classrooms.
In January of 2001, a company called United Learning launched a new
service called Unitedstreaming. Utilizing America's emerging broadband
network, Unitedstreaming (now known as Discovery Education streaming)
offered American classrooms thousands of videos, delivered via the
internet, correlated to state standards, and in 3-5 minute clips that
teachers could easily integrate into their classroom lessons. No longer
was media stopping and starting classroom instruction. Rather, digital
content was being seamlessly integrated into existing curriculum.
In the fall of 2003, Discovery Education, a division of Discovery
Communications whose networks include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet,
and Science Channel, purchased United Learning. Education has always
been at the heart of Discovery's mission. From its inception, Discovery
Education has sought to continue to respond to the changing way
America's students learn. We have sought to create engaging, media-rich
programs that mirror the way students interact with the world and
develop high-quality multimedia resources in easy-to-use formats across
all core-curricular subject areas to reach students.
Our flagship service, Discovery Education streaming, is available
in more than half of all U.S. schools, offers teachers and students a
library of up to 9,000 videos and 70,000 video clips, and is aligned to
state academic and testing standards. Searchable by keyword, content
area and grade level, the rich video content and other digital assets
from Discovery Education enhance curriculum and engage today's students
in learning.
Perhaps most importantly in this era of increased accountability in
education and the compelling argument for the proliferation of
educational technologies in the classroom, Discovery Education
streaming is scientifically proven to improve student achievement. Two
random-assignment, control group studies have revealed significant
improvement in social studies, science, and math performance for
students exposed to digital content from Discovery Education streaming.
In the independent evaluation conducted in rural Virginia in 2002,
researchers examined third and eighth grade students in two areas of
study--science and social studies. Improvement among experimental group
students who received instruction aided by Discovery Education's
digital content showed a 12.6 percent average increase in achievement
over control group students.
In a more recent study conducted in 2004 in the Los Angeles Unified
School District, researchers examined mathematics performance among 6th
and 8th grade students. Students who received instruction aided by
Discovery Education's digital content showed a 3 to 5 percent average
increase in achievement in math scores over the control group.
While Discovery Education has sought to directly address the
changing way students learn, we also have sought to use the power of
digital content in response to American students' lagging performances
in the sciences. In an ever-changing global economy, it is evident that
the current state of U.S. science, technology, engineering and math
education must be improved to avoid the potential of negatively
affecting our future financial and national security. Swift action must
be taken to ensure students do not lose the opportunity to move into
the new global economy. And it is clear that technology allows
companies like Discovery Education to react rapidly and effectively to
new and changing educational needs, by modifying content and creating
new services to address such needs--such as our recent creation of
Discovery Education Science, to specifically focus on the needs of
middle school and elementary school students in science education.
State Support of Using Traditional Textbook Dollars for Digital
Content/Indianapolis Curriculum Alignment
State governments, with the support of forward-thinking
organizations like SETDA, also are responding to the challenge of
addressing the way students learn today by supporting a migration from
traditional textbooks towards digital content.
One example of this shifting paradigm occurred recently when
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a first-in-the-
nation digital textbook initiative that puts California on the road to
a technologically advanced, higher quality, and lower cost education
system.
According to the Governor's plan, California high school students
will have access to science and math digital textbooks by the beginning
of the next school year. A list of standards-aligned digital textbooks
for subjects such as geometry, algebra II, trigonometry, calculus,
physics, chemistry, biology/life science, and earth science courses
will be released this August.
Phase two of the initiative is currently being developed. This
includes making digital textbooks available for all grades,
incorporating interactive content, and eventually creating a statewide
web site highlighting available books.
In Indiana, that state's Board of Education also has made changes
to their textbook adoption process, further embracing digital media.
Recently, that state's Board of Education voted to issue a blanket
waiver allowing school corporations and state-accredited nonpublic
schools to use a broad range of multimedia, computer and Internet
resources to supplement or replace traditional textbooks. Although the
state textbook adoption process is still in place, school corporations
and state-accredited nonpublic schools have the freedom to choose
materials and resources they feel are best suited to the instructional
needs of their students.
In addition, legislation is now in place in Florida allowing school
districts to purchase digital content, and similar legislation is
currently under consideration in Texas.
One of the most innovative approaches school systems are taking in
their efforts to embrace the future of learning is currently being
undertaken by Indianapolis Public Schools. Districts struggle with how
to provide consistent instruction to students across a district.
Usually, curriculum documents and textbooks are printed and shipped to
schools. The documents, while helpful to the teachers in laying out a
roadmap for what is taught during the school year, are static, and to
update these documents is a major district endeavor in terms of both
manpower and cost. In addition, each teacher must often juggle several
of these documents and a textbook in order to plan instruction, so ease
of use on the part of educators is critical. If the documents are
difficult to use, chances are the digital content purchased by the
district along with traditional texts will remain unused as well.
Discovery Education is responding to this challenge by assisting
Indianapolis Public Schools in creating easy to use curriculum
documents for history teachers correlated to the digital services used
in the district. This content includes videos, articles, writing
prompts, lesson plans, quizzes, images, and audio files. Upon
completion of the project, the pacing guides will represent
comprehensive, dynamic documents that will provide every teacher in the
district access to the most effective content that both specifically
addresses the district's learning standards and engages their students
in learning. For students, access to engaging content is no longer
dependent on the ability of the teacher to locate the content. This
complete access with appropriate curricular alignment addresses the
important issue of educational equity. This is just one example of how
technology can be used to increase the effectiveness of our children's
education.
Empowering Teachers with Professional Development
While the promise of digital content to positively impact the
future of learning is great, any plan to integrate digital content and
educational technologies into classroom curriculum is doomed to failure
without ongoing, job-embedded professional development, supported fully
by school districts.
Educators' content knowledge is deepened across the curriculum by
providing research-based instructional strategies that assist students
in meeting rigorous academic standards and prepare them to use
technology to demonstrate their new learning. Successful professional
development programs are backed with buy-in from district decision-
makers and model best practices: namely, strategies for providing
students with consistent feedback, utilizing cooperative learning
structures, embedding digital content into instruction, and promoting
the creation of content for the Web in an effort to better engage 21st
century students.
Similarly, building internal capacity in districts and
participating schools is of utmost importance in providing school
systems professional development. District leaders, facilitators and
teachers must receive continuous support through subsequent
professional development that includes lesson and unit development,
modeling, and non-punitive coaching.
Discovery Education's recent partnership with a large district
located in the southeast region of the United States to provide
professional development demonstrates the impact this kind of
investment in teachers can make and how it can be done effectively.
Over the course of five months, Discovery Education trained
approximately 135 school--based facilitators and more than 800
teachers. The partnership included 82 Title I schools. In our initial
meetings with the district we conducted a needs-analysis and determined
three areas of focus for a successful implementation. We believe it is
this concerted focus on targeted, measureable outcomes that garnered a
1,500 percent increase in use by both teachers and students of our
digital library resource.
So why a 1,500 percent increase in use? We worked with their
teachers to facilitate the consistent use of multimedia to engage and
promote learning. Such professional development has empowered teachers
to embed video into their instructional presentations, to build
background knowledge, engage students in dynamic learning activities,
and provide their students alternatives to book reports and traditional
essays--allowing them to demonstrate what they have learned through the
creation of blogs, wikis, or movies using editable content from their
online resources. This is one example of the impact professional
development can make in ensuring our children can take full advantage
of the opportunities technology in the classroom can provide.
The Future of Learning
The way students learn will continue to evolve in the future, and
providers of educational materials, state governments, and school
districts will continue to be challenged to meet their needs.
In my view, these continuing trends represent the future of digital
learning.
With data supporting the benefits of integrating digital media into
classroom instruction, now is the time for every level of government
and school districts nationwide to accelerate their support for the use
of effective digital content in schools. It is only with this continued
support that today's students will reach their full academic potential.
Thank you for your time and attention to this issue.
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Ms. Bergland?
Ms. Bergland. Sorry.
Chairman Miller. Don't worry. We are mesmerized by what you
are doing. [Laughter.]
STATEMENT OF JENNIFER BERGLAND, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, BRYAN
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Ms. Bergland. Okay. Thank you, Chairman Miller, and the
committee for inviting me to testify. My name is Jennifer
Bergland, and I am the chief technology officer of Bryan
Independent School District in Bryan, Texas.
We have over 15,000 students in our district of which 71
percent are considered economically disadvantaged, and 61
percent are considered at?risk.
I want to tell you about how we use technology to empower
these kids to do things they never thought were possible. In
2004, Stephen F. Austin Middle School, which we call SFA,
issued laptops to all students and teachers attending the
school, which was made possible with funds from a grant through
the No Child Left Behind Title II, Enhancing Education through
Technology program.
We called this program ``One Vision,'' for we had one
vision for how we wanted one-to-one computing to transform how
teachers taught and how students learned. I have a short video
that I want to show you that, hopefully, gives you a brief
introduction.
[Play video clip.]
Ms. Bergland. After 5 years of implementation, the one-to-
one learning environment the school--with the one-to-one
learning environment, the school has increased achievement, a
reduction in discipline referrals, had an increase in teacher
retention, an increased technology proficiency for both
teachers and students.
The access to these resources enables the students of SFA
to be engaged in their learning. Students use online resources
to perform digital experiments, view virtual manipulations for
abstract concepts in math and science, discuss topics in social
studies using an online chat application, and publish their
writings on the Internet.
One student at SFA used her laptop to begin writing a
sequel to the Harry Potter series from the point of view of her
favorite character. This wasn't an assignment given to her by
her teacher. This was her passion. The laptop just made the
writing a little bit easier.
Having digital content rather than traditional textbooks
enables the students to use all the Web tools available to
personalize their learning. Students use these to customize
their experience on the Internet. They create; they
collaborate, and they publish in ways that were not possible 10
years ago.
The teacher no longer has to possess all the knowledge
needed to instruct their students. They can truly be the
facilitator of learning. In fact, students are able to find
their own teacher using the Internet. These teachers might be a
video demonstrating a physics problem or step-by-step
instructions on how to divide fractions.
This customization of a student's learning has led the
students to become more independent learners. When each student
is issued a laptop, the learning is extended beyond the school
day. One teacher set aside two nights a week to have a live
homework chat session.
At first, the teacher was the one answering the other
students' questions, but soon, the teacher was able to back
away and let the students answer each other's questions. The
research conducted on this project indicates that the students'
use of laptops for home learning was the strongest predictor of
both reading and mathematics achievement.
The findings for home learning underscore the important
role that individual student laptops play in equalizing the
out-of-school learning opportunities for students in
disadvantaged families and school situations.
Before I end, I want to tell you about a small West Texas
community whose schools also participated in this project.
Floydada ISD is out in way West Texas. They saw such success in
their middle school with double-digit gains that they extended
their project to their high school.
As a result, the students were able to complete 206
college-level courses in 2008 for a total of 619 hours. These
courses not only helped prepare students for higher education
but also saved parents thousands of dollars since the district
covered the cost of the courses and allowed children to see
themselves, for the first time, as college students.
One thing that Jerry Vaughn, the superintendent of this
school district says, ``If you don't ever start college, you
won't ever finish.'' I want to end by telling you about a
conversation that I had with our track coach several years ago.
He told me he was about to take an overnight trip to attend
a track meet. He only took the top three athletes for each
event. So he would have the athletes tryout the week prior to
the track meet. There was this one kid that was trying out for
every single event.
The coach couldn't figure out why, because this kid very
rarely showed this much initiative. So the coach said, ``Son,
why are you doing this''? And this kid looked up at Coach
Greenow, and he said, ``Coach, I have never been out of town
before.'' The digital divide is real.
I have kids in my community who have never been out of
Bryan. This last year, some of the students at Stephen F.
Austin Middle School participated in a unit on NASA. They might
not be able to go to Houston, even though it is 90 miles away,
but they can go on their laptop using the virtual trip.
Thank you for allowing me to share you my testimony. I love
sharing our story. It has given me a chance to voice our
teachers and how they feel about how this has transformed their
teaching and their learning in their schools. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Bergland follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jennifer Bergland, Bryan Independent School
District
Good Morning. Thank you to Chairman Miller and the Committee for
inviting me to testify today. I am the Chief Technology Officer of
Bryan Independent School District, in Bryan, Texas. We have 15,000
students of which 71% receive free or reduced lunches and 61% of our
students are considered at-risk. Technology has been a key factor in
our efforts to ensure that all students are academically successful. We
are reaching and engaging more students and seeing real gains in
achievement. In 2008, the district received the TEAM award from CoSN
(the Consortium for School Networking) that is given to a school
district whose impact on technology's role in transforming learning has
been significant. This award recognized the district's efforts in using
technology to change the way our teachers teach and our students learn.
Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) Model
In 2004, Stephen F. Austin Middle (SFA) School, one of four middle
schools in my district, issued laptops to all students and teachers
attending the school. At the same time, the school received access to
more robust digital content and tools, more professional development,
and increased technical support. After five years of implementation the
school has seen increased achievement scores, a reduction in discipline
referrals, increased teacher retention, and an increase of technology
proficiency for both students and teachers.
SFA received funds from a grant funded through the NCLB Title II,
D--Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT)--program to implement
the Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP). TIP required each school to
provide a laptop computer for every student and teacher, wireless
access throughout the school, online curricular resources, on-going
assessments, professional development and on-going support for
teachers, and the technical support to maintain an immersed campus.
The combination of these six components created a technology-rich
learning environment that looks different than most typical classrooms.
Collaboration, critical thinking skills, and student engagement are a
part of teaching and learning in all subject areas. Tools like
interactive white boards, digital content, on-line courseware, digital
cameras, science probes, and laptops provide students with
opportunities to collaborate and use relevant content that typically
would not be available to the students in a traditionally-taught
classroom. Leadership and professional development are critical to the
vision and the sustainability of the type of change that occurs in a
campus that immerses their teaching environment with technology tools
and digital content. This is more than just putting technology in
classrooms. The key is that teaching and learning happen in a different
way. Education is transformed.
Transforming a School
At SFA, academic achievement scores have increased steadily for all
grades 6-8 in both math and reading over the past several years. The
increase in scores matches the research conducted in relation to the
TIP project. http://www.tcer.org/
SFA has approximately 900 students in grades 6-8. They have a
diverse student body with 75% of their students receiving free or
reduced lunches. As part of this project they not only have laptops for
all students, they also have extensive on-going professional
development for their teachers, a designated Integration Specialist who
models and mentors the teachers as they learn new skills and
pedagogies. In addition, the students and teachers have online
curricular resources, on-campus technical support, and a robust
technical infrastructure that ensures each laptop can access the
network and Internet from any place on campus.
The access to these resources enables the students at SFA to be
cognitively active and engaged in their learning. Students use online
resources to perform digital science experiments, view virtual
manipulations for abstract concepts in math and science, discuss topics
in social studies using an online chat application, and publish their
writing for a wide audience on blogs and wikis (web pages designed to
enable anyone who access it to contribute or modify content). One
student at SFA used her laptop to begin writing a sequel to the Harry
Potter series from the point of view of her favorite character. This
was not an assignment made by her teacher, but was her passion. The
laptop made the writing much easier to accomplish. The technology also
allows the students to collaborate not only in school, but also when
they go home. Teachers at SFA began to assign more project-based
learning opportunities that enable students to collaborate with each
other while problem-solving real-world dilemmas. When students are
cognitively engaged in their subject content, learning occurs. One tool
that was used by Math and Science teachers are Gizmos by Explore
Learning. Let me quickly demonstrate for you how these work.
Having digital content, rather than traditional textbooks, enables
the students to use all the Web tools available to personalize their
learning. Students use these outside of school to customize their
experience on the Internet. They create, collaborate, and publish in
ways that were not possible ten years ago. SFA has been using similar
tools within the classroom. Students are able to take a learning
objective and use the vast resources on the Internet to go more in-
depth on topics of interest or find more information on a topic or
skill in which they are struggling. The teacher no longer has to
possess all the knowledge needed to instruct their students. They can
truly be the facilitator of learning. In fact, students are able to
find their own ``teacher'' using the Internet. These ``teachers'' might
be a video demonstrating a physics problem, or step-by-step
instructions on how to divide fractions. This customization of a
student's learning has enabled the SFA students to create their own
``teachable moments'' through their investigative inquiry during and
outside of school. This leads the students to become more independent
learners. One teacher has described her classroom this way, ``It's
opened the environment * * * anybody can become the teacher at any
point, and they don't hesitate.''
