Alliance Press Releases

Quakertown Community School District Blazes Trail for Blended Learning Programs, New Alliance Profile Reveals

Mike Sussman — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:06:03 -0400

“Quakertown is leading the charge in digital learning implementation,” said Alliance President Bob Wise.

Washington, DC — Located about forty-five miles north of Philadelphia, PA, Quakertown Community School District (QCSD) has seen tremendous improvement in student achievement and engagement from implementation of a blended learning approach that combines online learning with traditional classroom instruction, finds a new interactive video profile conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education and Public Impact. “Quakertown Community School District: A Systematic Approach to Blended Learning That Focuses on District Leadership, Staffing, and Cost-effectiveness,” is the first in a series of interactive video profiles highlighting innovative school districts that utilize digital learning to improve teaching and learning. (The video to the right shows how QCSD worked with important partners, including its local teachers’ union, to improve student outcomes using effective applications of technology and blended learning strategies.)

“Quakertown is a role model and leader among school districts for its innovative use of digital learning to improve student engagement and achievement. They have blazed a trail for other school districts to transform learning with the smart use of technology,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia.

QCSD, a small, rural, K–12 school district, has seen gains in student improvement since its blended learning program’s implementation in 2008. From 2011–12 alone, the graduation rate in the district increased from 88 percent to 95 percent. The interactive video profile, which includes interviews with district teachers and administrators, notes that at the core of the program’s success is flexible, personalized learning that fits every student’s needs. Quakertown’s success is documented as part of the Alliance’s “Project 24” to show the importance of districts preparing a comprehensive plan detailing how to incorporate technology to boost learning outcomes.

In QCSD’s blended learning approach, students can take classes online, in a more traditional classroom setting, or choose a mixture of both, the profile explains. The emphasis on online learning and integrated technology into every student’s education aligns with QCSD’s mission: “to create and support the conditions necessary to effectively leverage technology for learning.” Currently, the district offers eighty unique combined classes at the middle school and high school levels.

To advance their mission, the QCSD took several major steps. First, the district created the K–12 Cyber School, in which students can opt to take online classes. Next, the district employed a ninth-grade one-to-one laptop initiative that seeks to equip every student with the technology necessary to learn anytime, anywhere. Next, the district implemented a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy that encourages students to bring iPads, iPhones, and other forms of technology into their classrooms to enhance and further personalize the learning experience. Finally, schools in the district have integrated digital learning into traditional classrooms.

“As a superintendent I think one of my goals might be to never have to call a snow day because learning needs to take place at all times,” QCSD Superintendent Lisa Andrejko says in the video to the right, which is embedded in the case study. “So some of our efforts have been looking at technology to be always available for students whether they’re sitting in a classroom, or whether they’re on their iPhone, or whether they’re at Grandma’s house, or if they’re at home on a snow day.”

QCSD values its teachers and, as the interactive video profile notes, places them at the core of the district’s success. Teachers experience individualized and flexible professional development days, during which they can choose areas of focus. Teachers also experience flexible scheduling that complements teaching online courses. Additional support staff members dedicated to technology and monitoring students’ progress in online courses eases demands on teachers, as well.

“We are excited to highlight Quakertown’s innovative use of blended learning to increase student achievement,” said Bryan C. Hassel, codirector of Public Impact. “We hope the case study’s detailed focus on QCSD’s approach to staffing and budget will help other districts think creatively about redesigning school models and integrating digital learning to reach more students with excellent teaching.”

QCSD’s blended learning program works in large part because of the district’s emphasis on partnering with the local teachers union and businesses. For example, the district works with Comcast to provide discounted internet connectivity to students’ families that qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

“We’re in our fourth year now, but four years ago we decided, ‘Let’s give cyber learning a shot.’ And I hate to use the analogy because it’s overused, but we really did build the plane while flying it. And we jumped in with two feet first and said, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s learn as we go. We can’t do it wrong. We can always do it and then change it as we do it, but we can’t really make a huge mistake,” Andrejko said.

In the coming weeks, the Alliance will release additional interactive case studies on other leading school districts in digital learning implementation, including Cajon Valley Union School District in California, Dysart Unified School District in Arizona, and Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina.

“Quakertown Community School District: A Systematic Approach to Blended Learning That Focuses on District Leadership, Staffing, and Cost-effectiveness” is available at http://www.all4ed.org/files/Quakertown.pdf.

