March 2008 — News
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Technology Immersion Turns Around Texas Middle School
Extra Credit TIP launched in Texas back in the spring of 2004 with the aim of taking education technology way beyond 1:1 laptop programs, immersing faculty and students in technology and professional development. It's a public-private partnership between the Texas Education Agency and several vendors, including Apple, Dell, Microsoft, netTrekker, Discovery, eChalk, and others. The project is in place in 23 Texas districts and an additional 22 middle schools that will be used for evaluation of the program. Funding is provided through EETT. More Information --D. Nagel |
Take a Title I urban school with fewer than 50 computers for some 850 students and a staff that wasn't strong in technology. Add an ambitious plan to roll out a new technology program that gave a laptop to every teacher and student. Sound like a recipe for problems? Actually, it wasn't.
The school, Marvin Baker Middle School, part of the Corpus Christi Independent School District in Texas, faces challenges familiar to many urban schools. The student population is diverse; the mobility rate is rising; and 80 percent of students receive a free lunch. However, Baker also houses the district's Athena Program for gifted and talented students; about a third of the school's students are part of that program.
Technology Immersion Pilot
Despite its challenges, thanks to a grant received three years ago, every Baker student and teacher today has a laptop that they use daily as a classroom resource. Not surprisingly, student performance scores have risen every year, and Baker this year was chosen a Texas state-recognized campus, among other recognitions.
Thanks to a heavy emphasis on staff development right from the beginning, the school managed its technology turnaround with flying colors.
It all began in early 2005 when administrators, realizing that the school lagged in technology, applied for and received a grant to participate in a Texas Technology Immersion Project (TIP) pilot, a statewide initiative that aims to immerse faculty and students in technology. Baker is one of two technology immersed middle schools in the Corpus Christi district participating in TIP.