When each student is issued a laptop, the learning is extended
beyond the school day. Students at SFA mainly complete projects and
homework assignments with their laptops at home, but the laptops are
also used in other ways. One teacher set aside two nights a week to
have a ``live homework chat session''. At first, the teacher was the
one answering the student's questions. Soon, however, the teacher was
able to back away and let the students answer each other's questions.
The research conducted on the TIP project indicates that the students'
use of laptops for home learning was the strongest predictor of both
reading and mathematics achievement on the state achievement tests. The
findings for home learning underscore the important role that
individual student laptops play in promoting ubiquitous learning and
equalizing the out-of-school learning opportunities for students in
disadvantaged family and school situations. Individual student laptops,
in contrast to laptops on carts or computers in libraries, labs, or
classrooms, expand where and how student learning occurs. Access to
electronic textbooks on laptops motivates many students to continue
working on chapter assignments outside of school.
The laptops also provide teachers with a variety of ways to assess
their students' mastery of their subject content. Many of the online
resources provide immediate feedback both for the teacher and the
student. Some SFA teachers use Moodle, an online course management
system, which allows teachers to embed assessments throughout the
online assignment. The teachers can also set the system to allow
students to re-take the test until the student masters the material.
Benchmark assessments that are taken online allow a teacher to quickly
determine what objectives each student needs to be re-taught or
reinforced. The use of the student laptops has enabled teachers to
diagnose and suggest remediation for students during the learning
process, rather than after the process is complete.
Professional Development in Bryan: Improving Teacher Effectiveness
Ongoing, job embedded professional development is essential when
changing teaching practices. Teachers at SFA were given hands-on
training on how to use the technical tools and online resources. This
is a first step in helping them to be comfortable with the tools that
the students will have. It is important that schools not stop at this
step. In order to use the power of the technology, the teachers have to
learn how to leverage these tools to educate differently. If teachers
teach the same way using technology, as they did without technology,
then the investment is wasted. Helping teachers see this takes time.
Professional development needs to be based on teachers' evolving needs,
and progress from the first-year focus on proficiency with technology
tools and online resources to an increased emphasis on technology-
related lessons, subject-specific lesson development, and the use of
more advanced technology applications for projects.
We used several professional development models to help teachers
acquire these skills. We created a cadre of mentor teachers, the
iSupport team, who would help teachers learn how to teach using the
laptops and the digital resources. We also found that having a person
on campus that is solely dedicated to helping teachers change their
teaching practices was critical to the teachers' success. The
Integration Specialist would plan with teams of teachers on how to take
a traditional lesson and embed technology in that lesson that would
engage the students in the learning process and increase their ability
to understand and apply their learning. This individual would also
model-teach, work with students, and work with teachers on classroom
management.
Teachers are not alone in the need for professional development and
coaching. A change of this magnitude requires that all key stakeholders
understand the reasons why the classroom needs to change, the methods
that will be used to obtain the transformation, and what their role is
in equipping the teachers and students with the necessary support to
make the change happen. In the hurry to begin the implementation, our
district started with the teachers. We found during the first year we
only had vocal support for the project from the executive leadership
and curriculum coordinators. In the second year we began providing the
necessary professional development for the district leadership and
their support for the project increased. We provided professional
development for all campus administrators, district curriculum
coordinators, district executive leadership, and technology personnel.
As a result, the administrators began to communicate to teachers how
the project benefits students that in turn raised the awareness of why
immersion was important. Campus administrators took an active role in
discussing technology issues with students, allocated time for teachers
to plan technology-integrated lessons, and monitored the use of
technology by visiting classrooms. The need to include all individuals
that affect the classroom teacher in the professional development plan
should not be underestimated.
TIP Results
Other Texas districts have experienced similar results as Bryan. As
part of TIP, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) participated in a
scientific investigation of the effectiveness of technology immersion
in increasing middle school students' achievement in core academic
subjects as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
(TAKS). This research study was funded by a US Department of Education
evaluation grant as part of the NCLB Title IID Program. The evaluation
examined the relationships that exist among technology immersion,
mediating variables (school, teacher, and student), and student
achievement. Applicants were high-need due to children from families
with incomes below the poverty line, schools identified for
improvement, or schools with substantial need for technology.
Technology immersion schools were matched by researchers with control
schools on key characteristics, including eligibility for Title II
funds, size, regional location, demographics, and student achievement.
The study included grades 6-8 middle schools drawn from rural,
suburban, and urban locations in Texas. The study focused on two groups
of student with a total of more than 10,000 students in control and
experimental schools. Nearly three-quarters of students are
economically disadvantaged (about 75%) and represent minority groups
(approximately 70% Hispanic and 7% African American).
First and second year reports revealed positive effects of
technology immersion on schools, teachers, and students. Outcomes
across two evaluation years and two student cohorts show that immersing
a middle school in technology produces schools with stronger
administrative leadership for technology, greater teacher collaboration
and collective support for technology innovation, and stronger parent
and community support for technology. Additionally, teachers in
immersion schools are more technically proficient and use technology
more often for their own professional productivity. Students use
technology more often in core-subject classrooms, and teachers adopt
more learner-centered ideologies. Students in immersion schools are
more technically proficient, use technology more often for learning,
interact more often with their peers in small-group activities, and
have fewer disciplinary problems than control-group students.
Additionally, there are other outcomes for immersion students that may
contribute to their long-term success. Certainly, technology immersion
has narrowed the technology equity gap for economically disadvantaged
students. Many students who previously had no technology in their homes
are becoming computer literate through their experiences with laptops.
Across four years, students in Technology Immersion schools
consistently had fewer disciplinary actions than control-group
students. In the fourth year, Cohorts 2 and 3 immersion students had an
average of 0.54 and 0.45 disciplinary actions per student,
respectively, compared to 0.76 and 0.71 per-student averages for
control students. Reducing disciplinary actions may have very important
benefits due to more time in classrooms and decreased time and effort
spent by middle school teachers and administrative staff on
disciplinary problems of students removed from classrooms.
Another District: Academic Results and College
Rural Floydada school district began Texas TIP implementation in
their school district in 2005 and then later expanded from the middle
school to the high school. Sixth grade standardized math scores
increased by 29 points, and 10th grade standardized math scores
increased by 36 points. Also impressive is that Floydada High School
students completed 206 college level courses in 2008 for a total of 619
hours. Half of the senior class completed at least 1 college course
prior to graduation. These courses not only helped prepare students for
higher education, but also saved parents thousands of dollars since the
district covered the cost of the courses and allowed children to see
themselves as college students. Because of districts success like
Floydada, my district has created a high school in which the students
will receive enough credits to enter college as a junior when they
graduate from high school. Many students at this high school do not
have the technology needed to successfully complete a college course.
Therefore, we are hoping to provide each of these students with a
laptop next year in order to meet this need. Technology is providing
increased access to education and higher education for students most in
need.
Conclusion
One administrative staff member described the positive effects the
technology immersion project has had on the students at SFA:
``It's one of the most rewarding projects that we have
undertaken. It's one of the few things that we do in education
that we really do for the kids. We say that all the time, that
we are going to be child centered. This one really is student
centered because there is no other reason you would do it. They
are the ones who benefit * * * It's hard for the adults * * *
This is for them * * * It's going to benefit all of us as they
become better adults.''
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. You have provided me an
opportunity to share with you what we have learned in Bryan, Texas;
that classrooms are transformed when students are engaged in a
meaningful learning environment, their learning is personalized to
their needs and interests, and their school day is extended by
providing all students with access to resources to support their
scholastic objectives and interests.
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Mr. Real?
STATEMENT OF ABEL REAL, STUDENT, EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Mr. Real. Good morning, Chairman Miller, and congressional
committee members. I thank everyone for the opportunity to
share my story today. I hope all of you all are doing well and,
yes, I did say all ``y'all.'' I am from the South, born and
raised, and I am very proud of my southern roots.
My rural home of Snow Hill in Greene County, North Carolina
is a small community with high poverty rates and is not well
known. But just as this room is full of opportunity,
intelligence, and determination to succeed with change, so is
Greene County. The county's population is about 20,000 with
approximately 3,200 students in our school system.
Seventy-three percent of these students receive free or
reduced lunches. Thankfully, Greene County has changed their
schools through a one-to-one laptop program and is now home to
what, in my case, was a portal to a new life. Unfortunately,
narcotics began to tear my family apart when I was 9 years old.
By the time I was 10 years old, my father had been
imprisoned at least three times, fled from the law, and I have
yet to hear from him. My mother was left with four young kids
to look after, and with no education, she was forced to work in
the fields from sunrise to sunset.
Her farm-laboring job did not adequately provide for us,
and unfortunately, she eventually turned to drug trafficking as
well. By the time I was 11 years old, my two older brothers
dropped out of high school, and at least they began to help
support the family, and my mom could finally make the
commitment to stop dealing drugs.
A month after my 13th birthday, I received a blow that
would change my life forever. My mother was incarcerated for
drug trafficking more than a year after the last time she ever
had anything to do with them. Her past had finally caught up
with her, and my perfect life crumpled beneath my eyes from one
day to the next.
The events to follow were as expected of a 13-year-old who
had no adult supervision to stray him from wrongdoing. By
sophomore year in high school, I had 46 absences, rapidly
dropping grades, no parents, a torn family, and plans to soon
drop out of school.
By the age of 16 years, I was bailing my brother out of a
detention center for traffic violations. During my junior year,
I met my healthcare instructor and mentor that helped me change
my ways. Ms. Lisa Wilson inspired me and shared with me how the
use of technology tools could open doors.
Technology helped to spark an interest in school and
provided many of the resources that I lacked at home. At the
time, I didn't really understand the school's new educational
model or the hundreds of hours of training that my teachers had
attended.
I only knew that I had a laptop, and that I used technology
in every classroom, which also provided access to my teachers
and classmates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Soon it didn't matter that my home life was a mess or that
Greene County was so isolated. The integration of technology
opened the world to me. By my senior year, I placed first in a
regional Health Care Club speech competition and top ten in the
state.
I was also varsity soccer team captain, homecoming king,
president of various clubs on campus, and had perfect
attendance, plus I worked two to three jobs. At home, there was
no inspiration, and I truly dreaded the bell at the end of the
school day.
At least I knew that when I left campus, I would be able to
instant message and e-mail my teachers and classmates with
questions. Since Greene County schools provided change with the
one-to-one program, school life is very different than
traditional high school that my brothers dropped out of.
Students work in groups; they are challenged by projects,
the best part is everyone participates. In addition to the
laptops, students use digital cameras, video cameras, and
interactive whiteboards to prepare for college and 21st Century
careers.
For example, in my physical science class, I demonstrated
elevated distance by providing visual image slides for my
classmates. In chemistry, I was able to manipulate elements
from the periodic table on a interactive whiteboard.
Other examples of technology used in Greene Central High
School includes designing Web pages, filming and editing
movies, and creating thinking maps. Our teachers work with
facilitators to help make all this happen.
You see, technology is not a luxury in today's society; it
is a necessity.
Most importantly, the student body is now at optimal
performance. Today, we aim beyond a high school diploma and at
very minimum to a bachelor's degree. Through the use of
technology, our teachers are preparing us with skills for our
journey to successful careers.
Before our laptop program 7 years ago, the average college
going rate in Greene County was 26 percent. By the time I
graduated in 2008, our college going rate increased to 94
percent, our school record.
In the past, our rural county was far below average at a
national average. Now we are above average by 34 percent. In
addition to increased college going rates, we have increased
access to honors and AP classes and our teen pregnancy rate has
dropped to number 18 from number two.
Our advancement is all thanks to the technology and great
teachers who integrate tools into their lessons. Thankfully, we
are not alone, and there are other students in North Carolina
and across the county that are also benefitting from similar
programs.
I have just finished my freshman year at East Carolina
University with a major in pediatric nursing. I also received a
National Nurse Scholars scholarship. I am currently employed as
a certified nursing assistant. I actually received my nurse's
assistant credentials as part of my high school curriculum.
Although this may seem like a most ordinary story,
something not so ordinary happened along the way, technology.
Technology tools helped me to create, learn, explain, document,
and analyze the different aspects of my life. My grades could
not have been successful without the constant e-mails.
I could not have shined through without the use of power
points and movie presentations. My application to East Carolina
University, my SAT registration, and most recently, my Nurse
Scholars Program application were all completed online.
Without technology, there is no way I would be here
testifying today. Honestly, I would probably be another
dropout. There are many students across the country just like
me that only need a chance or an opportunity to change their
future.
Even diamonds have to be uncovered and discovered to show
their brilliance and beauty. Young people across America are
these diamonds. Technology is the perfect tool for these young
diamonds to shine across our beautiful home we call America.
Thank you.
[The statement of Mr. Real follows:]
Prepared Statement of Abel Alejandro Real, Sophomore, East Carolina
University
Good morning Chairman Miller and Congressional Committee members, I
would like to thank everyone for the opportunity to share my story
today. I hope all of y'all are doing well, and yes I did say ``all
y'all.'' I am from the south, born and raised and I am very proud of my
southern roots. My rural home of Snow Hill in Greene County, North
Carolina is a small community, with high poverty rates and is not well
known; but just as this room is full of opportunity, intelligence, and
determination to succeed with change, so is Greene County. The county's
population is about 20,000 and there are about 3,200 students in our
school system. 73% of these students receive free or reduced lunches.
Thankfully, Greene County has systematically changed their schools
through a one to one laptop program and is now home to what, in my
case, was a portal to a new life.
Please know that I created the movie that is playing with photos
and images to help you visualize while I am sharing my story.
Today, I will share who I am, where I came from and how my public
education has impacted my life. I am not here to tell you how many
gigabytes are in a laptop nor how fast I can download something
directly from the Internet, I'll leave this to the professionals. I am
only here to tell each of you that nothing is impossible; it is only a
question of giving someone a chance or an opportunity.
Unfortunately, narcotics began to tear my family apart when I was 9
years old. Since then drugs have yet to cease in the deterioration of
my family. By the time I was 10, my father had been imprisoned at least
3 times, fled from the law and I haven't heard from him since. My
mother was left with 4 young kids to look after and with no education,
she was forced to work in the fields from sunrise to sunset. Her farm-
laboring job did not adequately provide for us and unfortunately, she
eventually turned to drug trafficking to make ends meet. By the time I
was 11, my two older brothers dropped out of high school. My brothers
didn't believe a high school diploma was necessary to become
successful. Although my mother heavily opposed their decisions, she did
not know enough about the school system to motivate them to continue
their education. The only positive thing that came out of my brothers
dropping out of school was that they began to help support the family
and my mom could finally make the commitment to change and stopped
dealing drugs.
A month after my thirteen birthday, in October of 2004, I received
a blow that would change my life forever. My mother was incarcerated on
charges of trafficking cocaine to an undercover narcotics officer. This
was more than a year after the last time she ever had anything to do
with drugs. Her past had finally caught up with her. My perfect life
crumpled beneath my eyes from one day to the next.
The events to follow were as expected of a 13 year old who had no
adult supervision to keep him from straying into wrongdoing. My
brother, although 3 years older than me, was left to care for me and
was, at the time, more immature than I was. By sophomore year in high
school, I had 46 absences, rapidly dropping grades, no parents, a torn
family, and plans to soon drop out of school. By the age of 16, I was
bailing my brother out of a detention center for traffic violations.
During my junior year, I met my healthcare instructor and mentor
that helped me change my ways. Mrs. Lisa Wilson inspired me and shared
with me how the use of technology tools could open doors. Technology
helped to spark an interest in school and provided many of the
resources that I lacked at home.
At the time, I didn't really understand the school's new
educational model, or the hundreds of hours of on going training that
my teachers had participated in to systematically change our school. I
only knew that I had a laptop and I used technology in every classroom
and through technology I had access to my teachers and classmates 24
hours a day-7 days a week. Soon it didn't matter that my home life was
a mess or that Greene County was so isolated, the integration of
technology opened the world to me.
By my senior year I placed first in a regional Health Care Club
speech competition and in the top ten in the state competition. I was
also varsity soccer team captain, Homecoming King, president of various
clubs on campus, and had perfect attendance. Plus, I worked 2 to 3 jobs
throughout the school year. At home, there was no inspiration and I
truly dreaded the bell at the end of the school day. At least I knew
when I left campus; I would be able to instant message my teachers and
classmates with questions and could collaborate on group projects via
emails and IM.
