-- Technology: Students and teachers have returned to classrooms with some of the biggest technology upgrades since calculators replaced the slide rule, the Pioneer Press' Christopher Magan said in a report on developments that will bring more technology to more area students this school year. As districts spend millions for iPads and other devices, more than 40,000 east metro students will have daily access to Internet-connected devices that educators say will allow them to tailor instruction to the needs of each student.
In St. Paul, students will begin using iPads in two phases over the next two years. Those at 37 of roughly 60 schools will receive the devices sometime between October and February, with exact dates still to be determined, according to the district. Students at remaining schools will begin using iPads during the 2015-16 school year. District officials said earlier that schools in the first wave were selected based on factors that included wider achievement gaps and strong interest from teachers and staff in being early adopters.
On one side of the school-technology debate are those who argue there is little evidence that the devices will boost achievement. On the other are those making the case that devices are needed to help students prepare for an increasingly digital world.
For our part, we've raised questions about "the next shiny object" as the answer to what schools need to improve performance.
For theirs, voters in 2012 supported the district's $9-million-per-year technology initiative -- to "develop and implement a new plan to improve student learning and engagement through technology-supported instruction in all schools." It was largely an act of faith in district leaders. One way or another, it must be realized.
-- All-day kindergarten: Among efforts to improve student performance with a solid start, all-day kindergarten is "absolutely a game-changer," Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius told us last month.
Despite the tendency of some politicians and boosters to refer to it as "free," it's not. Its availability statewide, at no additional cost to parents, is subsidized by taxpayers. Lawmakers allocated another $134 million to remedy "a patchwork quilt of opportunity," said Sen. Charles Wiger, a Maplewood Democrat and chair of the Senate education finance subcommittee, in a Pioneer Press report. "It shouldn't be based on ZIP code or ability to pay. It was a matter of fairness and education opportunity."
In St. Paul, kindergarten and pre-K students start school on Monday.
-- Start times: In work that continues this school year, the St. Paul district is rethinking schedules to give secondary students later start times. Changes -- if they are made -- would not be effective until next fall.
Both science and tradeoffs are behind the move.
The science suggests that later start times and more sleep for teens bring benefits to both health and academic performance. In some of the latest research, from the University of Minnesota, schools saw a boost in attendance and improved grades and test scores. Apparently, it's a matter of biology, with teenagers ready for sleep later in the evening. When school starts early, many don't get enough rest and are less alert.
The tradeoffs include adjustments for younger students and their families. The district now has three start times: 7:30 a.m. for most high schools and middle schools and 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. for elementary schools. A change would mean buses would pick up some younger students as early as 6:30 a.m., but research also suggests young ones may be "wired" to wake up early and have more energy in the morning.
Costs add to the complexity. A key consideration was keeping a shift cost-neutral, a district official said in a Pioneer Press report.
Work by a steering committee leading the process is described by those involved as "thoughtful" -- as it should be. Information is at spps.org/starttimes.
When it comes to all three issues, policy-makers -- whether monitoring or making decisions -- will need to be mindful of the delicate balance between doing "what's best for kids" and what's prudent for taxpayers.
Source: http://www.twincities.com
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