Gov. Bob Wise Comments on President Obama’s Education Budget Proposal

Mike Sussman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:28:29 -0400

WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education, which includes $300 million for high school transformation, a $125 million increase for School Improvement Grants, and a plan to provide access to high-quality preschool programs for all low- and moderate-income four-year-olds. In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:

“Budgets are aspirations; appropriations are implementation. The real challenge will be matching appropriations to aspirations.

“From preschool to high school, President Obama’s budget recognizes the importance of investing in the education continuum so that every child graduates prepared for the twenty-first-century economy.

“The president’s proposal to invest $300 million in redesigning high schools to more effectively prepare students for college and a career will help ensure that today’s high schools meet the demands of tomorrow’s economy.

“Education must be relevant to employers and engaging for students. The president’s high school redesign proposal will accomplish both by promoting partnerships between school districts and employers to align high school expectations with the demands of college and the workforce. Equally significant, the proposal highlights the importance of personalization and work-based learning. Giving students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world will increase student engagement and graduation rates.

“Policymakers do not agree on very much these days, but everyone realizes that America cannot maintain its place as the world’s leading economic power without an effective workforce. I call on the U.S. Congress to fund President Obama’s high school redesign proposal.”

President Obama’s FY 2014 proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Education is available at http://www.ed.gov/budget14.

Gov. Bob Wise Comments on the OECD Test for Schools

Mike Sussman — Thu, 4 Apr 2013 12:20:08 -0400

WASHINGTON, DC – Released this morning, a new report from America Achieves compares the performance of individual U.S. high schools in math and science to the world’s highest-performing nations based on a new test involving 105 American high schools known as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Test for Schools (based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)). In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:

“For the first time, individual high schools can look in the international mirror and get a true reflection of how they compare to their global peers. More importantly, individual high schools taking the new OECD Test for Schools now have the data and information to improve student performance even more.

“The good news in the report is that some nonselective schools, including some that are low-income, are high international flyers. The challenging news is that many middle-class schools in the United States have a lot of work to do to catch up to the world’s best performers.

“These first 105 high schools were courageous to pioneer this international exam. While they knew they might get low scores, they wanted the valuable information to improve learning for their students. Now every high school can sign up to administer the test in September. Every community should encourage its schools to take advantage of this opportunity.

“All students will be measured at some point. Schools can either take the OECD school-based test now to see how their students compete, or wait until their students enter the workforce and have market forces tell them how they stack up.”

Access the full report, Middle Class or Middle of the Pack? What Can We Learn When Benchmarking U.S. Schools Against the World’s Best?, at http://www.americaachieves.org/docs/OECD/Middle-Class-Or-Middle-Of-Pack.pdf.

First-of-Its-Kind Online Course Offered for School District Leaders

Mike Sussman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:23:37 -0400

Massive Online Open Course on “Digital Learning Transition” Will Help Educators Navigate Shift to Digital Learning by Turning Them into Digital Learners

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Alliance for Excellent Education and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University opened enrollment for a first-of-its-kind Massive Online Open Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed). Titled “Digital Learning Transition,” the free course will examine how the effective use of digital learning can help school districts meet educational challenges, including implementing college- and career-ready standards for all students and preparing teachers to make effective use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

The course—a component of the Alliance’s “Project 24” initiative and the first of a series of MOOC-Eds planned by the Friday Institute—will help school district leaders develop a set of digital learning goals to address their students’ specific needs. Participating educators will learn how technology and the global information age impact both what students need to know and how and when student learning can take place. They will study the elements necessary for a successful digital learning transition, develop a set of goals for digital learning aligned to desired student outcomes, and create an action plan to meet these goals.

“By participating in this ground-breaking effort, educators can experience first-hand how digital learning can change teaching and improve learning,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “At the same time, they will develop a valuable plan for how to take their school or district through a digital learning transition.”

Throughout the course, participants will have access to digital learning experts who have successfully implemented digital learning efforts that are supporting teachers and positively impacting student learning. And by conducting the course on such a massive scale—literally thousands of district leaders can participate—participants will also benefit from “crowdsourcing,” a collaborative professional learning experience that uses the “wisdom of the crowd” to discuss ideas, share strategies and resources, and exchange constructive feedback with other participants in similar roles and schools.

“The Digital Learning Transition MOOC-Ed enables educators to experience using innovative technologies as learners and collaborators, which will help them gain insights into what these technologies can mean for students,” said Glenn Kleiman, executive director of the Friday Institute. “We look forward to having many innovative educators join us in exploring this new form of large-scale, flexible, multimedia, and collaborative professional development.”