Since Greene County schools provided change with the one to one
program, school life is very different than the traditional high school
my brothers dropped out of. Students work collaboratively in groups,
they are challenged by projects and thoughtful questions and the best
part is everyone participates and pays attention. In addition to the
laptops, students use digital cameras, video cameras, and interactive
white boards. Students are being prepared for college and 21st Century
careers. For example, in my physical science class I demonstrated
elevated distance by providing visual image slides for my classmates.
In chemistry, I was able to manipulate elements from the periodic table
on the interactive whiteboard to show compound structure. Other
examples of technology use in Greene Central High School, include
designing web pages, filming and editing movies and creating thinking
maps to name a few. Our teachers work extensively with a technology
facilitator and a literacy facilitator to collaborate with one another
to help make all of this happen. You see technology is not a luxury in
today's society; it is a necessity.
Most importantly, the student body is now at optimal performance
and growth in learning. Now, more than ever kids are graduating and are
running past the limits of the older generations like my brothers and
sister. Today, we aim beyond a high school diploma and at a very
minimum to a bachelor's degree. Many of us are setting our goals to
obtain masters and even doctoral degrees. Our teachers in our rural
home are preparing us through the use of technology to acquire skills
that will not only give us a direction to head in but a jump start on
our journey to successful careers.
Before technology entered our school system the average college
going rate was 26%. By the time I graduated in 2008 our college going
rate increased to 94%, our school record. This was a significant change
of 68%. The average college going rate for our nation today is at about
60%. In the past, our rural county was far below average at a national
level, now we are above average by 34%. Now, we are ahead of the game
and our advancement is all thanks to the technology tools and great
teachers who integrate the tools into their lessons. In addition to
increased college going rates, I'm happy to share that this technology
integration model has been instrumental in other changes within Greene
Central High School:
Increase availability for honors and AP classes through NC
Virtual Public School. Including 5 Advanced Placement classes and 11
honors classes.
Access to 5 college classes through University of North
Carolina Greensboro iSchool.
100% of our teachers are Highly Qualified Teachers.
2005-06 and 2006-07 Greene Central met Adequate Yearly
Progress
Teen Pregnancy Rates has dropped from #2 in the state to
#18
Expected or High Growth on North Carolina Accountability
System (NC ABC) Testing each year
Dropout Rate Decreases For example in 2007-08 there were
63 drop outs and to date in 2008-09 only 53.
Not only has our school changed. This initiative has brought great
changes to our entire community including:
Increase High Speed Internet Access from 15% to 92%
throughout our county. The Greene County Board of Commissioners
supported the school system's need for community Internet access.
New Business
New Industrial Park
New Recreation Complex
New Golf Resort Community
And most importantly, community PRIDE!
Thankfully, there are other students across the country and even in
North Carolina that are also benefiting from having technology in their
schools. Other schools in North Carolina have the IMPACT program that
is another technology integration program with a focus on teachers,
students and planning. The IMPACT program was recently included in a
scientific evaluation study funded by the US Department of Education
and showed a positive impact on student achievement. In math, the odds
that IMPACT students would go from non-passing to passing status over
the three years was 42% higher than that for comparison students. In
reading, the odds of IMPACT students increasing achievement level from
the second to the fourth years were 3 times that of comparison
students. This study shows that students throughout North Carolina are
having success because of their use of technology in their schools. The
study also showed that teachers participating in the program were 65%
more likely to be retained than teachers in comparison schools. I know
at Greene Central our teachers were really dedicated to our program and
having them stay at our school made a big difference. Below are
additional statistics about the North Carolina IMPACT program.
Math: When looking at pass/fail rates for the End of Grade
(EOG) math tests, in the baseline year IMPACT students were
significantly less likely to pass the math tests than comparison
students. By the fourth year, IMPACT students were more likely to pass
the test.
Reading: When looking at change in passing status, the
odds that IMPACT students would increase from failing to passing over
the four years were 55% higher than the odds for comparison students.
When looking at Year two to year four with the larger sample, the odds
were 43% higher for IMPACT students.
Teachers: IMPACT teachers consistently saw IT as more
useful, and had more positive attitudes toward the usefulness of email,
the World Wide Web, multimedia in the classroom, and instructional
technology for teachers than the comparison teachers.\1\
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\1\ North Carolina IMPACT Model http://www.ncwiseowl.org/IMPACT/
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I have just finished my freshman year at East Carolina University
in Greenville, North Carolina with a major in pediatric nursing and I
am the first person in my immediate family to attend a university. I
received a national Nurse Scholars scholarship that entitles me to
$20,000 for my post secondary educational costs. I am currently
employed in 2 upscale assisted living facilities as a Certified Nursing
Assistant. I'm so thankful to have received my nurse's assistant
credentials as part of my high school curriculum so that I can have
these jobs today.
I am not here to tell you a fairy tale story of how I came from the
bottom and now I am at the top. In fact, I am nowhere near the top. I
am only climbing. I am climbing the same mountain almost every student
in Greene County is climbing, the mountain of success. My story is a
series of unfortunate events and my fairy tale is far from coming true.
Although this may seem like a most ordinary story, something not so
ordinary happened along the way that changed my life drastically to
give me the chance to stand before you today-technology. Technology
tools helped me to create, learn, explain, document, and analyze. My
grades could not have been successful without the constant e-mails that
kept me in contact with my teachers and peers. I could not have shined
through without the use of power points and movies. My application to
East Carolina University, SAT registration, and most recently my Nurse
Scholars Program application were all completed online. Without
technology there is no way I could be testifying today. Honestly, I
would probably be just another dropout.
There are many students across the country just like me that only
need a chance or an opportunity to change their future. Life is all
about chances and opportunities and how you take advantage of them.
Even diamonds have to be uncovered and discovered to show their
brilliance and beauty. Young people across America are these diamonds.
Technology is the perfect tool for these young diamonds to shine across
our beautiful home we call America. It is our future for learning!
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you very much.
Dr. Hartschuh?
STATEMENT OF WAYNE HARTSCHUH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DELAWARE
CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Hartschuh. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Miller,
Representative McKeon, and the committee for inviting me to
testify today.
I would like to especially thank Delaware Representative
Castle for his longtime support of education and educational
technology.
I am Wayne Hartschuh, executive director of the Delaware
Center for Educational Technology, part of the Delaware
Department of Education. When I consider how technology is
transforming our public schools, I realize that in our digital
world, no organization including education can achieve results
without incorporating technology into its everyday practices.
To truly realize the effects that technology can have on
education, we need to consider those everyday practices and
determine how technology can support them. I will discuss three
of those practices and how we are addressing technology
implementation in Delaware.
The first and most important is curriculum and instruction
through our eMINTS program. The second is professional
development through eLearning Delaware. And the third is
student assessment data through our development of the Delaware
Comprehensive Assessment System.
The Maximizing the Impact report states, ``It is time to
focus on what students need to learn and on how to create a
21st century education system that delivers results.''
Delaware has done a good job of the ``what'' by developing
content standards and aligning curriculum to meet those
standards. To address the ``how,'' we have committed No Child
Left Behind Title II, Part D E2T2 funds to the implementation
of the eMINTS program based on the long-term results from
Missouri and the replication from other states.
eMINTS provides a model that is innovative and provides
exemplary approaches that combine instructional strategies,
technology, and professional development.
With proven results of increase in student achievement, the
model drives the transformation of the learning environment by
providing a high-tech classroom that emphasizes inquiry based
teaching, cooperative learning, and the development of higher-
order thinking skills.
e-Learning Delaware is Delaware's implementation of the e-
Learning for Educator's Initiative, a project funded through
the federal Ready to Teach Grant and a collaboration between 10
state education agencies and associated public broadcast
stations.
e-Learning Delaware uses a Web-based model to provide
effective professional development opportunities that lead to
gains in teachers' content knowledge, improvements in their
teaching practices, and an increase in the achievement levels
of their students.
Since the spring of 2006, we have built our statewide
capacity to deliver online professional development by training
online course facilitators and developers and implemented a
course management system to deliver the courses.
We have delivered over 130 online courses to over 2,000
Delaware educators and developed online courses related to
Delaware recommended curriculum and required science training
such as an earth history course. The earth history professional
development course has been a notable accomplishment.
WHYY, Delaware's PBS station affiliate, in collaboration
with DOE Science personnel produce supplementary video segments
that are an integral part of the online course content.
We are following this same model of producing and
incorporating video segments into the Delaware watersheds
course and the weather course that are currently under
development.
We are extremely pleased that the federal grant has given
us the opportunity to collaborate with our local PBS station in
the development of high-quality video to support online
professional development.
The state of Delaware is redesigning its student assessment
program. The current Delaware student testing program in place
since 1998 will be replaced by the Delaware Comprehensive
Assessment System in the 2010/2011 school year.
Why am I talking about assessment when we are here to talk
about how technology is transforming public schools? The
Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System is an entirely online
assessment.
Delaware is moving to an online assessment because we want
to provide immediate results, provide diagnostic reports to
teachers within 2 days, provide students with multiple
opportunities to pass, and be able to assess student
achievement from an entire school year. This can only be done
with online assessment.
Another driving factor is the desire to increase student
access to technology. With the implementation comes a 4-year
replacement cycle for computers and the computers we use for
instruction whenever testing is not being done.
Greater access to technology and integration into
curriculum are critical if we are to prepare students for the
workplace of tomorrow. The good news is that we have made
positive strides forward in Delaware by using technology to
transform our public schools.
This is seen at the curriculum and instruction level, the
professional development level, and the statewide assessment
level. eMINTS and e-Learning Delaware are just two of many
examples of how technology is transforming education in
Delaware public schools.
Unfortunately, is the case in most states, we still have
pockets of excellence rather than systemic transformation. With
our transition to the Delaware comprehensive assessment system,
we are moving towards systemic transformation.
The bold move of taking all statewide assessment online
will also drive an increased use of technology and curriculum
instruction as well as professional development. In conclusion,
we hope these efforts to use technology to transform our public
schools will be seen as a catalyst of change, even an
accelerator of change.
Thank you for your time and your support of technology and
education for our nation's children.
[The statement of Mr. Hartschuh follows:]
Prepared Statement of Wayne Hartschuh, Ph.D., Executive Director,
Delaware Center for Educational Technology, Delaware Department of
Education
Good Morning. Thank you to Chairman Miller, Representative McKeon,
and the Committee for inviting me to testify today. I would like to
especially thank Delaware Representative Castle for his longtime
support of education and educational technology. I am Wayne Hartschuh,
Executive Director of the Delaware Center for Educational Technology,
Delaware Department of Education.
When I consider how technology is transforming our public schools,
I realize that in our digital world, no company or organization,
including education, can achieve results without incorporating
technology into its everyday practices. To truly realize the effects
that technology can have on education, we need to consider those
``everyday practices'' and determine how technology can support every
aspect of those practices. I will emphasize three of the ``everyday
practices'' and how we are addressing the technology issue in Delaware
during my short time with you this morning: the first and most
important is curriculum and instruction through our eMINTS program; the
second is professional development through our eLearning Delaware
program; and the third is student assessment data through our
development of the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System.
Curriculum and Instruction: eMINTS
The 2007 report, Maximizing the Impact: the Pivotal Role of
Technology in a 21st Century Education System states, ``It's time to
focus on what students need to learn--and on how to create a 21st
century education system that delivers results.'' Delaware has done a
good job of the `what' by developing content standards and aligning
curriculum to meet those standards. To address the `how,' we have
committed NCLB Title II, Part D funds to the implementation of the
eMINTS program based on the long-term results from Missouri and the
replication results from other states including Utah and Maine. The
2007 Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) report, Successful
Practices Series: Report 2: Changing the Face of Education: Missouri
Leads the Way was a major selling point.
eMINTS (enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching
Strategies) provides a model that is innovative and provides exemplary
approaches that combine instructional strategies, technology, and
professional development. With proven results of increasing student
achievement, the model drives a transformation of the learning
environment by providing a high-tech classroom that emphasizes inquiry-
based teaching, cooperative learning, and the development of higher-
order thinking skills. The keys to success in our eMINTS classrooms
have been increased student engagement, improved interactivity, and
high-quality professional development. In other words, the technology
in the high-tech classroom has driven a positive change in how teachers
teach and how students learn.
eMINTS has provided a refreshing approach to teaching and learning
in Delaware with high-quality professional development and high-tech
classrooms. The eMINTS instructional model provides a research-based
approach to organizing instruction and can be implemented in any
subject area at any level. The eMINTS instructional model enables
educators to:
create classrooms where all students are motivated to
succeed socially and academically,
fully incorporate technology investments into teaching and
learning,
complement existing preK-16 curriculum with critical-
thinking requirements found in national, state and local curriculum
standards, and
build enthusiasm and creativity into daily teaching.
Although we are too early in the process to have Delaware data, the
data from implementations in other states is impressive. In Utah,
Missouri, and Maine, the eMINTS program provides schools and teachers
with educational technology tools, curriculum, and over 200 hours of
professional development to change how teachers teach and students
learn. Utilizing 21st Century skills, relevant content, and
collaboration are all key to the instructional strategies used in
eMINTS classrooms. eMINTS changes how teachers teach and how students
learn. Students in eMINTS classrooms no longer have to ``power down,''
disconnect or disengage from the excitement and motivation the
technology brings to their world.
Teachers in eMINTS classrooms at all grade levels (3-12) report
significant increases in student attendance and significant decreases
in student behavior disruptions. Students in eMINTS classrooms are
fully engaged in authentic projects that utilize technology and provide
opportunities for students to hone the skills they will need to compete
in the 21st Century, Missouri has evaluated this program for 8 years,
and other states are conducting evaluations, as well. The following
link provides a strong overview of the program: http://www.emints.org/
and findings are found at http://www.emints.org/evaluation/reports/.
Findings include:
In Utah, classrooms in the same school (one with eMINTS
and one without), the student achievement of students in the eMINTS
classroom was repeatedly over 10% higher than the control classroom. In
Title I buildings participating in the eMINTS-4-Utah initiative, a
greater percentage of 4th--6th grade students enrolled in eMINTS
classrooms scored at proficient levels on the UPASS CRT tests for
language arts, mathematics, and science than did 4th-6th grade students
in non-eMINTS classrooms.
After 6 years of data in Grade 4 Mathematics, eMINTS
students in subgroups (special education, low income, and Title I) have
reduced the gap in test scores between their performance and their
peers by up to \1/2\ of the difference attributable to subgroup
classification.
In another district that had not met AYP goals, teachers
began implementing the eMINTS program. After using the eMINTS approach
with extensive professional development, the 3rd grade math scores
increased by more than the 15% goal and made AYP in every subgroup.
Analysis of Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores reported by
outside program evaluators from 2001--2006 showed consistently positive
results for students in eMINTS classrooms when compared to their peers
not enrolled in eMINTS classrooms. The analyses reported ``statistical
significance'' for various findings. Statistical significance refers to
findings that cannot be easily explained as being caused by variables
other than the program or intervention (in this case, eMINTS) being
studied.
In analyses of the differences between the performance of eMINTS
students compared to non-eMINTS students, the statistical significance
varied by year. However, the overall trends established higher
achievement on the MAP tests for eMINTS students in all subject areas
(communication arts, mathematics, science and social studies) when
compared to non-eMINTS students. Please note: each year represented a
different group of students in different schools with different
teachers.
Over the course of the analyses there have been a number of
programmatic changes to eMINTS and how districts were selected to
participate in eMINTS. Over the past six years, eMINTS grant funds have
changed from being available to any interested district in Missouri to
being available only to districts meeting federal poverty eligibility
guidelines. The MAP has also undergone changes in scoring procedures
and how student scores are reported. Comparisons continue to
demonstrate eMINTS students consistently achieved higher MAP scores
than their non-eMINTS peers.
Statistically significant differences (eMINTS students achieving
higher scores than their non-eMINTS peers) occurred in:
3rd Grade Communication Arts (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005)
3rd Grade Science (2001, 2003)*
4th Grade Mathematics (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
4th Grade Social Studies (2001, 2002, 2003)*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Science and Social Studies not analyzed after 2003 when many
districts no longer participated in MAP tests in those subjects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginning in 2003, examination of eMINTS v non-eMINTS student MAP
scores included analysis of difference for students in particular sub-
groups such as students in special education, students receiving Free
and Reduced Lunch, and students in ethnic groups that have historically
experienced gaps in achievement when compared with other students.
