Presentation to the Boston School Committee on technology in the Boston Public Schools. Presented on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 by Melissa Dodd, BPS Chief Information Officer

1. Technology in the Boston
Public Schools
Office of Instructional & Information Technology
Type Date Here
Presentation to the School Committee
Type Presenter Name/Contact Here
April 25, 2012
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2. BPS Technology Vision
Why technology matters
Technology enables educational innovation
to prepare students for college & career success
in the 21st century.
Providing access to customized technologies
that empower students to engage in learning
everywhere helps close access and
achievement gaps.
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3. Technology plays a key role in supporting the
Acceleration Agenda
• Accelerates literacy and STEM skills
• Enables access to data to target student learning needs and
assists with differentiation of instruction
• Enriches student experiences through the arts & digital media
and extended learning & after-school programming
• Enhances communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical
thinking
Students Teachers
Technology
Foundation
for Learning
Infrastructure Data
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4. Infographic: Technology in the BPS
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5. Our technology efforts focus on four pillars
Expand Equitable Access to Technology
Strengthen & Integrate Systems to
Accelerate Data-Driven Decision Making
Empower 21st Century Learning
Engage Families & Community
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6. Expand equity of access to technology
• Provide technology tools to support teaching and learning
− All classroom teachers have laptops for instructional use through
Laptops for Learning (L4L)
− Teachers received orientation training with ongoing PD & support
• Upgrade school infrastructures to provide building-wide wireless
• Offer online professional development to support effective teaching
• Identify operational efficiencies to maximize limited resources
− Centralized technology purchasing in Spring 2012 saved over $330,000
• Develop partnerships to expand access to technology & resources
− Focused on technology access, libraries, and student opportunities
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7. Expand equity of access to technology
2011 2012
Legend
Red = Does Not Meet
Foundation
Yellow = Meets
Foundation
Green = Exceed
Foundation
Foundation =
Computer/mobile lab
less than 5 years old
58% Meet or Exceed Foundation 79% Meet or Exceed Foundation
We have established a baseline foundation of technology tools for
students by upgrading mobile laptop environments in 33 schools
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8. Strengthen & integrate data systems to
accelerate data-driven decision making
• BPS uses over 60 separate systems to collect and store data
• To make data available when and where it is needed, we must
ensure that these systems are
− User-friendly
− Connected
• We are carrying out a multi-pronged strategy to meet these needs
− Upgrading core systems and retiring legacy systems
− Designing useful, thorough reporting & analytic tools
− Automating operational processes
− Bolstering application security to ensure student confidentiality
• Moving forward, we will create and implement centralized protocols
for adopting systems
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9. Strengthen & integrate data systems to
accelerate data-driven decision making
Student Information System (SIS) is a fully
integrated system that lets schools collect & manage
data while making data accessible to students and
families
− Daily & period attendance
− eTranscripts & online gradebook
− Scheduling
− Student & family portals
− Department, school, class, teacher web pages
Data warehouse is a central repository for
academic and operational data, allowing robust
reporting & analysis for schools and the district
− Leading & lagging indicators
− Attendance reports & dashboards
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− Assessment data: MCAS, DIBELS

10. Empower 21st century learning skills for students
• Supporting higher-order thinking by embedding technology in the
curriculum
− In the last 2 years, over 1,000 teachers are infusing online content (e.g., blogs
and wikis) to advance literacy, communication, problem-solving & collaboration
• Preparing students for digital citizenry
− Curriculum & resources on key elements of cyber safety made for kids, by kids
− BPS Cyber Safety Mentors have educated over 24,000
Boston youth since 2006
− Strengthening information literacy through school-
based library programs
• Meeting unique learning needs by differentiating
instruction
− Includes use of assistive technologies to allow multiple
means of representation, expression & engagement
− Examples: text-to-speech software, visual depiction
software, online apps, iPads, audiobooks, e-books
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11. Empower 21st century learning skills for students
• Promoting self-expression & creativity through Adobe Youth Voices
− 900 students learn multimedia software & develop digital media projects on
real-world issues impacting youth
− May 31: Showcase, Burke High School
• Gaining real-world experience through the
Tech Apprentice Program
− Annually, 100+ students participate in paid,
technology-focused summer internships
− Supplements high school technology courses
(which enroll 4,199 students each year)
• Learning STEM through Robotics
− 600 students across grades K-12 learn and use
robotics principles through in-school and
extended learning opportunities
− June 2: Robotics Olympics, Wentworth
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12. Engage Families & Community with Technology
• Monitor student progress via SIS
Portal
• Pre-register for schools online
• Learn technology skills in your
child’s school through Tech
Goes Home
• Access city resources with One
card: school ID, T pass, library &
community center access
• Discover BPS schools
• Get the latest bus information
on your phone
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13. Technology Roadmap: Innovation on the
horizon in the next three years
Expand Equitable • Continue to expand access for students
Access to through mobile devices & e-content
Technology • Prepare for online PARCC assessments
• Implement cloud-based email &
Strengthen & collaboration tools
Integrate Systems • Create Personal Learning Environments
• Design digital literacy curriculum
Empower 21st • Implement blended & online models for extended
Century Learning learning opportunities & graduation requirement
• Unlock digital doors through social media
• Build out SIS portal as robust communication tool
Engage Families & • Redesign online school registration
Community • Promote district with coherent BPS web presence
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14. Next Steps
• Join us at an upcoming technology event!
− May 31: Adobe Youth Voices Showcase @ Burke High School
− June 2: Robotics Olympics @ Wentworth Institute of Technology
− June 23: Tech Goes Home Graduation @ Faneuil Hall
• Unlock digital doors for learning
− Engage in a community process to develop a Social Media Policy
that provides structured access to social & digital media tools, such
as YouTube, for educational use
− Present policy to School Committee for approval
• Present LINC 4ward, a comprehensive three-year technology plan
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15. To Learn More:
Melissa Dodd
Chief Information Officer
Boston Public Schools
mdodd@bostonpublicschools.org
www.bostonpublicschools.org/technology
@BPSTechnology
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16. Appendix: Recent recognitions
• Boston Public Schools recognized in • Boston identified as leader in bullying
T.H.E. Journal, a national K12 prevention & cyber safety education
Educational Technology magazine, for
technology innovation in large urban • TechBoston Academy recognized by
school districts (September 2011) President Obama for its innovative
http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/09/12/big- use of technology to engage
city-rules.aspx students and achieve excellence
• Henderson Elementary highlighted in • Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School
PBS News Hour for use of assistive awarded Apple Distinguished school
technologies to support inclusion. award twice – only urban school to
(March 2012) be recognized
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/american-
graduate/jan-june12/
amgradengaging_03-21.html • Tech Apprentice Program
recognized as national model by NSF
• Hurley K-8 and Boston Green Academy
librarians received prestigious awards
from Massachusetts School Library
Association. (March 2012)
http://bostonpublic.blogspot.com/2012/04/bps-
librarians-and-parents-group.html
• BPS CIO profiled in COMPUTERWORLD, a
national IT magazine (April 2012)
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/
9225869/Melissa_P._Dodd
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