October 2001 — Features
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Collaborative Technology Planning
In addition, students may use the courseware system to do a credit recovery where they prove competency in areas of the curriculum without having to take the entire course over again. And because the curriculum is online, students may enroll in any course at anytime during the school year. At any given time, about half of the students take one or more courses on the system. From 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., School of Choice maintains a five-period bell schedule. During its day school, instruction on the NovaNET system is offered in two computer labs and on networked computers in classrooms. From 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., night school instruction is offered in two computer labs using only the online curricula.Achieving Remarkable Results
The teachers' skilled use of technology and online curricula are greatly credited with helping students make remarkable progress. From the 1995-1996 school year to the 1999-2000 school year, the graduation rate jumped from 26 to 126 students. In 1997-1998, the year in which the NovaNET system was introduced, the graduation rate increased by more than 50 percent from 32 students in the 1996-1997 school year to 49 students. In 1999-2000, the year the night school was opened, the graduation rate jumped another 50 percent, from 84 students in the 1998-99 school year to 126 students. The school's dropout rates also improved, earning the school awards and recognition from the National Dropout Prevention Network. During the 1999-2000 school year, School of Choice recovered 28 dropouts, including 10 who had been out of school for more than a year. Of the 107 students enrolled in the school's tuition program, 99 earned the half to one credit necessary to earn their diplomas.
The success of School of Choice and its students rests firmly on the shoulders of its teachers. Through a collaborative approach to technology planning, the teachers have become intricately involved in every level of the decision-making process. As a result, they have gained the knowledge to make things happen with technology. They know how to gather around a table to tackle challenges, develop solutions and plan for the future. Most importantly, they know how to use technology to impact the curriculum, promote student learning and help students succeed. To fully integrate technology into the curriculum, it is critical that administrators provide ongoing support for teachers as they venture into new areas. Only through teachers' professional growth can student learning be truly enhanced.
Lea Ann Lockard is the director of Spring Branch School of Choice in Houston, Texas. She has a bachelor's from Angelo State University in Texas and a master's from Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She also has 24 graduate hours in career and technology education from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. Lockard is a career and technology certified teacher and holds a mid-management certification. In 1999, she was one of three educators in the nation to receive an individual Crystal Star Award of Excellence from the National Dropout Prevention Network.
E-mail: lockardl@spring-branch.isd.tenet.edu
