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by Dana Laursen, Director, Education Strategy and Evaluation — September 04, 2009
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Do you have a technology project that fits your students’ needs but is outside your school’s current budget? Do you see opportunity in a start-up extended-day learning project such as afterschool or weekend learning “camps” or online courses for anytime/anywhere learning for your students? Do you believe learners could benefit from online curriculum options to support traditional classroom instruction?
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by Dana Laursen, Director, Education Strategy and Evaluation — August 19, 2009
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Technology is clearly a dominant thread in the tapestry of education reform launched by the Obama administration’s Department of Education earlier this year. The potential behind technology integration in the classroom is supported by the $650 million ARRA investment in the State Education Technology Grants via the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT, Title IID) program. The ARRA grants—combined with the $269.9 million funds for 2009 and the proposed budget of $100 million for 2010—total more than a $1 billion investment in technology.
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by Dana Laursen, Director, Education Strategy and Evaluation — May 05, 2009
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Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has challenged educators, students, and parents to think differently about devoting time for learning, as well as identifying ways in which to extend the school day, school week, and school year. In a recent Denver Post article, authors noted that the agrarian calendar—which allowed for summers to address agricultural needs—just doesn’t fit today’s world. The same authors noted the typical U.S. K–12 school holds class 180 days each year, while other industrialized nations top 200 days per year—with some Asian nations hitting 240 days. Further, as research has proven, one size does not fit all with regard to instruction or the time needed to learn. The summer gap is also difficult for students in terms of losing learning gains from the previous year. So, what are some ways to creating additional time for learning?
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by Dana Laursen, Director, Education Strategy and Evaluation — April 15, 2009
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Define Your Program
As an active practitioner of tiered instruction, Mary Reeve, Director of Services for Exceptional Students, Gallup McKinley Public Schools, Gallup, NM provided her expertise during a free PLATO Learning-sponsored webinar on April 10, 2009. Ms. Reeve emphasized four important questions in defining an effective tiered intervention strategy for any school or district:
- What is the need?
- What are the implementation options?
- How will progress and success be measured?
- How will you know when you've achieved success?
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by Tanya Krohn, Senior Marketing Specialist — March 27, 2009
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The speed at which American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) information is flowing is exciting. But it's also a daunting task to keep current with this fast flow of facts, dates, and funding amounts. With more than $100 billion in education funding over the next two fiscal years—and ultimately student achievement at stake—it's everyone's responsibility to do their due diligence.
Whether you're a direct or indirect contributor to the planning, implementing, expanding, or sustaining of education programs at your school or district, a new document released by the U.S. Department of Education on March 24, 2009 entitled, "Saving and Creating Jobs and Reforming Education" will be of assistance.
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