Districts to Share $1.3 Million in Educational Technology Grants (WI)
August 5, 2010
Educational technology projects that will impact more than 225 school districts and other local educational agencies will share $1.3 million in federal funding through the Enhancing Education through Technology grant program.
The federal grants target “high needs” districts based on income levels and federal census data to help them use technology and train teach ers. All grants went either to consortia that include one or more districts that have been identified as “high need” or to individual districts identified as “high need.”
“Technological literacy is required in today’s world and has a direct connection with the skills students need for the workplace or further education,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “These grants will help participating schools and teachers ensure their students are ready to compete in the global economy that is increasingly driven by technology and technological innovation.”
The Enhancing Education through Technology competitive grants come from Wisconsin’s 2010-11 Title II D allocation from the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Grants are for projects during the coming school year and are based on research or are part of a research study. In addition to focusing on educational technology’s role in raising achievement for all students, at least 25 percent of funding is for staff development.
“Both new and veteran teachers benefit from staff development that provides solid training on using the power of educational technology to deepen student learning,” Evers said “We need our teachers and school library media specialists to work together so our students are technologically literate.”
Funded projects address the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Information and Technology Literacy, target professional development for instructional teams that include a school library media specialist and classroom teachers from the same school, and have effective plans for evaluation and dissemination of results.