EETT grant awarded to FCPS

Falls City Public Schools has been awarded an Enhanced Education Through Technology grant of $72,180. Grant proceeds, teacher training, and activities will be shared with Falls City Sacred Heart.

The grant is funded through the Nebraska Department of Education with Federal No Child Left Behind dollars. A total of $614,809 was awarded to two school districts and five ESU Consortiums in the state. Judi Carter wrote the grant proposal on behalf of Falls City Public Schools.

The Get SMARTer grant project, written by Judi Carter, will provide SMART interactive white boards, computers, eInstruction Classroom Performance Systems (Clickers), and wireless chalkboards, along with training for teachers. Grant rules require that at least 25% of funds be spent on staff development.

Falls City Public Schools and Falls City Sacred Heart School, along with the assistance of ESU 4 and outside consultants, will Get SMARTer. Students and teachers from the two schools will focus on the development of technology literacy skills and the integration of technology into reading instruction and assessment.

Since both school districts have realized that reading has to be taught in all subjects at all grade levels, a reading goal is a component of both School Improvement Plans. Teachers will utilize interactive white boards, along with software toolkits, to teach reading in the content areas. Vocabulary instruction has been a focus of both schools’ plans; therefore, the CPS Clicker remotes and wireless chalkboards will be used to administer pre- and post-tests as required by the action plans. Using technology as a tool to increase student achievement and aid in the assessment of reading and vocabulary skills will be the ultimate goal of this grant project.

Training activities outlined in this Enhancing Education through Technology proposal form an ongoing system of staff development opportunities. Realizing that “one-shot” staff development is ineffective over time, a variety of training sessions will be held. Teachers from both districts will attend sessions on the use SMART Boards, the CPS systems, and the wireless chalkboards to teach and assess students’ reading and vocabulary skills. After teachers have the basic training, they will meet in grade level/department area sessions to plan classroom lessons that use technology as a tool to teach reading instruction. Staff members will recommend enhanced technology staff development necessary to complete student instruction. Collaboration among the grant partners and with others from outside the two districts will leverage funds and establish supportive relationships.

After attending various training sessions, teachers will facilitate the Get SMARTer classroom lessons, which seamlessly incorporate technology into reading instruction and content knowledge. Using the SMART Boards as a vehicle to improve student achievement through the integration of technology in reading instruction and content knowledge, students will be involved in lessons that require appropriate application of a variety of technologies to content learning.

Partnerships within and beyond community boundaries will be formed to extend the impact of grant activities. A Get SMARTer project web site will share exemplary teacher lesson plans. In addition, student projects can be presented during school board meetings, parent/teacher conferences, parent/school organization meetings, and other community organization meetings.

After completing the activities in this proposal, students and teachers will develop new levels of technological expertise that can be applied to reading in any content area. Student achievement will increase as a result of the application of a technology-enhanced curriculum in the Get SMARTer project.