The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shares the Governor's concern about the need to prepare students for the 21st century economy. Technology has the power to enhance students' learning, engage them, and ultimately prepare them for the competitive world beyond school. In order to prepare students for their future in this increasingly digital world, it is critical that districts provide a robust technology infrastructure, ample support for the use of technology, and increased professional development for teachers. This report uses data submitted by districts to gauge Massachusetts' progress as a state in providing the prerequisites for 21st century learning. Individual districts may want to use the report's finding to judge their own progress. Policymakers can use the information to develop strategies to support local districts as they prepare students for their future. Appendices include: (1) Local Technology Plan Guidelines; (2) District Statistics; and (3) Technology Funding. (Contains 55 footnotes.).

The 2004 National Education Technology Plan paints a hopeful picture of technology in American schools, highlighting examples of effective use and applauding the innovation that is occurring. The plan touts the benefits of the Internet and the opportunities it offers for improving education, such as enhanced access to interactive learning resources, virtual courses, and easily accessible, up-to-date information. An analysis of the technology data submitted to the Department for the 2003-2004 school year reveals some promising trends. The percentage of teachers receiving technology professional development increased from 61% in 2003 to 71% in 2004. Districts have also made improvements in their infrastructures, with the percentage of districts that have every classroom connected to the Internet up from 72% to 79%. In addition, 60% of districts met the guideline of five or fewer students per modern computer, even though the definition of a modern computer was upgraded substantially in 2004. Other data reveal some of the challenges districts face in their use of technology. In some districts, the number of computers varies widely from one school to the next, so students are not all receiving the same benefits. Many schools continue to lack the technical support staff to maximize their use of technology, so that on average it takes more than three days to service a computer that is down. Finally, nearly one-third of teachers use technology with their students only about once a month or less, suggesting that they need more support and training in order to be able to reap the benefits technology offers. Appendices include: (1) District Statistics; (2) Local Technology Plan Guidelines (School Year 2004-2005 through 2006-2007); (3) No Child Left Behind Title IID Technology Entitlement Grants (Fund Code 160); (4) No Child Left Behind Title IID Model Technology Integration Grants (Fund Code 165); (5) No Child Left Behind Title IID Technology Enhancement Grants (Fund Code 170); (6) No Child Left Behind Title IID Content Institutes (Fund Codes 137/141/151/171); and (7) No Child Left Behind Title II D Assistive Technology Summer Institutes (Fund Code 171). (Contains 27 footnotes.) [This report was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Instructional Technology Group.].

The "Local Technology Plan Guidelines" serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which local schools are ready to use technology to enhance teaching and learning. District leaders can use this information, along with their local technology data, to help identify areas where they are falling behind and where the infusion of technology stimulus funds is likely to have the greatest impact. Because the report focuses on districts' technology readiness relative to the "Local Technology Plan Guidelines", its organization follows the five areas covered by the guidelines: (1) Clear Vision and Implementation Strategies; (2) Technology Integration and Literacy; (3) Technology Professional Development; (4) Accessibility of Technology; and (5) E-Learning and Communications. Local Technology Plan Guidelines is appended. (Contains 25 footnotes.).

This report shows that Massachusetts school districts are making progress in providing instruction that is relevant to today's students--and in preparing students for the technological demands of the 21st century. A number of positive trends emerge from districts' 2004-2005 technology data. The daily use of technology in the classroom has increased, helping to make learning more relevant and engaging to today's students. In addition, greater numbers of teachers are using technology each day professionally outside the classroom as well, which increases their productivity, as well as their comfort level with technology. At the same time, teacher participation in technology professional development is up, and more teachers have moved into the proficient and advanced levels of technology using, enabling them to better help their students become technologically literate. Even though progress has been made, much work remains to be done. There are still many teachers in Massachusetts who use technology only occasionally, if at all. There are also teachers and students who are not proficient with technology. In order to continue making progress in preparing students for a technology-driven world, schools must provide increased professional development in technology, sufficient support for the use of technology, and a robust technology infrastructure. This report gauges the progress of districts in providing these prerequisites for effective technology use. Appended are: (1) Local Technology Plan Guidelines; and (2) District Statistics. (Contains 30 footnotes.).