connecting in the 21st century webinar

© Project Tomorrow 2011

Connecting in the 21st Century:Parents and Administrators Speak Up about Effective School to Home Communications

Key Findings of a special new report from Blackboard Connect and Project Tomorrow

Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO


Patrick RodwellManager, Territory Marketing

Blackboard [email protected]

Welcome

Jennie BreisterProduct Marketing ManagerBlackboard Connect for K-12

[email protected]


Featured Speaker:

Julie EvansChief Executive Officer

Project Tomorrow

www.tomorrow.org•Project Tomorrow (formerly NetDay) is one of the nation’s leading education nonprofit organizations, dedicated to empowering K-12 students, teachers and parents to have a larger voice in improving education and learning.

•CEO since 1999, former 17-year career in sales and marketing with Unisys and other education tech startups.

•Graduate of Brown University, named as a Frances Hesselbein Community Innovation Fellow in 2003.

•Speaker, writer and commentator on children, education, science and technology issues.

•In 2008, named one of the Top Ten Most Influential People in Education Technology over the past 10 years by eSchool News.


Today’s Agenda:

Introducing the new report

About the Speak Up Project

Review of research methodology and

findings

Conversation time

Speak Up Research Project: Views of Students, Parents, Teachers,

Librarians and Administrators


A big thank you to:


Series of Speak Up Reports in collaboration with Blackboard


Annual national research project Online surveys + focus groups Open for all K-12 schools and schools of education Institutions receive free report with their own data

Collect ideas ↔ Stimulate conversations K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators Pre-Service Teachers in Schools of Education

Inform policies & programs Analysis and reporting of findings and trends Consulting services to help transform teaching and learning

Speak Up National Research Project

+ 2.6 million surveys since 2003


Learning & Teaching with Technology

21st Century Skills: Digital Citizenship

Home to school communications Career Interests in STEM and Teaching

Professional Development / Teacher Preparation

Internet Safety

Administrators’ Challenges

Emerging Technologies in the Classroom Mobile Devices, Online Learning, Digital Content, E-textbooks Educational Games, Web 2.0 tools and applications

Designing the 21st Century School

Speak Up survey question themes


What can the Speak Up

findings tell us about the

future of learning?


Speak Up National Research ProjectKey Findings: Speak Up 2003 – 2011

Students function as a “Digital Advance Team”

Students regularly adopt and adapt emerging technologies

for learning

Students’ frustrations focus on the unsophisticated use of

technologies within education

Persistent digital disconnect between students and adults

Exacerbation of lack of relevancy in current education


A new uniquely “student vision” for leveraging

emerging technologies to drive achievement and educational

productivity

Emerging from the Speak Up research:


A new uniquely “student vision” for leveraging

emerging technologies to drive achievement and educational

productivity

Emerging from the Speak Up research:

This student vision for “technology enabled

learning” mirrors how students want to learn in

general


The Student Vision for Learning

Social–based learning

Un–tethered learning

Digitally–rich learning


The Student Vision for Learning:

Leveraging technology to improve

school to home communications

to drive student achievement


Introducing . . .

Connecting in the 21st Century:Parents and Administrators Speak Up about Effective School to Home Communications


Connecting in the 21st Century:Research Questions

Why do administrators value effective communications with parents?

How are schools and districts tapping into technology to connect with parents?

Do parents today have different expectations for school communications?

How are teachers leveraging technology to provide feedback to students?

What is the relationship between school communications and parental attitudes about their child’s school?


K-12 Students 294,399 Teachers 35,525 Librarians 2,135 Parents (in English & Spanish) 42,267 School/District Administrators 3,578 Technology Leaders 1,391 Schools / Districts 6,541 / 1,340

Top 12 participating states: TX, CA, AL, AZ, FL, NC, IL, MD, IN, NV, PA, WI

About Speak Up participating schools: 51% Title 1 eligible – indicating community poverty

34% urban, 29% suburban, 37% rural

National Speak Up 2010 Participation: 379,355


“By improving communications, our

schools are able to establish relationships

with parents that reinforce the school’s

dedication to student success.”

District Administrator from North Carolina



School portal: 58% growth since 2007


“In today’s environment, parents, teachers,

the community and all stakeholders of

public schools expect instantaneous

communication regarding events going on

at their local schools. It’s considered a

basic service, not an extra.”

District Administrator from Michigan


“I am very happy with our school and the

communications amongst the teacher,

parents and students. If I were principal, I

would tell parents to use the technology

that is offered because it is the child who

suffers and it is not just up to the teacher to

educate our children.”

Parent from California



38% say they are using technology to provide feedback on student performance

Slightly over one-third of teachers report using email, IM and text messaging to communicate with students





But, 64% of teachers say that mobile devices could improve student-parent-teacher communications





But, 64% of teachers say that mobile devices could improve student-parent-teacher communications

And 52% of students say they would use their smartphone to communicate with their teacher . . .

if usage was allowed at school



Parents who rate school

communications as ineffective

Also have greater dissatisfaction

overall with their child’s school

Don’t feel a connection to the school

Have concerns about the quality of their child’s teacher

Say teacher is not working with parents to ensure student success


Ending Thoughts

Increased parental demand for more effective and meaningful communications

+ Variety of emerging technology solutions for school to home connections_______________________________________

= New opportunities for schools and districts to leverage communications tools to improve student achievement


Connecting in the 21st Century:Research Questions







The Student Vision for Learning:

Leveraging technology to improve

school to home communications

to drive student achievement


Access the full report:

www.tomorrow.org/speakup/Connecting21st_2012.html


• National Speak Up Findings and reports

• Speak Up 2011 data: release to participating districts on Feb 1

• Speak Up 2011 data: national release in April

• Presentations, podcasts and webinars

• Evaluation services & reports

• Speak Up 2012!

More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org


A big thank you to:


Thank you.

Let’s continue this conversation.

Julie EvansProject Tomorrow

[email protected] x15

Twitter: JulieEvans_PT

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