Statistically significant differences in MAP scores for eMINTS students
when compared to their non-eMINTS peers in the following subgroups were
noted:
Title I students on 4th Grade Mathematics (2001, 2002)
Special education students on 4th Grade Mathematics (2002,
2003)
Students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch on 3rd Grade
Communication Arts (2003, 2005)
Students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch on 4th Grade
Mathematics (2003, 2005)
African America students on 4th Grade Mathematics (2004)
We are extremely pleased with our eMINTS implementations so far and
as we enter our second year, we look forward to expanding the program
and seeing similar results showing improved student achievement and
success for our Delaware students.
One of the key ingredients to success in the eMINTS project is
professional development. Professional development, especially with
regard to technology, is key in most all curriculum and instruction
programs. Delaware has been delivering online professional development
for subject-matter content, as well as technology integration for over
five years.
Professional Development: eLearning Delaware
eLearning Delaware is Delaware's implementation of the e-Learning
for Educators Initiative, a project funded through a federal Ready to
Teach grant and a multi-state collaboration between ten state education
agencies and associated public broadcast stations. eLearning Delaware
partners are the Delaware Center for Educational Technology, the
Delaware Department of Education, and WHYY. The Ready to Teach grant is
administered through Alabama Public Television and the national
partners include the Education Development Center (EDC) and Boston
College.
eLearning Delaware uses a Web-based model to provide effective
professional development opportunities that lead to gains in teachers'
content knowledge, improvements in their teaching practices, and an
increase in the achievement levels of their students.
Since the spring of 2006, we have built our statewide capacity to
deliver online professional development and technical assistance to our
districts and schools. eLearning Delaware has trained over 50 online
course facilitators, trained over 35 online course developers, and
implemented a course management system, Blackboard, to deliver the
online courses. In turn, we have delivered over 130 online professional
development courses to over 2,000 Delaware educators, and developed 10
online courses, most notably the six courses related to the Delaware
Recommended Curriculum and the Earth History course that is part of the
required training for sixth grade science teachers. We currently have
12 more courses in development with two being science courses: Delaware
Watersheds and Weather.
The Earth History professional development course has been a
notable accomplishment and the Delaware Watersheds and Weather course
will follow the same model. WHYY, Delaware's PBS station affiliate, in
collaboration with Delaware Department of Education science personnel,
produced supplementary video segments for the Earth History course. An
eLearning Delaware course developer worked with the DOE Science
personnel to integrate this high-quality, professionally produced video
into the course content and develop the online course. The video
produced by WHYY is an integral part of the course. The professional
development course for the teacher is designed to run concurrently with
the delivery of the Earth History unit. The pilot run of the course
began at the end of March to coincide with the last marking period of
the school year. The course ran for nine weeks and concluded at the end
of the school year.
WHYY and the Delaware DOE Science personnel will be filming the
material for the Delaware Watersheds course and the Weather course this
summer with the courses scheduled for completion in time to deliver in
the second semester of next school year. We are extremely pleased that
the Federal grant has given us the opportunity to collaborate with our
local PBS station in the development of high-quality video to support
online professional development.
Returning to the item mentioned previously about delivering over
130 online courses. More specifically, we have delivered over 130
sections of online courses. The courses that have been delivered are
listed below. Most courses were developed by Education Development
Center and those marked with an * were developed by Delaware educators.
Aligning Curriculum to ELA Standards*
Aligning Curriculum to Math Standards*
Aligning Curriculum to Science Standards*
Aligning Curriculum to Social Studies Standards*
Approaches and Tools for Developing Web-Enhanced Lessons
Designing a Virtual Field Trip
Differentiating Instruction to Accommodate Learning Styles
Digital Storytelling in the Classroom*
Earth History*
Enhancing an Aligned Unit*
Finding the Best Educational Resources on the Web
Getting Ready for Algebra by Using Virtual Manipulatives
Helping Struggling Readers Improve Comprehension
Improving Reading and Writing in the Content Areas
Incorporating Primary Resources into the Social Studies
Classroom
Making the Most of Adolescent Literature
Special Students in Regular Classrooms: Technology,
Teaching, and Universal Design
Strategies and Tools for Teaching the Writing Process
Transforming the Classroom with Project-Based Learning
Unpacking the Delaware Recommended Curriculum
Using Patterns to Develop Algebraic Thinking
Using Real Data in the Math Classroom
Using Technology to Support Research and Presentation
Visual Literacy Strategies for the Classroom*
The e-Learning for Educators project initially included eight
states: Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Hew
Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In October 2009, the
project expanded to include Maryland and North Carolina.
Significant Accomplishments across the project (from the Boston
College (2009): Alabama Public Television e-Learning for Educators
Annual Comprehensive Evaluation of the e-Learning for Educators
Project):
The partner states trained 352 facilitators (online
instructors) who have delivered more than 1,201 online professional
development courses--far more than the target goal.
225 teachers have been trained to design online courses;
these educators have created more than 80 new courses that are aligned
with state/local-identified instructional needs
Almost 22,000 teachers have enrolled in courses and 16,627
completed courses for free or at a very low cost. Evaluation data were
collected from 10,291 teachers.
On average, 32% of teachers in the online courses are from
schools eligible to receive Title I School-wide funds but percentages
vary by state from 60% to 7%.
Based on the most conservative teacher-student data
gathered by the project, it is estimated that at least 700,000 students
have been affected by efE training. If more liberal data are used to
calculate student impact, 1,000,000+ students may have been impacted.
90% of teachers completing e-Learning courses felt the
quality of the courses were excellent (56%) or very good (35%).
89% of participants feel they gained insight into new or
different approaches to teaching from the e-Learning workshop.
82% of participants report they are very likely to take
another e-Learning workshop.
56% became more skilled in using technology for
instruction
42% learned new subject-area content
Of teachers who have taken e-Learning for Educators (eFE)
courses and completed a 6 month follow up survey, 66% indicated that
they had already used the material learned from the online course with
their students. Of those who are already using the material:
--90% agree that when they used eFE content in class, students
appeared more
interested
--89% agree that when they used eFE content in class, students had
their diverse learning needs met
--77% agree that students performed more difficult work
--80% say that student work is of a higher quality
A follow-up survey administered six-months after course completion
allowed teachers to detail lasting impacts of the e-Learning workshop
on their teaching practice and classroom instruction. Here are comments
from two teacher respondents:
``I have been able to address individual needs for each student
using the material and resources from this workshop. I have also been
able to more accurately assess individual student progress, rather than
whole group progress, and plan accordingly.''
``Using what I learned in the workshop and including new
technology, I was able to involve every student in classroom
activities.''
The eLearning Delaware project has been a tremendous success in the
State of Delaware and has been well worth the time and effort to bring
the project from concept to fruition.
Student Assessment Data: Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System
The State of Delaware is redesigning its student assessment
program. The current Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP), in place
since 1998, will be replaced by the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment
System (DCAS) in the 2010-2011 school year. The DCAS will enhance and
strengthen the DSTP by providing a more accurate measure of student
growth and more timely and detailed information to educators for
planning and improving educational programs at the school, district and
state levels. In addition, the DCAS will provide multiple opportunities
for students to demonstrate proficiency and will provide increased
information to students and parents, including a measure of fall-to-
spring and year-to-year individual student growth.
Why am I talking about assessment when we are here to talk about
how technology is transforming public schools? The Delaware
Comprehensive Assessment System is an entirely online assessment.
Delaware is moving to an online assessment because we want to provide
immediate results; provide diagnostic reports to teachers within two
days; provide students with multiple opportunities to pass; and be able
to assess student achievement from an entire school year. This can only
be done with online assessment.
The purposes of the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System are
fourfold:
To measure student achievement of state academic
standards;
To measure each student's growth over time along the
assessment scale;
To provide the primary basis for student, school and
school district accountability, pursuant to Delaware law and the No
Child Left Behind Act; and
To provide schools and school districts with timely
information useful for instructional program improvement.
The DCAS is being developed to consist of the following five
components:
1. Online, Web-based summative assessments: a) for grades three
through eight in reading and mathematics which are adaptive, and b) for
one elementary grade and one middle school grade in science and social
studies which are fixed form with the option for future transition to
adaptive tests;
2. Online summative End-of-Course Assessments for high school
students in specific courses, to be determined, in mathematics,
English, science and social studies;
3. Online summative writing assessments to be given at grades five
and eight and in high school, and online formative writing assessments
in grades three through eleven;
4. A Benchmark Growth Assessment for grades two through ten which
is computer-adaptive across grade levels and given at least three times
each school year; and
5. An online Classroom Assessment Item Bank that provides teachers
with high-quality formative assessment items and tools for the creation
of tests aligned to specific Delaware Grade Level Expectations.
Another driving factor is the desire to increase student access to
technology. With the implementation comes a four-year replacement cycle
for computers and the computers will be used for instruction whenever
testing is not being done. Greater access to technology and integration
into the curriculum are critical if we are to prepare students for the
workplace of tomorrow.
We are currently in the process of evaluating and recommending the
winner(s) of the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS)--
Request for Proposals. The proposals have being evaluated and the DOE
anticipates that contract(s) with the winning vendor(s) will be
finalized no later than the end of July 2009. With the finalization of
the awards, there will be preparation and pilots conducted during the
2009-10 school year with the DCAS fully operational for the 2010-11
school year.
Conclusion
The good news is that we have made positive strides forward in
Delaware with using technology to transform our public schools. This is
seen at the curriculum and instruction level, the professional
development level, and the statewide assessment level. eMINTS and
eLearning Delaware are just two of many examples of how technology is
transforming education in Delaware public schools.
Unfortunately, as is the case in most states, we still have pockets
of transformation rather than statewide, systemic transformation. With
our transition to the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System, we are
moving toward systemic transformation. The bold move of taking all
statewide assessment online will also drive an increased use of
technology in curriculum and instruction, as well as, professional
development.
In conclusion, we hope these efforts to use technology to transform
our public schools will be seen as a catalyst of change, even an
accelerator of change.
Thank you for your time and your support of education for our
nation's children.
references
Maximizing the Impact: the Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century
Education System http://www.setda.org/web/guest/
maximizingimpactreport
Successful Practices Series: Report 2: Changing the Face of Education:
Missouri Leads the Way http://www.ccsso.org/publications/
details.cfm? PublicationID=356
Source of statistics is eMINTS Evaluation Reports (2003-2006) at:
http://www.emints.org/evaluation/reports/
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Mr. McAuliffe?
STATEMENT OF JOHN MC AULIFFE, GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATE ONLINE
LEARNING, LLC
Mr. McAuliffe. I would like to thank Chairman Miller and
the rest of the committee for allowing me the opportunity to
present here today. Hearing and seeing these other technologies
and stories are truly inspiring to us at Educate Online.
Educate Online is America's leading provider of live,
personalized online tutoring services. We have successfully
served more than 50,000 students since 2002 and currently
serving students in almost 200 school districts across the
country.
All of our tutoring is done by certified teachers and
delivered online to students in their home. Students are able
to access this tutoring through a computer and Internet access
provided free by Educate Online.
Before I get into a little bit more detail on our
technology, I wanted to make a couple of points. Number one, as
you have seen here today, technology is truly transforming the
way education is provided throughout our country. It is
expanding the learning day, the week, and the year.
It is redesigning the traditional classroom, and is vastly
increasing student achievement. How do we know this? Because
our program has been independently tested and shown that a
typical Title I student who starts our program one grade level
below can catch up to their peers after just 24 1-hour sessions
of our tutoring.
In the case of English language learners and other at-risk
students, gains are even greater. This is also, in our opinion,
just the first step in how this technology can be used.
Second, because of the good work of the members of this
committee and others in Congress, we can supply these tutoring
services free of charge for Title I students through the
supplemental education services program that you created.
These students are the ones most in need, and the story you
just heard gives you an example of what can happen when the use
of technology can help drive student achievement. We would like
to thank you for that opportunity to service these students.
Now for a few facts about our program: We use U.S.-based
certified teachers with bachelor's degrees and at least 2 years
of teaching experience. More than one-third of teachers have
master's degrees and 5 percent have Ph.D.s. Approximately 9
percent are certified to work with ELL students, and 14 percent
are certified to work with students with disabilities.
All of our instructors also go through 8 hours of
instruction related to our curriculum, our technology, our
proprietary methods, and how to maximize student motivation and
participation.
Our curriculum is research-based and nationally recognized.
We have more than 12,500 digital lessons created by third party
educational publishing companies and an internal content
development team.
Our goal is to raise student achievement to meet state
standards. We optimize our instructional time through an
initial diagnostic assessment, which then derives a
prescriptive, personalized learning plan.
We also recognize the key role the parents, teachers, and
principals play in educating these students. As a result, we
provide both a parent and principal portal. These portals are
updated for each student after each lesson to ensure data is
completely current.
The portal is secure and available 24/7. Parents can view
portals through the computer provided by Educate Online if they
do not have access to another computer. In addition, we send
monthly progress reports to schools and districts, and we have
a bilingual call center staff to address questions and
concerns.
As I stated previously, our program has been independently
evaluated and measured demonstrating significant academic
gains. We have also demonstrated evidence of increased
performance on state assessments.
In the 2007/2008 school year, 250 South Dakota middle
students, predominantly native Americans, received tutoring
from Educate Online. Ninety-one percent of these students saw
gains on the South Dakota state assessment with an average gain
of 18 points.
I would like to now show you a demo of our technology at
work. It is this technology that drives our success. We also
believe, as I stated before, this technology has many more
applications, a few of which I will talk about at the
conclusion of the demo.
[Play video clip.]
Mr. McAuliffe. As you can see, the technology is at the
heart of what we do, but it also has far-reaching applications.
This platform should allow us to address many needs, in
particular, where specialty labor shortages are depriving
students in need.
Several examples of this are speech therapists, reading
specialists, and guidance counselors. In fact, we are running a
pilot this fall in Pennsylvania where we are matching students
with speech therapists online.
We are also investigating how we can partner with community
colleges that target recent high school graduates that may need
remedial classes to be successful in college. Our plan would be
to provide tutoring during the summer prior to them entering
college, making sure they are ready for college-level work.
In conclusion, I would like to, again, thank the chairman
and members of the committee for inviting me to be here today.
[The statement of Mr. McAuliffe follows:]
Prepared Statement of John McAuliffe, General Manager, Educate Online
Learning, LLC
Good morning, I would like to thank Chairman Miller and the rest of
the Committee for inviting me here today to participate on this
distinguished panel to discuss technology in our schools. I am here
representing Educate Online, America's leading provider of live,
personalized, online tutoring services. Educate Online has successfully
served more than 50,000 students since 2002 in our math and reading
programs and currently serves students in almost 200 school districts
across the country. All tutoring is done by certified teachers and
takes place online at the student's home or at school. Students access
the tutoring through a computer and internet connectivity provided by
Educate Online, both of which are provided at no charge to the student.
My message today is this: technology is transforming the way
education is provided throughout our country. Technology can expand the
learning day, week, and year for students and it can help us redesign
the traditional classroom and school building if used correctly,
education technology can vastly increase student achievement. We know
this firsthand, as research on our program has proven that a typical
Title I student who starts school a full year behind in reading, can
catch up to his or her peers with just 24 one-hour sessions of
tutoring--typically spread over about two months in time. In some
instances, we have shown even greater results with English Language
Learners and other at-risk groups of students.
On average, SES students show grade equivalency gains of 0.74, or
seven months grade equivalency increase, on norm-referenced assessment
after 24 sessions. So a third grader who scores as a beginning second
grader could be reading at or close to grade level after 24 hours of
instruction.
Our program is generally 24 sessions and students typically take
two to four 60-minute sessions per week. Sessions are offered seven
days a week, generally after school and on weekends, offering
tremendous flexibility to our students. Using the headset and computer
provided by Educate Online, students log on to a virtual classroom and
are matched with an instructor who is usually logged on from his/her
home. Students and teachers are able to view the same learning
environment, so they can work together effectively. Our educational
programs in math and reading utilize individualized, direct instruction
and mastery learning techniques to address each student's specific
skill gaps. Teachers teach, and reteach as necessary, until the student
truly masters the goals on his/her individual learning plan before
moving on to the next lesson.
All instructors are U.S-based, certified teachers, have a
bachelor's degree and a minimum of two years of successful teaching
experience. More than a third of our teachers have master's degrees,
and about 5% have doctorates. Approximately 9% are certified to work
with ELL students, and approximately 14% are certified to work with
students with disabilities. All instructors undergo eight hours of
synchronous training which includes a comprehensive review of course
curriculum, proprietary methods, online technology, and methods for
maximizing student motivation/participation.