Each of the seven course sessions will include core resources and supplemental materials around a specific topic, while allowing for a great deal of personalization and flexibility. Participants are expected to navigate their own paths, consistent with their own goals and the needs of their school or district, while being supported and guided by the facilitators, resources, and fellow participants.

Running from April 8 through May 24, the seven-week course is designed for school and district leaders, including superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, technology directors, financial officers, instructional coaches, lead teachers, and others involved in planning and implementing K–12 digital learning initiatives. Participants should expect to commit between two and four hours each week, but there will be opportunities for those who wish to invest more time and explore issues more deeply.

Interested individuals can obtain more information and register for the course at dlt.mooc-ed.org. After registering, they are strongly encouraged to take Project 24’s free online self assessment to help frame a vision for digital learning and specify how technology can help align efforts to achieve college- and career-ready standards. Upon completion of the self assessment, participants will receive a personalized report analyzing their district’s progress in integrating technology into instruction.

The MOOC-Ed is part of “Project 24,” a ground-breaking new initiative led by the Alliance for Excellent Education to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning. Project 24 is an urgent call to action on the need for systemic planning around the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of career and college readiness for all students. Project 24 participants benefit from free comprehensive district-level planning tools, expert advice, creative ideas, and tangible suggestions from experienced education experts and nonprofit education membership organizations. Already, more than 800 school leaders and 400 school district teams—representing 4.7 million students—have signed up to participate.

The Digital Learning Transition MOOC-Ed is provided by the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation as part of ongoing work to support the effective use of technologies and innovative teaching and learning practices in K–12 education.

“Make no mistake; digital learning holds the key to preparing millions of additional students for college and a productive career, but district leaders need to approach this opportunity with sound planning to leverage the potential and achieve the best results,” said Wise. “Going forward, our goal is to get every district to sign up and start planning.”

Gov. Bob Wise Comments on The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher

Mike Sussman — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:39:46 -0500

WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, MetLife released The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership. In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:

“For most of the nation’s principals and teachers, the temperature gauge is in the red and bordering on burnout.

“According to The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, three-quarters of principals say the job has become too complex and nearly half report being under ‘great stress’ several days a week. Among teachers, job satisfaction is at a twenty-five-year low, with only 39 percent saying that they are ‘very satisfied’ with their jobs.

“Over the next twenty-four months, the demands on the nation’s educators will only increase as states and districts implement college- and career-ready standards for all students, deal with shrinking budgets, and contend with demands of states’ waivers from key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.

“Meeting these challenges and avoiding burnout means providing principals and teachers with the technological tools and professional learning opportunities to make their jobs easier. Step one in that process is developing a comprehensive plan that addresses a district’s specific challenges and learning goals for all students. That’s why the Alliance launched ‘Project 24,’ a ground-breaking new initiative to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning to boost student outcomes.

“Technology can play a vital role in supporting teachers and helping public schools and districts meet these challenges, but technology by itself is not the answer; simply slapping a netbook on top of a textbook is not enough. But when districts develop a plan to pair technology with effective teaching and more efficient use of time, technology can accelerate the pace of improvement and boost student outcomes and educator morale.”

On March 4, Gov. Wise will join Dennis White, chief executive officer and president of MetLife Foundation, and Dana Markow, vice president of youth and education research at Harris Interactive for a webinar discussing the findings from the survey.

The webinar will also feature Laurie Barron, principal of Smokey Road Middle School (GA) and 2013 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year; Adam Gray, a mathematics teacher at Boston Latin School (MA) and 2012 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year; and John Jenkins, regional director of New York at School Leaders Network, all of whom will share their experiences working to implement the Common Core State Standards, transform curriculum and instructional practice, address the individual needs of diverse learners, and ensure all students are college and career ready in an environment of continued strained resources.

RSVP for the webinar or ask questions of the panelists at http://media.all4ed.org/registration-mar-4-2013.

Gov. Bob Wise Comments on State of the Union Address

Jason Amos — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:30:59 -0500

“President Obama offered few details on the high school challenge in last night’s State of the Union address, but I see great potential," said Wise.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, President Barack Obama announced a new challenge that will “redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy.” In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement:

“President Obama offered few details on the high school challenge in last night’s State of the Union address, but I see great potential. If the nation is serious about the high school dropout crisis, more must be done to engage students and make learning relevant. The president’s proposal appears to do both.

“Last night’s State of the Union address provided further reinforcement of the importance of high schools—and high school students—to the nation’s workforce. This challenge to redesign high schools can help to blur the lines between high school and college and education and the workforce, both of which are critical connections needed to ensure that all students graduate with the skills needed in today’s job market.

