1998 EdTech Update Report
Executive Summary
The Department's educational technology initiatives are organized into three categories: improving learning opportunities for students, providing new tools to enhance the professional capabilities of teachers, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of our administrative systems. Everything we do is undertaken with one or more of those efforts in mind. Thus, to improve learning opportunities for students, we are giving grant money to districts for technology (Projects with Statewide Impact Grant); we are funding and promoting innovative classroom practices that use technology (Lighthouse Sites); and we are promoting students as technology leaders (Youth Tech Entrepreneurs). To provide powerful new tools to teachers we created a super low-cost Internet service (MassEd.Net); we won a $10 million grant to create a statewide collaborative of nationally recognized organizations providing technology professional development (Project MEET); we are beginning work on an on-line database of curriculum resources and a district-based curriculum alignment application (Curriculum Library Alignment and Sharing Program); and we created a grant to integrate instructional technology into teacher preparation programs (Instructional Technology Preservice Grants), as well as grants to support model professional development projects and adopt best technology practices. To increase the efficiency of our administrative systems we are undertaking a massive overhaul of our data collection, transmission and reporting systems (Information Management System); we are changing the way schools buy technology by creating a procurement system tailored to needs of K-12 (Educational Technology Integration Service); and we are beginning a plan to build a statewide dedicated network connected to MITI (Mass Community Network). Finally, we are promoting the effectiveness of appropriate educational technology in schools wherever and whenever we can, and so we have included a copy of the press release on the recently published Milken Report.
| The Massachusetts State of Edtech Index |
|---|
| 1996 student computer state rating | 48th |
| 1998 student computer state rating | 21st |
| Student to [modern] computer ratio, 1998, | 10.6 to 1 |
| National Student to [modern] computer goal, | 6 to 1 |
| Percent of classrooms on-line, 1997, | 25 |
| Percent of classrooms on-line, 1997, | 51 |
| Grade span with the most classrooms on-line, | K-5 |
| Grade span with the best student/computer ratio, | 9-12 |
| Total spending in millions on EdTech, FY'94, | $30 |
| Total spending in millions on EdTech, FY'97, | $157 |
| State EdTech grants in millions, FY'94-FY'96, | $2.5 |
| State EdTech grants in millions, FY'94-FY'99, | $45 |
| Collection cycle - state of EdTech data w/o IMS, | 14 months |
| Collection cycle - state of EdTech data with IMS, | 48 hours |
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last updated: January 1, 1998
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