At the end of the training, the instructor must pass an assessment
that evaluates knowledge of our curriculum, assessments, and logistical
processes. After training, new teachers practice delivering sessions
and shadow other teachers before they are allowed to tutor on their
own. New instructors work with one student at a time, working up to
tutoring three students at a time, over a period of weeks. Team leads
work with the Educational Services director to mentor teachers by
sharing teaching tips and valuable information about new research or
teaching strategies. Educate Online has a dedicated team of monitors
who score teachers periodically and use this as the basis for
additional coaching, mentoring, and professional development. This
ensures the highest quality of teaching for our students. Student-to-
teacher ratios never exceed 3:1.
Educate Online's program has been independently evaluated
In a 2006 independent analysis, funded by the United States
Department of Education, the effectiveness of the Educate Online
program was evaluated by measuring pre- and post-assessment test
scores. The analysis, conducted by Rockman Et Al, demonstrated that
students in the Educate Online program performing below grade level,
demonstrated scale score point gains on the California Achievement Test
(CAT). Researchers examined data from more than 6,000 elementary,
middle, and high school students, and analyzed the increase between the
CAT pre-test and CAT post-test to determine academic progress. Data was
examined from students across the country.
The study found that after completing the Educate Online's math
program, students demonstrated grade-level gains in math of 0.2 to 2.2
over a control group and what was most impressive was that the lowest
performing students demonstrated the greatest achievement scores.
Researchers again compared academic results from students in the
Educate Online program with a control group of students during the
2007-2008 school year and findings indicate that students who completed
the reading program in the fall of 2007 demonstrated an average grade-
level gain of 1.65. What is exceptional is that students classified as
English Language Learners in the fall 2007 program demonstrated average
grade level gains of 1.3.
Educate Online also contacted classroom teachers to further gauge
our impact on students. In 2006, with permission of the San Diego
Unified School District, Educate Online surveyed teachers of students
who completed our program. 79% of teachers responded that there was a
noticeable change in student performance due to the Educate Online
program. 83% of English Language Arts classroom teachers indicated that
they had seen a noticeable change in their student's ability to read.
83% of math teachers indicated that their student demonstrated growth
or a noticeable improvement in their ability to solve math problems.
Our program has also resulted in students increased performance on
their state assessments. In the 2007-2008 school year, 250 middle
school students, mostly Native American students, in South Dakota
received tutoring after-school and during the regular school day from
Educate Online. 91% of participating students saw gains in reading on
the South Dakota State Test of Educational Progress (STEP). On average,
students who received tutoring from Educate Online experienced gains of
18 points on the STEP.
Ensuring Student Safety
To ensure student safety, the computers are loaded with security
software embedded in the operating system, only allowing students to
access the Educate Online program until they complete their tutoring.
While in our program students and parents can only access the Educate
Online site. We secure our computers to ensure students do not have
access to any inappropriate content and also for performance reasons:
First, we want students to use the computers for tutoring while in the
program; second, we do not want students or our teachers to
accidentally download a virus that would interfere with the performance
of the computer; and third, we want to protect our students from
receiving emails from unknown persons. Students who successfully
complete the program earn the right to keep the computer. We then send
them a code to ``unlock'' the computer and it is theirs to keep and use
accordingly. Families incur zero costs with the Educate Online program.
Educate Online's Educational Program
The Educate Online curriculum contains more than 12,500 digital
lessons created by third party educational publishing companies, such
as Monotype and Words and Numbers, as well as an internal content
writing team. All course content was custom created to directly support
a predefined curriculum derived from National Reading Panel (NRP) and
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards. Each
lesson is a designated ``type'' that supports a specific phase of the
``teaching cycle'' that facilitates the mastery learning and
scaffolding methodology--pre-test, guided practice, independent
practice, problem solving/applied practice, and mastery test.
In addition to adhering to NRP and NCTM standards, Educate Online
has directly mapped our curriculum to state standards, and can provide
detailed alignments.
Educate Online's Academic Reading program is a comprehensive,
systematic approach to developing reading skills. Direct instruction is
the key component in each of its five major strands: phonemic
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Using guided
practices in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension, the instructor
models and reinforces skills while gradually transferring the
responsibility of monitoring to the student.
The Math Essentials program focuses on problem solving and the
application of mathematics to real-life scenarios. The objective of our
math program is to prepare students to excel in mathematics by
mastering each level before moving on to the next. Our math program
helps to fill the gaps and build solid mathematical foundations. These
foundational concepts are then used to build on more complex operations
and concepts such as fractions, algebraic reasoning and more.
Both programs optimize instructional time through use of diagnostic
assessment and prescriptive, personalized learning plans.
Educate Online is accredited by CITA, the Commission on
International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.
Communicating with Parents
We update the Educate Online parent website after every session, so
that using the computer provided by Educate Online, parents can see
absolutely up-to-date progress reports for their child. They can also
view the lesson content to help reinforce the child's learning. The
progress reports illustrate the skills each student has mastered and
outline the upcoming lessons that the student will be completing. The
parent website is also where parents may schedule tutoring sessions for
their children at their own convenience, 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
We make every effort to make it easy for parents to contact us.
Educate Online has a trained bilingual (English and Spanish) call-
center staff to handle technical problems, parent questions, and any
other issues that may come up during the program. Our help line is open
during business hours and any time tutoring sessions are offered.
At the end of the program, parents receive a final report on their
child's progress.
Communicating with Schools and Districts
Educate Online has been working to find new ways to communicate
with districts and schools consistently and effectively. A new
communication tool for the 2009-2010 school year is the Principal's
Support Package. Principals will be able to log onto a secure website
and see student progress, at their convenience. The website will be
updated after every tutoring session delivered, ensuring up to date
information and the ability to share that information with classroom
teachers. Educate Online also sends monthly written progress reports to
the district, and will also send progress reports to district schools.
If the district provides contact information for classroom teachers,
Educate-Online will provide student's regular classroom teachers with
monthly progress reports for each student, so that the teacher can see
the skills their students are mastering in tutoring.
Educate Online Our Future Programs
Educate Online is in the process of piloting the use of our
technology to develop a speech and language program. Through this model
we will connect students via the internet with speech pathologists. We
think this technology will be particularly useful in communities where
they are experiencing a shortage of speech and language pathologists.
Additionally we are partnering with community colleges to target
students that just graduated from high school but need to take some
remedial classes before entering college. This program will provide
tutoring to these students the summer between high school and college
and target student's individual skills gaps so that by the fall the
student is prepared for college.
Conclusion
Again, I would like to thank to the Chairman and Ranking Member for
inviting me to be here today so that I can share the success our
technology program is having for students and schools.
I am happy to answer any questions from the Committee.
______
Chairman Miller. Thank you very much. Thank you to all of
you for your testimony, your demonstrations and your expertise.
Ms. Short and Ms. Bergland? I might ask you--if you could
both address part of this question, and that is you both
alluded to the impact of this on professional development and
also the ability to provide differentiated instruction to
students who learn either in different ways or learning at
different rates.
The assumption is that that this is very hard to do for a
teacher that doesn't really have a mastery of the subject
matter content. But I just wondered how this plays out. I
assume the better educated the teacher in math or science or
whatever the subject matter is would also lend to the leverage
provided by the technology.
But I just wondered if you might address that and how the
professional development plays into the usage of technology
with the students and given the differentiations that we see in
those students in almost every classroom that we have?
Don't be shy.
Ms. Bergland. I will go ahead and attempt to answer that.
First of all, the professional development is probably the most
important thing that you need to do if you want to really see
the power of technology to be used.
I think what you are getting at is maybe how can we help
teachers learn their content better, particularly if they have
a generalist certification, and they may not have all the
specific skills.
And there is a new way where it is called ``personal
learning networks'' where teachers can connect with other
professionals across the country now, and they can do that
using the Web 2.0 tools.
And so there is lots of different ways that teachers can
learn their subject matter a little bit better so they can do
that differentiation. But one of the things that is the power
of the technology is a lot of times these programs naturally do
that.
We use a product called TeamBiz where it is a reading
program, and every day, the kids read current events, but the
teacher has already preloaded and determined the reading level
of teach of the kids.
And so they are all reading the same subject matter, but it
is at different reading levels. And so it is naturally being
differentiated for them, and no one needs to know that they are
not all at the same level.
That is just one example.
Chairman Miller. Ms. Short?
Ms. Short. Are you asking about professional development in
order to incorporate the technology or for your content?
Chairman Miller. Well, really both, because the question is
also whether or not we need to provide additional development
and competency with the subject matter of the class and then
also the use of the technology.
And does one make up for the other, or I would assume that
they would be somewhat complimentary if they both took place.
Ms. Short. I think it would be very difficult to use the
technology if your subject matter wasn't there. As teachers, in
order to maintain our teaching certificates, we are required to
take professional development courses throughout the course of
a few years.
Also, our county offers professional development courses in
technology in your content area in order to be able to use the
technology to meet the different learning styles.
Obviously, if you don't know your curriculum very well, you
are not going to be able to describe it in multiple ways in
order to reach different students.
Chairman Miller. Mr. Kinney, do you have the ability to
fill in subject matter content for teachers that are presenting
the material that you are presenting to the classroom?
Mr. Kinney. Yes. I think one of the abilities of digital
content and technology to provide within the context of a
classroom is the packaging of materials to make it--I don't
want to say ``easier'', but to make those materials more
accessible to students in different ways and to make that tool
easier to use for educators across the country.
So for example, if you think back to the example I used of
the food chain, where you can now take a term, and instead of
displaying that just as a text resource, you can display it in
multiple formats. You can use animation and video and audio.
And so, the teacher doesn't have to have a deeper knowledge
of a specific content area, it is just they do have to have the
knowledge of utilizing that resource in a way that best meets
those children's instructional needs.
So I think there is a great deal of professional
development around, not just the resources themselves, but also
how do these resources affectively reach each child and their
instructional needs within the classroom.
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Mr. Chopra? How do we minimize schools getting locked into
proprietary systems over a long period of time that may not
work out? Or as you suggested both in Virginia and, I think,
the governor's call in California is really talking about an
open sourced textbook there that people would be able to change
and adapt and move around.
I don't know how you quite control that content, but how do
we make sure that we get the benefits. Members of Congress like
to often say they went into a classroom and there was a
textbook that said, when man lands on the, when man goes to the
moon or something like that--and that it is outdated. That is
interesting. Today, you don't have to suffer that.
But how do you maintain the integrity of these systems in a
Wikipedia world if you are going to make an open-sourced text
or curricula available to schools?
Mr. Chopra. Mr. Chairman, that is a terrific question, and
I think the key to the question is: How do we govern content
that is not traditionally seen as a single textbook.
One of the benefits of our move towards a data-driven
environment in education is the ability now--or as we make
these investments--to focus on what content works in the
classroom by the various experiences.
So Ms. Short might have a compilation of lesson plans and
perhaps a chapter of some book that she is used to convey the
value of a particular plan. Hopefully, we will be able to
understand the fact that the content itself was useful in
presenting that concept.
As long as there is a thoughtful way at the state level to
govern the quality of that content, that was at the heart of
the pilot we had seen in Virginia. So a rigorous quality review
on content organized in new ways--when we think about the old
compact disc, we would buy a disk, and it would have lots of
content on it.
Today, we buy songs, and they have discrete individual
components. I think in the same way, educational content is now
being in a similar fashion chunked up by these compilations of
video clips and chapters of learning.
So the core question of yours about proprietary versus open
is so long as the content can be evaluated, I believe the
marketplace can decide what is the most effective means to
deliver that content.
It might be on a, you know, a proprietary hardware platform
like an eBook reader that might take this content and make it
available. We would envision a wide range of innovations in the
devices and the method by which that is dispensed.
So long as we have thoughtful understanding of which
content works, and that, I think, is the key to the success of
these initiatives.
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Mr. Castle?
Mr. Castle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chopra, are we at the federal level--the congressional
and executive branch--delivering in the most organized and best
way we can, in your mind--you can play God here, and tell us
whatever you want--the whole improvement and technology driven
education, or should we be doing this differently or funding it
differently, or do you have any thoughts about that?
Mr. Chopra. Thank you.
Mr. Castle. Not details, but just a broad stroke.
Mr. Chopra. No, at the highest level, I think what you have
is a policy priority of the president that you saw in real life
witnessed today on these phenomenal panelists--I am sort of
humbled to be aside them--and I do believe we need to dialogue
in ways to best leverage the capacity of technology but
focusing on its use in the classroom.
So I think to the extent that we engage in some concepts
around how we can better evaluate this success in sort of a
thoughtful research-based way on the use of the technology, we
might be in a better position to ensure a societal return on
investment.
I intend to work very closely with my colleagues across the
administration, obviously Secretary Duncan and Jim Shelton, in
particular, to bring some rigor to the thought process and to
be supportive in, what I hope will be, a dialogue over the
coming weeks and months and making this even more effective.
Mr. Castle. Thank you.
Perhaps, Ms. Short and Mr. Real are the ones who provoked
this question, but others may want to answer it, and that is
the question of how much are we really improving as far as the
use of technology is concerned?
Ms. Short, you cited one student who improved a great deal,
and Mr. Real, you obviously cited your own example of that.
But my concern is just on the measuring, is there some
methodology by which we can determine they are truly doing
better?
I mean, I can tell you that the teachers I disliked going
to classes the most, are the ones who probably were the best.
There were two women who were teachers of mine who were just
mean and hard and tough, and I look upon them now as having
actually taught me something.
I never told them that, unfortunately, they have passed on.
And I just worry that, you know, this all may seem to be
working because it is engaging students. But is it truly
working in terms of improvement levels, and can we document
that in some way or another?
And do you have any responses about that? Virtually all of
you testified to that, and I don't doubt it. I just want to
make sure we are documenting this in some way or another.
Mr. Real. I just think there is a lot more resources that
we have as students today, because before, you know, the
traditional high school, you could always hide behind, like,
``Oh, the teacher doesn't like me. I am just going to quit.''
Whereas now, you see so many people doing it. There is
always a competitive edge in high school--especially in high
school. There is such competitive, you know--``What number are
you in your class rank? What is your GPA''? And now you have no
excuses.
Now you can do as much or as little as you want, and in our
community, it is as much as we want. Because whereas before,
there was the little, you know, there wasn't that many sources.
And now there is, you know, for everything, you know, I--
personally, me, there was a lot of resources that many of my
students had just because of my situation. I mean, I learned
how to tie a tie on YouTube. That is how I learned it. You
know, whereas their father could have taught them before they
went to church.
You know, I went on YouTube and now I have resources for
life situations as well as, you know, school resources, and
that is where I got a lot of the knowledge that I got about
what are the universities that I wanted to go.
Because I couldn't go on tours. So I got everything online
and everything by word of mouth of where to go online, whereas
before, it was just word of mouth. So I think the resources
that we have now are just unbelievable, and that is what has
opened the doors to me today.
Mr. Castle. Ms. Short?
Ms. Short. This year I have seen an amazing difference
between the amount of engagement of my students and the
hierarchy thinking that they have been involved in.
But when we had this technology incorporated in our school,
we didn't do it from a statistical standpoint. It wasn't
researched-based. So I don't really have like something to
compare it to.
I know that I only have two students that failed my class
this year out of 125 students. Last year, I probably had about
12 percent of my students who failed. So it went down
significantly, but I don't know if it is--you can't compare it.
Last year, those students were in seventh grade. They had a
different science teacher. This year, they have me. It is
different content. It is really difficult in education to
compare the two when there are so many variables.
Mr. Castle. Mr. Chopra, did you want to comment?
Mr. Chopra. Your question is at the heart of ensuring we
have a return on taxpayer investment, and I might suggest that
we grappled with this issue in Virginia.
One of the ways in which we evaluated success was actually
flipping the model around. What problem were we trying to
solve? When we looked across the challenges in our test scores,
we found that sixth grade algebra--pre-algebra, frankly, had
been our worst performing subject and, in fact, had been in the
68 percent order of magnitude of success.
So we took that problem, and then issued a challenge to
technology developers to build mobile applications. In fact,
that contest is underway now--it is going to expire at the end
of June--to say, help bring about innovations through
technology that will help us close what is a performance gap in
this narrow subject we identified through our research on
fractions, proportions, and so forth.