“Such an initiative could also help inform turnaround policy by encouraging successful schools and programs while also inspiring additional approaches based on their successes. Successful models, such as P-Tech in Brooklyn, which the president referenced last night, as well as Linked Learning and career academies supported by the National Academy Foundation, already implement innovative partnerships between individual schools and businesses and institutions of higher education, making high school more relevant and preparing students for college and a career. It is time to bring this idea to scale.

“In the midst of historically high unemployment, there are 3.6 million jobs going unfilled because employers cannot find applicants with the education and skills needed to fill them. Education is the solution to this problem. President Obama’s challenge will help to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve and the experience the nation’s job market demands.”

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The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC–based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. http://www.all4ed.org.

ESEA Waivers Could Slow Progress on High School Graduation Rate Accountability, New Alliance Analysis Finds

Jason Amos — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:05:04 -0500

ESEA Waivers Could Slow Progress on High School Graduation Rate Accountability, New Alliance Analysis Finds

New Report Evaluates Waiver Plans Submitted by Thirty-Four States and the District of Columbia

WASHINGTON, DC – An extensive analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows that recent progress in holding schools accountable for how many students they graduate from high school—the ultimate goal of K–12 education—may be slowed in some states based on waivers recently granted under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Alliance’s findings are contained in a new report, The Effect of ESEA Waiver Plans on High School Graduation Rate Accountability, which includes a review of approved waiver plans submitted by thirty-four states and the District of Columbia. (States whose waiver plans are reflected in the report are colored in blue in the map to the right.)

“Waivers offer states a tremendous opportunity; rather than being constrained by the decade-old No Child Left Behind Act, states can design and implement innovative reforms that improve their education systems and more effectively prepare their students for college and a career,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “While waivers can provide needed flexibility in many areas, unfortunately a number of waiver plans appear to turn back the clock on graduation rate accountability.”

Based on an initial formula developed by the nation’s governors, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued graduation rate regulations in 2008 that required all public high schools to use the same, accurate graduation rate calculation and report a graduation rate for both the entire student body, as well as for various subgroups of students, including students of color, low-income students, students with disabilities, and English language learners. The regulations required states to establish ambitious but achievable graduation rate goals and targets, and intervene if a subgroup of students fell short of these targets.

The report notes that each state will still be required to calculate and report high school graduation rates in accordance with the 2008 regulations. Only a few states, however, are fully implementing the 2008 graduation rate regulations for accountability purposes as well.

According to the report, waiver plans in many states run counter to the intent of the 2008 regulations. For example:

Eleven states have been approved to use a measure of high school completion that is inconsistent with the 2008 regulations. For example, two states are permitted to include a General Education Diploma (GED) in their accountability system when the 2008 regulations explicitly say the GED cannot be used.
In eleven states, accountability for the high school graduation rates of various student subgroups—students of color, low-income students, students with a disability, and English language learners—is weak or nonexistent.
In twelve states, high school graduation rates account for less than 25 percent of the state’s accountability system and no longer counterbalance the emphasis on test scores, creating a possible incentive for states to “push out” low-performing students in order to increase a school’s overall test scores.
Ten states lack the safeguards originally put in place by ED to maintain an emphasis on graduating as many students as possible in four years while also providing the flexibility to graduate some students in more than four years.

A breakdown of states that fall into each category, as well as a thorough analysis of each state’s approved waiver plan, are included in the report.

Not all states, however, are implementing policies that are inconsistent with each provision of the 2008 regulations. Only modest changes are necessary to bring many states into full compliance with the letter and spirit of the 2008 regulations. And some states, such as Delaware and New York, are implementing policies that are comparable to or stronger than the 2008 regulations.

Report Recommendations

In the short term, the report recommends that ED and states work together to address discrepancies between the approved 2008 regulations and the recently approved waivers, including inaccurate and inconsistent measures of high school completion, the inclusion of GEDs, and the lack of subgroup accountability. Over the longer term—i.e., when state waivers need to be renewed—the report urges ED and states to implement a stronger and more coherent system of high school graduation rate accountability that aligns with the 2008 regulations and ensures that high schools with low graduation rates are properly identified and receive targeted support.

“Ultimately, the most effective way to assure effective graduation rate policy is for the U. S. Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in a way that holds states accountable for improving high school graduation rates for all students, especially those who have historically been underserved by the nation’s high schools,” said Wise.

