Technology Strides by U.S. School Districts – Top 10 Districts 2012-13 Honored

April 15, 2013 – Top-ranked school districts have been announced in the ninth annual Digital School Districts Survey 2012-13 by the Center for Digital Education (CDE) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA). The survey showcases exemplary school boards’ and districts’ use of technology to govern the district, communicate with students, parents and the community and to improve district operations.
 
Innovations by this year’s winners touched all facets of education. Board members at Geneseo Community Unit School District #228, Illinois, are now allowed to use Skype or iChat to access important meetings if off site and can even be projected via live-cast onto the screen in the board room. Teachers in Roanoke County, Virginia, public schools are using dashboards to measure assessments, teaching with mobile-friendly digital curriculum and using e-textbooks. Marietta City Schools, Georgia, requires students to take online classes for graduation and, beginning in the sixth grade students build and maintain a college and career-ready e-portfolio.
 
“It’s really exciting to see the unique and creative ways districts are using technology,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Vice President for the Center for Digital Education. “These outstanding innovations are moving us forward. We see these leaders as an inspiration to other school districts to continue leading education into a digital future. Congratulations to this year’s winners!”
 
"Through the leadership of local school boards, we continue to see that technology tools and practices are transforming America's public schools,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA Executive Director.  "The school districts honored in the 2013 Digital Districts Survey serve as national models for education technology innovations."   
The top ten rankings are awarded to those school boards/districts that most fully implement technology benchmarks in the evolution of digital education, as represented in the survey questions. 
 
The first-place winners in each classification are:

• Roanoke County Public Schools, Va. (12,000 students or more)
• Marietta City Schools, Ga. (Between 3,000 and 12,000 students)
• Geneseo Community Unit School District #228, Ill. (3,000 students or less)

All U.S. public school districts are eligible to participate in the survey with the three classifications based on size of enrollment.  View the full list of winners below.
CDE thanks NetApp and Sprint for underwriting the survey and for their support of school districts across the nation.
 
About the National School Boards Association
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. Working with and through our state associations, NSBA advocates for equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. See www.nsba.org
 
About The Center for Digital Education
The Center for Digital Education (CDE) is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy, and funding.  CDE’s media platform includes the Center for Digital Education Special Reports, centerdigitaled.com, email newsletters, and custom publications.
 
The Center for Digital Education is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation. See www.erepublic.com
 
 
2012-2013 Digital School Districts Survey - Top Ten-Ranking Winners - Congratulations!
 
Large-sized Student Population Districts Category: 
12,000 students or more:
1st Roanoke County Public Schools, VA
2nd Forsyth County Schools, GA
3rd Fayette County Schools, GA
4th Township High School District 214, IL
5th Northwest Independent School District, TX
5th Prince William County Public Schools, VA
6th Rowan-Salisbury School System, NC
7th Clark County School District, NV
7th Colorado Springs School District 11, CO
7th Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, GA
8th Cherokee County School District, GA
9th Richmond County School System, GA
9th Frederick County Public Schools, MD
10th Littleton Public Schools, CO
10th Klein Independent School District, TX
 
 
Mid-sized Student Population Districts Category: 
Student population 3,000 - 12,000:
1st Marietta City Schools, GA
2nd Decatur City Schools, AL
3rd Clarkstown Central School District, NY
4th Harrisburg School District 42-1, SD
5th Fayetteville Public Schools, AR
6th City Schools of Decatur, GA
7th Saint Charles Parish Public School District, LA
8th Oconomowoc Area School District, WI
8th Bergenfield Board of Education, NJ
9th Andover Public Schools, KS
10th Monroe County Schools, GA
 
 
Small Student Population Districts Category: 
Fewer than 3,000 Students:
1st Geneseo Community Unit School District #228, IL
2nd Carroll County School District, KY
2nd Springfield Public Schools, NJ
3rd Jefferson City Schools, GA
4th Regional School Unit 21, ME
5th Gooding Joint School District #231, ID
6th Mexico Academy and Central School District, NY
7th Orange City Schools, OH
8th Chickamauga City School System, GA
9th Hanson School District 30-1, SD
10th Lindop District 92, IL
 
Selected Survey Findings and Trends:
 
Use of Social Networks - results show a significant increase:

• Web 2.0 Use: 
  • 94% of districts allow educators to use Web 2.0 tools; up 12% in the past two years.
• Social Networking Use: (q 6) 
  • 69% of districts use micro blogs (e.g. Twitter); up 38% in the past two years.
  • 76% of districts maintain a presence on one or more social networking sites; up 44% in the past two years. (q 16)

Board Meeting Availability: 

• Board meeting agenda and docs e-displayed on screen – 80%
• Board members participate remotely – 45%
• Televised – 25%
• Streamed and Archived – 26% (first year equal/ slightly higher than televised)
• Public digital participation during meeting – 22% 
• Via Podcast – 17%

 
Digital Content/Curriculum Strategy: 
 
Nearly 3/4 (71%) of responding districts have a digital content (curriculum) strategy containing elements such as: (increase of 6% over last year)

• using e-Textbooks (textbooks and workbooks available digitally or online), 
• Web 2.0 tools (collaboration, research, quiz tools), 
• Instructional games and simulations, 
• Video (films, TV programs, YouTube segments, vodcasts) and 
• Audio (music lectures, podcasts).

 
Challenges districts face in implementing online assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards: 

• Lack of sufficient number of computers in the schools – 32%
• Unknown at this time – 20%
• Lack of technical support and expertise during test administration – 19%
• Inadequate Internet access and bandwidth (which affects speed) – 17%
• Inadequate infrastructure to support – 7%
• Inadequate data security measures – 3%
• None of the above – 42%

Status of BYOD: 

• No BYOD – 9%
• Planning or In Process – 50%
• Implemented – 41%
• Of the 41% that have implemented, in which grades?
  • 9th – 12th – 84%
  • 6th – 8th – 72%
  • 4th and 5th – 58%
  • Pre-K – 3rd – 44%  

For more survey results, attend the webinar April 24, click here.
 
For more information, contact Janet Grenslitt, Director of Surveys and Awards, Center for Digital Education, jgrenslitt@centerdigitaled.com, or 916-932-1363