So if we flipped the question and said, ``What is our
policy or educational outcome objective,'' and then challenged
the technology industry to help develop applications and
strategies to meet it, we are going to hopefully see ourselves
in a better position to assess the marginal value of that
particular initiative.
And I think that methodology might be helpful as we move
forward, Congressman.
Chairman Miller. Mr. Kildee?
Mr. Kildee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to follow
through on your question. You know, when I taught school over
40 years ago, I was considered advanced technologically,
because I knew how to thread the movie projector. [Laughter.]
Other teachers would call upon me to help them on that, and
then when the federal government began to get involved in
assisting schools and purchasing some of the technology, a lot
of it wound up in the closet.
My question then--and I will address it to you, Ms.
Bergland, and others might want to answer--to what degree do
teacher training institutions prepare the students to
effectively use existing and rapidly changing technology and
software material?
Ms. Bergland. Did you say the higher ed?
Mr. Kildee. Teacher training institutions, in general.
Ms. Bergland. Okay. First of all, I will tell you that when
I first started teaching, I always wanted to be across from the
football coach, because he could help me when the projector
didn't work. He knew how to use it better than anybody.
I would say that we work with our teacher training
institutes. I mean, Texas A&M University is in my community,
and we work with them, and their educational technology, but it
is something that we do tend to have to make sure that the--a
lot of the students coming out of college, they know how to use
technology. That is not the problem. It is learning how to use
it instructionally and having good--and that still takes some
time.
So we are still working on that. I think the education
departments in the universities do a good job, but they are
learning a lot of their content from college professors that
are still standing and delivering instruction the old,
traditional way.
Mr. Kildee. I guess then that gets to the heart of my
question: How do the teacher training institutions either
during the undergraduate years or graduate years teach them how
to actually make that technology effective in a classroom?
Yes?
Mr. Kinney. One of the things that we have done at
Discovery is, obviously, the professional development around
this is such a critical component, because it really is a
change in the way we are asking people to deliver instruction.
We work with Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and actually
developed a masters program in using instructional media
effectively in the classroom, and so we had experts from around
the country who developed these courses and actually deliver
these courses both online and in person in a masters program
for current in-service teachers.
So that is one of the things that we did to address that.
The second thing we do is really work with administrations of
school districts who are implementing a systematic approach to
really look at their comprehensive professional development
needs to make sure that we provide ongoing plans that are
multi-year to make sure that people are effectively using this
in a classroom.
Because, even if people know how to use the technology, I
think, your point is right on. Using it for an instructional
purpose is really a different thing.
Mr. Kildee. One thing we don't want is what I call the
Carter Glass syndrome--Senator Carter Glass--very famous
senator--the Glass-Steagle Bill. When the dial telephone came
in, he refused to use it. He would just dial zero--the most he
would do--and then tell the operator which number he wanted.
And, you know, in every profession, you can have that
Carter Glass syndrome where they just are used to one system.
This is the system they learned when they started teaching, and
you have kids coming in, and you want to have a teacher,
whether they have been teaching 1 year or 25 years, a teacher
who moves with the use of the new technology and the materials
that go with that technology.
But both teacher training institutions and the school
system has to push those teachers, I think, to use the new
technology and don't fall into the Carter-Glass syndrome.
Any other comments on----
Mr. McAuliffe. Yes, I would like to comment. Technology
allows you to do many things. One, the fear of a child being
nervous about technology--you shouldn't worry about that. That
is usually the easiest of the problems.
The teachers in our program get trained 8 hours so that
they become very familiar with the technology. In addition to
them being trained on the technology, they are also trained on
student participation and motivation to make sure that they
make the use of the technology easy for those students.
To address a couple of the other questions, if I may very
quickly, technology allows you to do pre-assessments and post-
assessments to very effectively measure a student's academic
progress there.
In our program, the pre-assessment will drive a
prescriptive, individualized learning plan that will lead the
teacher through the program through mastery learning where they
will teach and re-teach the lesson until the student has
learned that lesson and then move onto the other lessons.
So technology can allow you to address many of the concerns
that you gentlemen have raised today.
Mr. Kildee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Miller. Mr. Hare?
Mr. Hare. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Short, you know, parental involvement is one of the
most strongest predictors of future academic success.
In your testimony, you mentioned that parents have access
to lesson plans and homework help, and have you seen parents
become a lot more involved in children's education as a result
of this?
Ms. Short. Sometimes I dread getting onto my computer and
checking my e-mail, because it takes 45 minutes to respond to
all the parent communication.
Yes, parents are definitely involved. Even in my school
with the diverse population, they are involved. I have had
various scenarios this year where my students have been
absent--parents will e-mail me.
They say, ``What are you doing today? Can you give me your
lesson, your review sheets, your flip charts''? And I have
uploaded that onto a resource that we use in our county called
Edline.
And then within an hour, a parent e-mails me back and says,
``Thank you very much. We have everything. She will have it for
you the next day.'' So it is----
Mr. Hare. That is incredible.
Ms. Short. It is incredible. And our students and parents
have access to Edline. On a daily basis they can monitor their
grades. They can check to see when homework assignments are
due, and when their next assessment will be.
Mr. Hare. Wow.
Mr. Chopra, I am the co-chair of the House for Rural
Education Caucus, and I am particularly interested in how
technology can help rural schools overcome the unique
challenges such as lack of financial resources and geographics
and things of that nature.
You highlighted in your testimony an innovative program
being implemented in a rural Virginia school district called an
Open Classroom Project, and I wonder if you could tell me a
little bit more about how this program works.
And can school districts use this program to connect to and
collaborate with other school districts, particularly in the
rural communities, because, you know, I have a huge rural area,
and I am very interested in making sure that those young kids
get the opportunity to get the same type of education as the
kids in the bigger cities do.
Mr. Chopra. I thank you for that question. In fact, rural
communities, I think, are a great source of potential of next
generation innovation if we can connect those communities in
more meaningful ways. So we had a very high focus on that
aspect.
This particular initiative is sort of the necessity as the
mother of all invention. The school district was facing budget
shortfalls and tried to find ways to save money. The technology
department said, ``Hey, we think we could actually get more
with less.'' And they said, ``Look, we could put together a
compilation of tools that would improve parent communication,
teacher-to-teacher sharing, student engagement, and we could
cobble together a series of tools that are available more
freely and low cost in the market and assemble them in this
little district.''
Governor Kaine had given them a little grant to document
all the work they had done so it could be replicated in
communities all across Virginia, and frankly, the country. I
included a Web URL for the Virginia Open Classroom Initiative,
vaopenclassroom.org.
Anybody can download the tools that they have been using
effectively in their school district. It is extraordinarily
cheap. In fact, in most cases, free. And they are focusing on
the resources that will actually empower all of the components
that you have heard talked about here today.
So if we can keep the infrastructure as modest in their
expense as possible. Take advantage of broadband, which we
haven't spoken as much of today, to ensure that we have the
kind of capacity for resource sharing in our rural areas, and
most importantly, focus on new content that we think could help
address some of the long-standing challenges around educational
attainment.
We have in our most rural communities very low rates of
educational attainment, and incremental ideas are not making
the kind of breakthrough change we need. And so we took, for
example, the old GED curriculum for adult ed and mashed it up
with Microsoft's Learning Academies for Technology and projects
that would give students a chance to experiment.
And we think boldly that in 6 months, a dropout could be a
technology worker, and we are going to try those kind of
experiments. And I look forward to working with you on trying
to find game-changing ideas to support our rural communities,
because it is critical for our success.
Mr. Hare. I would love to work with you on that. And I know
I am running out of time. Ms. Short, just so I get the figures
right at the end of it, and by the way, I think I got it right
when I hit 16 percent, so I didn't want to be the only one on
the committee to get it wrong. I am glad I got it right. That
would have looked great with my chairman.
What did you say the United Kingdom had or Great Britain
had in terms of the percent versus what the United States--we
had 16, and they have what now?
Ms. Short. Seventy.
Mr. Hare. So they have 70 percent, and we are at 16.
Ms. Short. Seventy percent of their classrooms have
interactive boards.
Mr. Hare. What do we have to do from our end of it to be
able to get that up? I mean, that to me just is wonderful
technology. What do we have to do here?
Ms. Short. Funding. [Laughter.]
Chairman Miller. Next.
Mr. Hare. Ms. Short, I just can't thank you enough for your
answer.
Chairman Miller. Some things never change even with the
technology.
Mr. Hare. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Well, we will work on
that.
Chairman Miller. Ms. Hirono?
Ms. Hirono. Thank you. I would like to follow up on Mr.
Hare's line of questioning, because this all is really
impressive, and Ms. Short, you must be a very well-liked
teacher, because just sitting here watching your demonstration
made me think that I would have liked to have been in your
class.
Mr. Chopra, I am curious to know, have you done any kind of
a study on how much it would cost for our country to get up to
speed on, you know, the wideband and all of that for all of our
schools, realizing, of course, that it is not the federal
government's role to pay for all of this, but just wondering
how much would it cost our country?
Mr. Chopra. I don't have those figures, but I might flip
the question, and that is, how might we drive more innovation
into the marketplace. So I could produce facts and figures on
the cost of a laptop for every child, maybe 4 or 5 years ago,
and that would have presumed a certain cost per device.
Today, we don't know what the device is going to look like
that kids are going to have in their hands to be able to
interact and learn. That device might cost of 50 bucks or a
hundred bucks, and we might naturally find ways to find
operational savings to cover that cost.
I think the bigger challenge for us is ensuring, I think,
to Congressman Castle's question, where is the value in being
more rigorous about how we present the outcomes that we are
trying to achieve? Does it improve on math and reading and all
the various things you have heard anecdotally described today.
The more rigor we have around what the ``killer
application'' is that would drive performance, I am confident
our private sector will innovate to bring new products, devices
and tools into the marketplace, and therefore, drive prices
down and make it easier for us to be successful.
That doesn't mean that we shouldn't look for creative ways
to pilot research and development initiatives and other things
with the resources we have made available so we can find ways
to drive that kind of game-changing innovation, but if the
number were to be based on current prices, it would be
significant.
Ms. Hirono. Ms. Short, how much say did you have in your
school as to what kind of technology would be made available to
your students? Because you use a whiteboard, but there are any
number of other ways that your school could have gone. Did you,
as a teacher, have a say in the matter?
Ms. Short. Actually, we didn't. Our county was going
through middle school reform and a technology modernization,
and within the summer, they had installed the Promethean boards
into the classroom, and the first day of school, they were
there, and we were ready to use them.
Ms. Hirono. Do you think that would be an important element
as we move forward that the teachers would become engaged so
that this is not yet another program, another method that is
imposed upon teachers?
Ms. Short. At the beginning of the year, a lot of teachers
thought it was imposing, but throughout the year as we got
better with the technology, it became fun. It became fun. My
husband and I--he is also a teacher--there is an unspoken
competition as to who could create the best foot chart.
Other teachers, even our veteran teachers who have been
teaching the same curriculum--well not necessarily the same
curriculum for 30 years, but they have been teaching in the
same manner--they became excited to use the technology as well.
They were coming to professional development; they were
coming to other teachers who were using it. Unfortunately, we
weren't able to take our staff development subs and walk into
other people's classrooms to see them use the technology
efficiently, and we kind of need that back.
We need the time to go into classrooms and see teachers
using this effectively, and we just didn't have an opportunity
to do that this year.
Ms. Hirono. Ms. Bergland, you mention--and others of you
mentioned--how important the professional development part of
this is, because I can envision teachers who really may not
even know their subject area very well, but then they can maybe
hide behind some of the curriculum that would be packaged using
technology, and that wouldn't be such a great thing for a
student to sit there knowing that the teacher is just sort of
slapping these things onto a whiteboard or whatever, a
computer.
So this part of how we are going to move forward as a
country, I think, is very challenging. Do you have any thoughts
on how we can have the two working in concert?
Ms. Bergland. You touched on the most important thing, and
that is professional development. When we first started this, I
told my school board, the technical issues, which at first,
everyone is concerned about--are kids going to put, you know,
viruses on the machines, and how you can have enough bandwidth
to have wireless everywhere--I told them that is easy.
What is difficult is getting teachers to change the way
they have been teaching. And you can't just do the ``how-to''
training at the beginning. It has to be ongoing, and it has to
be job imbedded, and you have to take them through a continuum.
You are going to start with ``how-to'', and then you are
going to move into, ``How do I use it with kids''? ``How do I
manage a classroom where very student has a laptop''? That is a
very disruptive thing that happens to a teacher if they are not
prepared for it, but you can't stop with the teacher.
In fact, you need to start with the administrators, because
they are the ones that can empower the teachers to do the
things that need to be done. And it needs to be the
administrators at the campus at all levels, but it also needs
to be the administrators at the district level, because the
curriculum coordinators have a very important part here.
Because in our first year of implementation, we had their
vocal support, but their real support wasn't there, because
they weren't a part of the whole buy-in process. So after that
first year, we had to bring all of our curriculum coordinators
in, and start with them, and once they saw the potential, then
they began to support it, and then the project was successful.
Ms. Hirono. Thank you. I think my time is up. Yield back.
Chairman Miller. Mr. Scott?
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Mr. Chopra, I want to thank you for your hard work in
Virginia, and I know you have got a lot on your plate. You have
got all of the technology, generally, but do you also have
cyber security? Is that part of your challenge? So you have
been doing a lot. Thank you very much.
There is a lot of fancy equipment out there that is very
expensive. How would a school system know what works that will
actually better the education, and what would be a waste of
money?
Mr. Chopra. That is a terrific question, Congressman, and
thank you for your leadership in the Commonwealth as well.
I would say that one of the advantages of programs like our
Education Technology program is that we are building up
capacity within state department's of education to facilitate
some degree of thoughtful evaluation and support.
In Virginia--I don't know how many other states have a
similar model, but we have thoughtful administrators who can
assist and provide kind of best-practice sharing so that local
schools can have the kind of advice and counsel they need in an
objective manner so that they can make the right technology
investment choices.
We do some of this around guidance on procurement. We do
some of this by sharing through training professional
development the technology resource administrators that many
states have, and we have nearly 1,200 of them across the
Commonwealth of Virginia that are funded largely by the state
but supplemented by federal resources.
That network helps to ensure that the decisions that are
made are fair, effective, and that they are being properly
deployed. My hope is that as more and more of our research
thinking goes into the evaluation of the quality of various
interventions that it will help to drive the market towards
better and better results.
But we are still further down the road for that activity.
Mr. Scott. Thank you. Following up with the gentleman from
Illinois, you talked about rural areas. One of the advantages
in technology is you can have a virtual teacher who can teach
courses for which there is not a critical mass of students.
Are virtual teachers as effective as regular classroom
teachers, and what can we do to make sure they are more
effective?
Mr. Chopra. If it is virtual, Ms. Short, I would imagine it
would be very effective.
Mr. Scott. Does somebody----
Mr. McAuliffe. Yes, I can address that----
Mr. Scott. Mr. McAuliffe?
Mr. McAuliffe [continuing]. Because we do use virtual
teachers. Again, I will go back to the academic gains. We
measure that on every student that starts our program and
completes our program, and we have seen fairly dramatic
increases in grade level performance.
We also made sure that all of our teachers are certified,
have taught in a classroom for at least 2 years, so they are
familiar with the teaching environment. Then we take the time
to train them on the technology.
I think the beauty of our model is the fact that you can
tap into a teacher base, whether it be at night, whether it be
on the weekends, whether it be somebody that might be in a
high-population area that can service a child in a rural
environment.
Mr. Scott. Now, when you say ``virtual'' are you talking
about live virtual or recorded virtual?
Mr. McAuliffe. Yes. No, ours is a live personalized virtual
environment. The other area that I think this is very
important, there is a lot of needs going unmet right now.
The example I used before was speech therapists. There are
thousands of kids in our school systems that need that service
that aren't receiving them because of the lack of speech
therapists out there.
We have the ability to match a speech therapist, wherever
they may be, with a student in school at their location using
the computer.
Mr. Scott. Thank you.
Ms. Bergland, you indicated that laptops were extremely
valuable in a student's education. Would denial of a laptop
constitute a denial of equal educational opportunity?
Ms. Bergland. (OFF MIKE)
Mr. Scott. Sure. Sure it is.
Ms. Bergland. I do think that my community--we have at
least 30 percent--we just surveyed our students, and 30 percent
of our students said they do not have a computer at home.