The Effect of ESEA Waiver Plans on High School Graduation Rate Accountability is available at http://www.all4ed.org/files/ESEAWaivers.pdf.

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The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC–based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. http://www.all4ed.org.

Alliance for Excellent Education Launches “Project 24” to Help School Districts Plan for Progress in Digital Learning

Jason Amos — Tue, 5 Feb 2013 22:38:19 -0500

More Than 250 School Districts Already Signed Up for Campaign Providing Districts with Free Resources to Help Meet Growing Demands for College- and Career-Ready Students

Washington, DC –The Alliance for Excellent Education announced today that more than 250 school districts, representing approximately 2.5 million students across forty-two states, have already signed up for its ground-breaking new initiative to help school districts plan for and effectively use technology and digital learning. Entitled “Project 24,” the initiative will be officially launched during the Alliance’s Digital Learning Day Digital Town Hall at 1:00 p.m. (ET).

“If you’re a school or district leader who is considering using education technology and digital learning in your schools, STOP—and go no further—until you have a comprehensive plan that addresses your district’s specific challenges and learning goals for all students,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “Project 24 will help districts plan for the future and fully integrate digital learning into classrooms and school systems to achieve the goal of college and career readiness for all students.”

The “24” in Project 24 represents the next twenty-four months, a time during which the nation’s education landscape will change greatly as states and districts face numerous challenges, including the need to implement college- and career-ready standards for all students; utilize online assessments to gauge comprehension and learning; push for greater system and classroom innovation; deal with shrinking budgets; and contend with demands of states’ waivers from key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Project 24 will help to inform the incredibly important decisions that education leaders will need to make regarding each of these issues. To participate, a school district must (1) sign up at www.all4ed.org/project24 ; (2) assemble a team composed of the district superintendent or a representative, a district curriculum leader, the district technology director, and a district professional development leader; and (3) take the free self assessment . Upon completion of the self assessment, a confidential, customized report will be generated for each district.

“With Project 24’s self-assessment tool, district leaders can frame their vision for student learning, begin to recognize the various aspects of the system that need to be addressed, and specify how technology can help align these efforts to achieve higher college- and career-ready standards,” Wise said. “It will help district leaders move beyond counting computers and internet connections to analyzing how they can integrate technology into their instructional plans.”

Partnering with other national membership organizations listed below, the Alliance has identified a framework with seven major components that will provide education leaders in states and school districts with tools to make good decisions about how technology aligns with the goals and visions for their students. As shown in the image to the right, the framework will provide assistance to districts on (1) academic supports, (2) budget and resources, (3) curriculum and instruction, (4) data and assessments, (5) professional learning, (6) technology and infrastructure, and (7) use of time.

Districts will have access to the Project 24 Team of Experts , a team of nationally recognized leaders with a demonstrated record of success in effectively using technology to help advance student outcomes. Additionally, the Alliance is developing a two-year schedule of virtual activities that will allow district leaders to collaborate and share information while receiving guidance from the Project 24 team of experts. These resources include webinars, instructional videos, profiles of successful districts, and interactive chats and blogs.

Most notably, the Alliance, in conjunction with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University, has developed a Massive Online Open Course for Educators (MOOC-E), called “The Digital Learning Transition in K–12 Schools: A Planning MOOC for Educators.” The six-week course is designed to provide a new type of learning experience for education leaders, one that will help them identify the potential of technology-enabled learning opportunities for the district, including its leaders, teachers, and students. The course will kick off on April 8, 2013.

“Make no mistake; digital learning holds the key to preparing millions of additional students for college and productive careers, but districts need to approach this opportunity with sound planning to get the best results,” said Wise. “Going forward, our goal is to get every district to sign up and start planning.”

The Alliance is pleased to be working with the following national organizations to develop content and resources for Project 24: American Association of School Administrators; Council of Chief State School Officers; Consortium for School Networking; Digital Promise; Education Commission of the States; International Society for Technology in Education; Learning First Alliance; National Association of State Boards of Education; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; Rural School and Community Trust; and Software & Information Industry Association.

The launch of Project 24 coincides with the Alliance’s second annual Digital Learning Day , which celebrates teachers and shines a spotlight on successful instructional technology practice in the classroom. In a sign of the growing importance and demand for digital learning strategies for the classroom, fifty states, the District of Columbia, nearly 25,000 teachers, and millions of students participated in digital learning activities around the country today.

More information on Project 24 is available at www.all4ed.org/project24 .