And my own daughter is a junior in high school, and I talk
to her about this a lot, and she does a lot of her homework at
home using my laptop. And I have a lot of kids in my community
that don't have those resources. So I think in the bigger
picture, I think, I would have to answer yes to that.
I think it is important. I think those kids that don't have
that access at home are not playing on the same playing field.
They do not have the same advantages of the children whose
parents have not only the laptop but also bandwidth and the
Internet access at home.
Because when we ask the question about how many of my
students in our school district have Internet access, we had
about 35 percent that don't. And then it was about 45 percent
that don't have cable access, because we were trying to figure
out if we could label our cable franchise and get them to
provide a cheap Internet access for our kids at home.
So you do have kids who if we don't provide it at school,
they are not going to have that opportunity, and they are not
going to have those opportunities that they need to be able to
compete with those kids that do have it.
Mr. Scott. Thank you.
Chairman Miller. Mr. Real, did you want to respond to Mr.
Scott's last question about access to laptops? I just thought
you did. If you don't, that is fine.
Mr. Real. Well, the access to the laptop, it definitely
puts us on a different, you know, playing field, because it
doesn't--like, before, where we just had paper and pencil, and
you had to be creative in your ways, now you want to be
creative while entertaining yourself at the same time, which is
at every kid's heart.
So when we want to get on the laptop, we can see this; we
can do this, and when we can help each other out, that is what
really gets us to do these really cool projects, because we can
help each other out, expand on what we know, and then we can
turn it in, and just everyone will stay in awe.
And even when we present this, like, in PowerPoints and
movie presentations, we look at what we look at what each other
does, and we know for next time. So it is further learning
every time we present--further learning.
Because I remember when I was just a freshman, it was
different, and it was so different, because it was just a basic
ones--you just have a slide here, and now, you go in there, you
have all these colors, you have things flying out, and--so it
is just so much different.
I think it just elevates, and it makes us do better.
Chairman Miller. Thank you.
Mr. Tierney:
Mr. Tierney. As my friend Rush Holt says, ``The fundamental
right to be entertained,'' which it doesn't hurt at all.
I think maybe Ms. Bergland, Ms. Short, and Mr. Hartschuh
might be able to answer this question: We have a whole cadre of
teachers out there who have no background in technology at
all--excellent teachers, been teaching for a long time--and
obviously, it would be beneficial to have them become familiar
with this technology and capable of using it.
So what are we going to do? How do we most effectively get
them to do that, and how long does it take to have a teacher
with a long-teaching experience actually acclimate themselves
to this technology and become able to use it efficiently?
Ms. Bergland. There has been some research on that, and it
indicates that it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 years starting at
if you are at the level where it is in your face--is what I
like to call it.
You are at that point, you are saying, ``This isn't making
my life easier,'' because you are having to struggle learning
how to use it--to the point where you are being innovative with
it and you are teaching differently--it takes 3 to 5 years.
I think one of the things that you have already done in
your Title II, Part D program, you have basically said that 25
percent of the funds have to be spent on professional
development.
And I think there is even a proposal where you up that to
40 percent. I think that is important.
Mr. Tierney. Yes, I am just curious, you know, how do we
motivate those teachers to not resist it on that? Anybody that
might----
Ms. Bergland. That is where you start with the
administrators. The leadership has to buy into this, and
teachers are going to do what their administrators want them to
do.
And they are going to take that leadership--if they are
encouraged; if they are supported--you want to have all of the
good professional development strategies that we know work.
You don't want to do just the ``come in and train and sit
down and leave.'' You want to have ongoing professional
development. You want to make it relative to their subjects.
You know, teachers like what we call ``make and take it
sessions,'' where they can come in and they can actually then
go back into their classroom and use it.
And then you also--we actually hired an integration
specialist that worked at our one-to-one campuses, and they
would go in and plan with the teachers. They would also model
teach for the teachers. And then you also want to imbed that
technology into the curriculum, because if it is already
imbedded into the curriculum, then it helps them with that.
Mr. Tierney. Well, Mr. Chopra, in that line, is anybody
taking an assessment of what our colleges that are preparing
people to teach have on hand for the technology itself--the
hardware and the software on there and the teaching core to
teach teachers how to use that?
Mr. Chopra. I don't know any national studies on that, but
having visited with the network of colleges that are mostly
engaged on teacher training, they see this as a key element of
their work going forward.
And, again, this notion of having a resource available--it
is a state and local question, in large part, how they organize
themselves for this kind of capacity----
Mr. Tierney. A huge investment, I would think, right?
Mr. Chopra. It is a huge investment, and states like
Virginia are taking that step. I don't know as much as the
other states in terms of how they built--but a network of 1,200
professionals in the classrooms across the--in this example,
one state--certainly helped to mitigate against the risk of
fear on the technology and the poor decision making about what
you buy and how you use it.
And having that kind of capacity, certainly in our
experience in Virginia was successful, and I am too early to
have visibility into the national picture.
Mr. Tierney. I know of only one school in my district that
actually made a smart campus out of it or whatever, and their
enrollment applications went up 10 percent in 1 year, because
students want to do this.
Mr. Real? Can you tell me, did the technology keep you
interested in school--obviously, but did it also help inform
what you wanted to do with your life, or was that a totally
separate decision?
Mr. Real. It helped me stay in school 100 percent.
Mr. Tierney. Right.
Mr. Real. I remember later on, I don't have much contact
with my family, but my brother did say--the words that came out
of his mouth, ``If I would have had what you had, I think I
would have stayed in school.'' And for it to come out of my
brother, it was tough.
Mr. Tierney. Did it inform what you chose to do in terms of
the nursing at all, or----
Mr. Real. It had a lot to do, because I didn't know about
any careers really. I just knew that I had to go to school. But
once I went into healthcare, I was like, okay, healthcare,
okay, you are going to be a doctor, but then I realized that
there is so many careers out there.
I mean, and then we actually had clinicals where we were
near x-rays, and we could use technology, and I was like, I am
going to stay.
I am going to stay, and I am going to use everything that I
can, and it helped me because later on, you know, when I needed
that escape from my home life, I would go and check out so many
medical careers online and using the Web, and that is what
really made me stay in healthcare--that I had a variety, no
matter where I was.
Mr. Tierney. There is an incredible number of technology
related jobs that are going to be available in every field, and
so it is interesting that you say that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, witnesses.
Chairman Miller. Thank you, and I want to remind members of
the committee, the audience and others that beginning at 12:00
in the foyer out here, there will be demonstrations of this
technology and much more from Apple, from Carnegie Learning,
from CASS, from Discovery Education, from eChalk,
ExploreLearning, Froguts--you can go out and dissect a frog
right there in the foyer if you are so inclined, Oracle
Foundation, PBS TeacherLine, Pearson, PolyVision with the
interactive whiteboard and demonstrations how to use that
beyond what we saw today--from Scholastic and READ 180 and on
and on and on and SMART Technologies and other companies that
will be presenting out here in the foyer to staff and members
of Congress from 12:00 until 3:00.
Mr. Holt?
Mr. Holt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A quick question for Mr.
Chopra following on Mr. Tierney's line of questioning: In the
$650 million that, I believe, is available under the ARRA, the
so-called ``stimulus funding for educational technology,'' are
their plans in the administration to either make that money or
other money available for teacher professional development--
specific plans in light of what you were all saying just a
moment ago?
Mr. Chopra. Well, first of all, Congressman, I am from
Plainsboro, New Jersey, so----
Mr. Holt. Yes, I know you are. It is good to see here.
Mr. Chopra [continuing]. It is a pleasure to be here. The
department is actively working on the programs for stimulus,
and I believe they are focused on opportunities to tackle the
issues that we have outlined.
I don't have specifics about the particulars of where that
dollar funding will go, but clearly we will get back with you
as those details come in.
Mr. Holt. Let me drop that as a suggestion, and I would----
Mr. Chopra. I would greatly appreciate that feedback.
Mr. Holt [continuing]. Coming back on that. One of the
advantages that several of you have talked about in connection
with the educational technology is the ability to have
immediate feedback, formative teaching experiences--in other
words, getting back to the teachers and changing outcome by
changing the teaching within hours or days or weeks.
I have seen this happen in some schools, but clearly there
are impediments to it. If we want to get the most of this--let
me ask Dr. Hartschuh first. What do you see are the impediments
to getting this kind of--using the educational technology in
assessment, feedback, working with teachers to fill in the gaps
to address conceptual problems that are identified and so
forth.
What are the impediments to actually getting that applied
throughout the country?
Mr. Hartschuh. Well, obviously, it is infrastructure and,
you know, funding to, you know, have the equipment available to
the students.
We have been very successful in Delaware doing what we call
``benchmark testing,'' where every student will sit down over a
period of 2 weeks. They will be able to have a window of about
2 weeks to run all the students in the school through, you
know, their math and reading assessments.
How they do that varies by schools depending upon the
infrastructure that they have. Obviously, you need the number
of computers available to the students to do this, and as we
look at that, the biggest impediment probably at that point is
probably the data interpretation of saying, this student is at
level (A), another student's at level (B), another student's at
level (C), and how you address those, you know, issues at that
point in time, you know, the differentiated instruction
concept, and that.
But the bottom is that we are trying to give the teachers
as much information about the student and where that student is
at so that they can address those individual needs of the
student.
Mr. Holt. Well, let me turn to Ms. Short then, and if there
is time to others.
You talk about being able to record individual students or
anonymous students. How do you decide how much of this is used
for individual assessment, how much of it is used to guide you
as a teacher?
And for this to be applied throughout the school, what
impediments do you see to using the information that is gained
about individual students and individual classes being used to
improve the education throughout the system.
Ms. Short. Great question. Obviously, I can use the data in
my instruction to determine what difficulty they are having
with the information as it relates to my science class.
But now in Maryland we have the science MSA, and let's say
my colleague and I develop questions that relate to specific
areas of the science MSA test, and we do it as a 5-minute warm
up before we begin our lesson each day, and over the course of
2 weeks, we can determine if their level of inference ability
is low, then we can target students on just that ability.
Or if they are unable to target the main idea, we can do
that as well. In our math curriculum, or in our reading
curriculum, we have the voluntary state curriculum that is
broken down into different indicators that you can focus on. So
you can use that--and we actually have used that information
throughout this past year.
We break it down; we bring it to our instructional
leadership team, and all of that data is looked at and
assessed, and we try to determine strategies on how to develop
programs and resources to help those students.
Mr. McAuliffe. Could I also address that? If you are okay,
I would--if I could----
Chairman Miller. Yes, quickly. Yes.
Mr. McAuliffe [continuing]. Situation. While our tutoring
is done predominantly outside the traditional classroom, our
lesson plans are driven by the assessment but then can be
individualized as the student progresses.
Depending on the speed at which they are progressing
through lessons, we also have prescription monitors that will
monitor the progress of students along with the individual
teachers tutoring them so that those lesson plans can be
altered as the student progresses through the program.
And then last but not least, the parent involvement will
also help drive any changes that are necessary for their
curriculum.
Mrs. Biggert. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I apologize for
having two other committees at the same time. But I did want to
ask just a couple questions.
In addition to being a strong proponent for utilizing
technology to improve learning, I am also interested in the
possibility of using the new technology on the measurement
side.
And I am particularly concerned about this, particularly,
in Chicago where it took them through the next school year to
actually get the results of the tests, which didn't really
help, I think, the learning of the students since they didn't
know what the results were in order to plan for the next year,
and I hope that--I don't think that that would happen again.
But when NCLB is, I think, reauthorized, we are going to
have to take a long, hard look at the metrics used to evaluate
the students and calculate AYP.
Have any of you examined the possibility of using
computerized adaptive testing to more accurately measure the
student achievement? Whoever would like to answer that.
Mr. Hartschuh?
Mr. Hartschuh. Yes. In Delaware, the Delaware Comprehensive
Assessment System is in the process of being developed--that we
are going to roll out in the 2010/2011 school year. That will
be all online assessments.
So all students in the state of Delaware will take online
assessments in, you know, grades three through eight. They will
be adaptive tests. At this point in time, they are adaptive--
grade level only, because that is what USDOE will allow us to
do.
We are hoping that down the road we will be able to move to
an adaptive testing that goes across grade levels. So if a
student actually is in third grade, if they, you know, need the
adaptive testing, you know, to take them back down to second
grade, or they are advanced enough to go to fourth or fifth
grade, you know, we are hoping that, you know, we are going to
be able to do that down the road once we clear some hurdles
with that.
Mrs. Biggert. Wouldn't that be a lot easier to have the
growth method----
Mr. Hartschuh. That would address the growth model that we
are implementing right now, yes.
Mrs. Biggert. Okay. Anybody else like to address that? Yes,
Mr. Chopra?
Mr. Chopra. Congresswoman, I would just make a general
observation. If you looked at the retailing industry, the level
of data and analytics available for them to know if I buy milk
on Wednesday that they should up sell me to Oreo cookies
because of my historical patterns--the level of analytical
rigor in those kinds of decision making by the retailing
sector, if you compared that with this very basic question that
we are asking today, does student performance improve by the
video clip that Discovery showed, or the lesson methodology
that Ms. Short described for a particular day, or a chapter of
content that is going to be taught over a course of weeks?
It is very difficult when I look at what I see happening in
other aspects of our economy where we have measured to the nth
degree the best value of resources against challenges.
It is challenging for me to think about where we are in the
ability to cross content quality, teacher quality--all the
various elements in order to make the kind of management
decisions necessary to improve student performance.
I hope as we move forward in the initiatives that are
underway, we will see a more attention focused on how we can
think more broadly about these analytical capabilities, and I
think there is great potential if we were to do that correctly.
Mrs. Biggert. That kind of addresses the other part of this
question, and that is: How do we measure, I think, and evaluate
the populations like special ed and then the extremely gifted,
or how do we move to be able to address, not only just the
student, but how to address those populations.
I think one of our biggest problems has been with the
special ed when we have been asking them to take a test for
their age group of like, say, fourth grade, but they are really
reading at first grade level.
Anyone care to address that?
Mr. Hartschuh?
Mr. Hartschuh. Well, yes. One of the bigger issues you have
with the paper-pencil test is it is very difficult to be
adaptive with that.
The students with disabilities are obviously--the online
assessment will be to their advantage. In Delaware we are
starting to design our system.
The one thing that we are doing is multiple opportunities
to take the state test--not only one, but again--students with
disabilities, you know, there can be multiple adaptations for
them, you know, to address their needs.
Mrs. Biggert. Just one other--I think one of the things
that has bothered me is that with those kinds of tests, when we
have the difference between the NAPE tests and then the state
tests and sometimes the difference where the--for example, the
number one state on there as they plan their test, and then
ranking at the bottom of the NAPE test--would there be an
integration?
Are we going to--I am not--I think that, you know, local
control is so important. With this technology, would we be
moving more toward the national test? Is that a concern of
anyone or is that a benefit?
Chairman Miller. Anyone?
Mrs. Biggert. I guess we will wait until next year when we
start addressing that to get the answers. Thank you----
Mr. Hartschuh. Well, I might not be able to address that
directly, but in our program, again, as I said before, you take
a national assessment test at the beginning of that, and the
lesson plan is derived from that assessment.
Those lesson plans are now aligned in our program to all
the state standards. So depending on what state that student is
living in or residing in, we align that program with our state
standards with, as I mentioned before, our goal of trying to
improve their performance on the state standard test.
Mrs. Biggert. Thank you.
Chairman Miller. Ms. Woolsey?
Ms. Woolsey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I apologize for
not being here for your entire presentation, because it is so
interesting.
I want to talk about the cost of professional development.
In looking at what this will be, just a snap shot in time,
can't we assume--or can we assume--let's put it that way--that
all colleges are teaching curriculum or teaching courses that
could use computers in college and kids, when they graduate as
instructors, they are comfortable with computers? Okay. I am
assuming that, okay.
Then I am assuming that at least a quarter of all
instructors now are like Ms. Short who are there. I mean, they
are there. They know what this is all about. We don't have to
take them back and pay for their professional development.
So what do we have? We have a certain time to bring
everybody else up to speed. So that is not going to be as huge
as we think it is. I mean, but we need to know what it is.
So, Mr. Chopra, have you looked at it from that
perspective? Because when we think about every single
instructor coming and already there and all that, it is not
everybody; it is just a certain group.
Mr. Chopra. Well, I might pivot the question in a slightly
different direction.
Ms. Woolsey. Okay.
Mr. Chopra. Professional development to what end? I think
``to what end'' part is still an open question. In other words,
what particular package of technology based educational content
or innovation or however you want to describe it is actually
the key to the performance results we are trying to achieve?
Ms. Woolsey. Let me ask a question in the middle of this.
Mr. Chopra. Yes.
Ms. Woolsey. So wouldn't it depend on the grade level and
what the class is teaching----
Mr. Chopra. So there is a basic level of understanding with
technology in the classroom that presumably we are in the
pipeline learning more and more about, and there is a gap. I
appreciate that sentiment.
But the bigger question is: As we study the impact of what
exactly is it about what Ms. Short was doing with the
interactive whiteboard--if we understood the nature with which
she had used that tool to deliver performance, then it is the
training and professional development about the use of the
device not so much the--how do you flip the switch and make
sure that the buttons work, but the methodology by which she
incorporated it into the classroom.
It is a slightly different question that I think even if
someone is familiar with the technical hardware, I would still
imagine her peers would welcome professional development to
learn how she chose to integrate the tool into the actual
coursework itself.
So it is not so much, I know how to use my cell phone, it
is, I know I am thinking about the meaningful applications for
the use of--they happen to happen to be using the cell phone
but will deliver educational performance.
Ms. Woolsey. But doesn't that replace then the ongoing
professional development that we provide educators anyway? I
mean, it doesn't have to be more----
Mr. Chopra. My hope is that it is integrated----
Ms. Woolsey. Integrated with, right.
Mr. Chopra [continuing]. Presumption is that part in parcel
with how you teach----
Ms. Woolsey. Right.
Mr. Chopra [continuing]. The ongoing work of professional
development integrated into that curriculum, I hope, would be
opportunities to take the best learning we have seen and have
that be blended as one. It is not technology unto itself. It is
aligned with an educational outcome goal.
Ms. Woolsey. Well, I want to add one more thought, and then
anybody that wants to respond to it while I still have time--
devices spoil like apples and oranges and vegetables.
I mean, how do we keep up with that? And how does Europe
keep up with everything--technology changing and the programs
changing. So how do we keep up with that financially?
How does Europe do it?
Mr. Chopra. I couldn't speak intelligently about European
practices, but there are best practices in IT management. So we
are making a general hypothesis that over time, a greater share
of a school's operating budget might involve technology
maintenance and operations.
And as that is happening in every sector of our economy,
candidly. And so to the extent that there are best practices,
whether it is in healthcare, energy sector, you name it, there
are strategies that thoughtful IT leaders have deployed to
think about ways to keep technology fresh, staff trained,
mitigate security threats--that is a capability that schools
will be building up over time.
There will likely be a schools gap into their capacity, and
I am sure there would be some broader discussions at state and
local levels all over the country on how to--best practices in
IT management and governance.
But I am confident there are models that are there. We
certainly have explored them at the federal level. There are
opportunities at the state and local, but I wouldn't imagine a
unique perspective in education on those areas.
That is really a broad discipline.
Ms. Woolsey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Tonko. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When we look at general
education, there is always a concern about the basic foundation
being developed in the elementary settings. Are there any
insights you can provide in terms of just what may be best to
do to help those students who may not link to technology early
on in that elementary setting, or are there particular things
that are being done to cultivate the best outcomes in that
beginning setting?
Anyone?
Ms. Bergland [continuing]. Not really sure exactly what you
were asking.
Mr. Tonko. Well, okay. The issue of technology becomes very
important as you move through middle schools and high school.
Are there particular problems or connections that you see
that need to be addressed in the elementary grades--pre-K
through, say, five, six--that, you know, some students don't
take to math or science. Are there students not taking to
technology and, if so, how do you reach them? Are there
concepts that you have developed? Are there----
Ms. Bergland. Well, every year they do a huge national
survey of students K-12 and parents and teachers, and
interestingly, some of the highest users of technology and even
the higher in technology are our elementary children.
They are doing the virtual worlds. There is a place called
``Second life,''--they are not using that, but they are using
the Webkinz or--those of you that have small children will know
those--but, you know, so they are--our younger kids are the
ones that we are really watching, because we know when they hit
middle school and high school, they are even more engaged in
the technology outside of school than they are than even our
kids at the middle school and high school.
So I think that the assumption that maybe how do we engage
them, I think that is already happening.
Mr. Tonko. Ms. Short?
Ms. Short. One of the purposes for our technology and
modernization and also our middle school reform is that
research has shown that students scores started to drop off in
middle school, and we needed to become more engaging in our
lessons.
I can't speak to elementary schools, but I know that the
reason why this big technology push came about was because of
research showing that our students scores dropped off in middle
school.
Mr. Tonko. Mr. McAuliffe?
Mr. McAuliffe. Yes. Again, because of the fact that we do
predominantly SES tutoring outside of school, this is a little
bit off, but what we have found is that the younger you capture
a child and get them up to grade level, the more of a chance
you have at success.
And we are developing an early reading and early math
application for our tutoring services. And again, like my
predecessors on the panel stated, it is surprisingly how
adaptive the children are to the technology.
Mr. Tonko. That being said--I am sorry, Mr. Kinney?
Mr. Kinney. Just one thing to add, I think one of the
cautions is not to separate the conversation of technology from
teaching and learning.
So we know a lot in this country about how students learn.
We know that students learn differently, and that if we can
reach them in different ways, all the better. We know that if
they collaborate with their peers, they will learn from each
other. We know that if they interact with content, good things
happen instructionally.
And so I think even at a very young age--I have a first
grade daughter who just recently is now going to second grade--
but is in a media generation. I mean, she is on Webkinz; she
has a video iPod; she gets assignments from her school that
take her online.
And so, I think that even at those very young ages, we can
capture them using those tools but really not just to use the
tools, but to capture them in a way that we know we can best
reach those students.
Mr. Tonko. If, in fact, we need the parental involvement to
maximize the success rate, what are some of the programs that
you do to incorporate parents into technology literacy?
Are there a certain concepts you would use at your given
situations that incorporate the parents and help them to keep
pace, especially the pre-K through five crowd is ahead of the
curve--maybe ahead of everyone. How do you keep pace with that,
and how do you bring parents in so they can be partners in
education if technology's entering in?
Ms. Bergland. We do parent training. We will have trainings
at night for parents to come in. We even provide translators,
because we have a large bilingual population.
That is one of the nice things about when students have a
laptop that goes home, we encourage the whole family to get to
use that machine so it is not just the students, but it also
becomes the families during that year.
So I think that you are exactly right, we are hoping that
our kids, particularly with our parents that don't have a lot
of technology skills, we are hoping our kids could help teach
their parents, just like sometimes they help teach teachers.
Mr. Kinney. I can speak from a provider standpoint as well
that one of the things that we do when we develop resources for
education, certainly look at how parents will access those
resources from home or whatever it might be.
So we want to make sure that those are available, not just
within the context of a classroom environment, but also
anywhere at anytime.
Mr. Polis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You know, in Colorado I have had the opportunity to be
involved with the policy framework around online education, and
I certainly realized that online education is only part of what
we are talking about here today, and a couple of you talked
about it in your testimony, but it is what I wanted to focus my
remarks and questions around.
And we had a number, and just like at the federal level, we
will presumably be dealing with as we improve federal education
policy--a lot of policy areas are on how we treat online
education.
There is a lot of jurisdictional issues that arise,
accountability issues--not things that are inherently good or
bad with regard to the efficacy of online education, but just a
number of things that challenge the status quo in ways that
hadn't really been addressed before.
My first question is for Mr. McAuliffe with regard to
jurisdictional issues, and whether you have had any experience
dealing with serving students that reside in other school
districts, other states with programs based in different
states, and whether there is--to any degree, a policy--policy
framework recommendations you have around some of those
jurisdictional issues that inevitably will increase as online
education gains popularity.
Mr. McAuliffe. Thank you. Yes. We do run into several
obstacles in various states. There are a couple of states, like
Connecticut, that do not allow online providers to provide
supplementary education services.
There are others that, in our instance, will not allow the
use of retaining the computer. Under our program, the student--
if they complete the program--get to keep the computer that we
provide----
Mr. Polis. Just a quick follow-up question on that. Is it
the state itself, or is it district by district in those states
you mentioned?
Mr. McAuliffe. In Connecticut's situation, it is the state,
and in other situations, it could be the district. The other
big issue with signature requirements being an online provider,
if you are required to get parents' signatures on attendance
forms when you are not there in the state, that creates a
problem.
Yet, we have attendance reports that document the time in
and the time out for the students.
Mr. Polis. So on that second point, did you say there is a
problem with those attendance reports being counted for state
or district purposes?
Mr. McAuliffe. Yes, they would not--they don't allow you to
submit for, you know, payment if you do not have a parent's
signature.
Mr. Polis. So do you feel that there might be a federal
role in encouraging best practices and establishing an
environment where online education can operate in the 50 states
and many districts?
Mr. McAuliffe. Absolutely. If there were uniform
requirements throughout the states and the districts, I think
that it would make it more amenable to online providers.
Mr. Polis. My next question is for Mr. Chopra. Have you, in
your efforts--as well as your thoughts about this--have you
identified any federal policies that are currently preventing
or are a barrier to the implementation of new technology, or
even more specifically, online education across the country?
Mr. Chopra. I can tell you that the department is very
committed to this concept and to ensure that we are moving in
this direction.
I think a lot of what you have heard in testimony today is
a lot of what the department is focused on. So I don't have any
specific barriers or road blocks identified, but a commitment
that we will work together in uncovering them and addressing
them.
Mr. Polis. And then the next question is for anybody who
would like to answer--it is also with regard to online
education. Perhaps Mr. McAuliffe will answer.
From my understanding, Mr. McAuliffe, your organization
does not have--you don't serve full-time--exclusively online
students, right? It is purely supplemental. Is that correct, or
do you have students for the whole day as well?
Mr. McAuliffe. The predominant amount of work that we do is
with supplemental education students. We do do some, what we
call ``in-school,'' where a student or a group of students will
be taken out of the classroom to get additional tutoring during
the school day. We also provide that.
Mr. Polis. You know, then by way of commentary leading to a
quick question, we, in Colorado have over 3,000 students that
are exclusively enrolled online.
So they are taking all their courses online for a variety
of reasons. Some of them are homebound, some of them feel
unsafe at school, some of them move at a pace that is either
too fast or slower than the traditional classroom. So there is
a variety of ways that that is occurred.
Currently, there is no federal problems with that, but
again, I think it is really state by state in terms of whether
that is allowed and how that is allowed. I would like to see if
any of you would like to comment on this concept of full-time
students that are basically taking all their courses online,
and whether you think that that is something that we need any
separate accountability for.
And we are out of time. So I will just add that that is
something that we should consider that there also are students
who are exclusively taking the full of their courses online.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Miller. Thank you very much. I want to thank the
members of the panel, and the members of the committee for
their participation this morning.
It seems to me that we are in a bit of a race here. We are
going to be inheriting children--from all social economic
levels--that may not have a computer at home, but they can
borrow their iTouch from somebody else. They are going to
become more and more proficient with the complexities of
technology and, in fact, with the efficiencies of technology.
And I fear, that if we do not adapt schools to integrate
and imbed technology in the instructional day, how these
students are going to turn out.
Now the problem I see is that they are mastering more and
more complex technologies. And whether the school budgets and
our ability to integrate--as somebody said, don't separate the
technology from the education.
We never thought of separating the textbook from education.
We just assumed they went together, and they had to be
beneficial and work together. But this is interesting.
You know, when you see very young kids game, and you watch
them make risk assessments, develop particular proficiencies,
get advice from their friends how to develop those
proficiencies what is the way that you can master this level;
what is the way you can game this level so you can get around
it to go somewhere else without having to go through it; they
are demonstrating an array of qualities that, as I said in my
opening statement, a lot of employers would die to have.
There is a competition. I am trying to think who runs it--I
think it was Sun, but they are young Web page developers from
all over the world, and they bring them to California for
awards, and they are generally 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 years old, and
I think there are some older students.
And at the end of the weekend, as they tell them, here is
our address, if any of you want a job, just e-mail us, because
we will hire you now. So, you see this incredible talent that
is being demonstrated, and you have seen it in your classes;
you have seen it in the districts that you work with.
And somehow the race is to integrate the educational
opportunities for these students with this technology that
really, in many ways, as Mr. Real pointed out, brings out all
of that potential, all of that excitement of learning.
And there are some big mismatches, obviously, across the
country in states and in local districts, and in individual
schools and in individual classrooms. Huge mismatches between
the potential and the opportunity of technology and the
resources available, either to manage it or to use it or to
learn from it.
I think this is a very exciting moment for American
education. I think the ability and the kinds of resources that
we can offer to teachers to better understand what they are
doing; the success of what they are doing; the needs of their
students on a real-time basis.
I mean this business we are in--most of this country, we
give you an annual test, and then we try to figure out if the
kids still in our district, in our state, and what is this
information telling you now that it is October or November of
the next year--has got to stop.
And I, you know, I think what you are doing in Delaware is
exciting to have that kind of real-time assessment. I know very
often, we go through this idea that teachers are afraid of
this; they don't like it; it is not the way they did business.
But what we see is when you really have a first-class
opportunity to integrate this into their daily lives and
instruction, how much they start to embrace it, and really see
this as a very helpful tool for them.
This is a series of hearings. We are going to look at some
of these other opportunities for students, and what it tells us
about their skills, their talents, and their abilities and how
we continue to try to match this up.
I think that, hopefully, this will be integrated into part
of the national task force working on common standards to be
internationally benchmarked, and how do we adapt technology so
that, in fact, that will flow back through the schools.
I think that is going to be exciting. It is going to be
challenging. It is going to require a commitment of very
substantial resources, but I suggest a lot of that money is
already being committed on resources that are almost obsolete
today.
They are put into the classroom, and they become very
cumbersome for students and for families to participate in
these educational opportunities and teaching moments, as we
say.
So thank you very much for all of your participation and
your expertise. If you don't mind, as we continue on, we might
double back and ask you for some advice and help on our actions
in this committee.
Again, I would like to remind the audience and members that
in the foyer just down the hall here, we will have a
demonstration of many of these technologies and others that are
available to students.
And, Mr. Real, I think you are running a video? Are you
not, there? Yes.
Ms. Short, do you have an avatar on Second Life yet? No.
Yes, you do?
Ms. Short. Yes.
Chairman Miller. So do you go there and do your students
have avatars and show up for class?
Ms. Short. [OFF MIKE]
Chairman Miller. No. [Laughter.]
Okay. Thank you very much. With that, the committee will
stand adjourned.
[The statement of Mrs. McMorris Rodgers follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Representative in
Congress From the State of Washington
Thank you Chairman Miller, I want to thank our witnesses who are
here today to report on findings and make recommendations on how
technology is transforming and improving our nation's classrooms.
Over the last 15 years, our nation has made significant progress
integrating technology into the classroom. In 1994, only 35 percent of
public schools had internet access. Today, nearly 100 percent of
schools do. States, local educational agencies, and schools are using
technology to educate students in ways that engage them and increase
their achievement levels; support professional development for teachers
and administrators; and engage and empower parental involvement in
their children's involvement.
Research reveals that technology can improve student achievement,
particularly in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. In
fact, a study conducted by the Software Information Industry
Association examining the effectiveness of technology on student
achievement found ``significant gains in achievement in all subject
areas; increased achievement in preschool through high school for
regular and special needs children; and improved [student] attitudes
toward learning and increased self esteem.''
I believe that technology in our schools, particularly in the areas
of math and science, will continue to play a key role in ensuring that
the students of today and tomorrow will have the skills needed to keep
our nation competitive into the 21st century. To meet the demands of an
increasingly advanced and global market we must better train and equip
our nation's workforce. This starts with education and making sure
students have the skills needed to be effective leaders. Current
statistics reveal that one in three students will not graduate from
high school. Too often, students enter high school and college
unprepared to succeed leaving them ineffective in the workplace.
Moreover, one in three of our students do not graduate from college.
This is unacceptable. We must invest in infrastructure that engages and
inspires them.
However, along with the good, comes the bad. Advances in technology
have enabled predators to trespass into our homes, schools, and
communities. Technology provides our children with access to
inappropriate material. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to
protect them through every mechanism possible, including ensuring that
we as lawmakers stay one step ahead.
As a member of this committee, I am committed to ensuring that
every child in America has access to the best possible education.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and thank them again
for the time and work.
______
[Whereupon, at 12:25 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]