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Second Annual National Digital Learning Day Attracts Record Number of Participants

Jason Amos — Tue, 5 Feb 2013 14:37:45 -0500

Fifty States, Nearly 25,000 Teachers, and Millions of Students to Explore How Digital Learning Is Changing Education on Wednesday, February 6

Washington, DC – Signifying the growing importance and demand for digital learning strategies in the classroom, nearly 25,000 teachers, millions of students, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park, and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), are joining the Alliance for Excellent Education tomorrow, February 6, for the second annual Digital Learning Day. Digital Learning Day is a national campaign that promotes digital learning and spotlights successful instructional technology practice in K–12 public school classrooms across the country.

“Digital Learning Day isn’t about slapping a netbook on top of a textbook,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “It’s about pairing educational innovation with thoughtful planning and great teaching to provide all children with the twenty-first-century skills they need in today’s economy.”

Educators from across the country will participate in Digital Learning Day by giving interactive digital lessons, collaborating with colleagues over the internet, or simply trying something new with technology in their classrooms. Throughout the day, participating teachers, education leaders, and others can interact with digital teaching experts and each other through a series of live online chats being held at http://www.digitallearningday.org/chat. Additionally, Rep. Miller will be “taking over” the Digital Learning Day Facebook page from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. (ET) at http://www.facebook.com/NationalDigitalLearningDay.

“Without the effective use of technology,” Wise said, “the education system can never meet the challenges of higher standards, supporting teachers, limited budgets, and the compelling need for all students to receive a quality education. Digital Learning Day celebrates educators who are making a difference for students with digital learning while showing many others what they can be accomplishing.”

At the Newseum in Washington, DC, Digital Learning Day, for the first time, will incorporate hands-on instructional demonstrations on digital learning content areas, such as math, science, civics/social studies, and English language arts, which will be led by digital teaching experts who specialize in those subjects. Tomorrow morning, Secretary Duncan and more than one hundred teachers from the Washington, DC metro area are participating in the teacher demonstrations and interactive lessons , which will be featured via video in the Digital Town Hall.

The morning demonstrations will be followed by the Digital Town Hall, which is being simulcast live from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (ET) for educators, parents, and the public to view at http://wpc.1806.edgecastcdn.net/001806/aee/dld.html. Participants in the Digital Town Hall include U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park and Rep. Miller, senior Democratic member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The Digital Town Hall will also highlight effective digital learning strategies from Dysart Unified School District (AZ), Quakertown Community School District (PA), Cajon Valley Union School District (CA), and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL).

“All school districts, regardless of their size or makeup, stand to benefit from this revolution in teaching and learning,” said Wise. “That’s why the Alliance is bringing together students, teachers, school leaders, and many others on Digital Learning Day to show the best practices in the use of classroom technology and move forward with a national digital learning agenda.”

All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and nearly 25,000 teachers, representing millions of students have signed up to participate in digital learning activities throughout the day and beyond. Digital Learning Day 2013 builds on last year’s inaugural event that included participation by thirty-nine states, 15,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students.

Digital Learning Day also enjoys support from nearly fifty national core partners made up of education leadership organizations as well as generous support from more than twenty-five corporate partners.

The Alliance invites everyone with a stake in improving the nation’s education outcomes—teachers, librarians, school leaders, afterschool program coordinators, community group members, students, and parents—to participate in the February 6 Digital Learning Day activities.

Visit http://www.DigitalLearningDay.org for ideas about how students, parents, administrators, and others can participate. Follow the action on the Digital Learning Day Twitter page , with the #DLDay hashtag, and on the Digital Learning Day Facebook page .

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Statement from Bob Wise, President of the Alliance for Excellent Education, on the Introduction of the Transforming Education Through Technology Act

Jason Amos — Thu, 7 Feb 2013 10:25:00 -0500

WASHINGTON, DC--Today, U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA) introduced H.R. 521, the Transforming Education Through Technology Act. The legislation would provide states, school districts and schools with resources and support to expand the availability of digital learning. By effectively utilizing technology to enhance education, the legislation will help to ensure that all students graduate from high school, college- and career-ready. In response, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, made the following statement.

"Technology is enriching nearly every facet of our lives. Unfortunately, the nation’s system of education has yet to fully embrace the potential of technology and digital learning. I applaud Congressman Miller for introducing legislation that will bring promise of technology to the nation’s classrooms."

Additional information on the Transforming Education Through Technology Act is available at http://democrats.edworkforce.house.gov/bill/transforming-education-through-technology-act.

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The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. For more information about the Alliance for Excellent Education, please visit http://www.all4ed.org.