July 2006 — Case Studies
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Utah: In Mint Condition
This seems disappointing until one compares the performance of students in non-eMINTS classrooms in the same grade in the same schools. Their math proficiency pass rate was 43.3 percent— almost a 14 percent difference and statistically significant. The same positive trend was seen in language arts and science in eMINTS classrooms for grades 4-6. Students in high-poverty schools with eMINTS teachers are closing the achievement gap faster than those who don’t have the benefit of classroom computers and intense professional development.
Building on Success
The same five districts, plus three others (two urban and one rural), joined to write a second grant proposal for Utah’s competition for years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007.
With the grant money, another group of teachers is now receiving eMINTS’ rigorous two-year professional development, as well as access to the program’s technology. In total, Utah now has 93 classrooms where students have high access to technology, run by teachers who know how to maximize these tools for student achievement.
Rachel Murphy, the Utah eMINTS coordinator, says the professional development scope and sequence is “mostly about becoming a better teacher, not just about learning technology skills.” She says teachers who go through this training are reenergized about their classrooms and students. Some teachers who are close to retirement age have decided to stay in the classroom for a few extra years because they are having fun again.
In light of its student successes, Monroe Elementary School in the Granite School District has committed a portion of its Title I funds to providing eMINTS professional development for every teacher in the school beginning next year. Rachel Mutterer, a third-grade teacher in the district, has completed the two years of professional development. “Having a mentor helps me put the things we learn about into practice,” she says. “There’s help in my class with my students, and there’s accountability. Since I know the mentor will be coming to my classroom to help me implement the strategies, I know I will have support to do what we’ve been learning in our after-school sessions.”
Because the students in eMINTS classrooms are outperforming students with similar demographics, another Utah professional development initiative meant just for administrators— Leadership in Technology—includes a visit to an eMINTS classroom to see how a classroom with high access to technology and a well-prepared teacher operates.
Teachers are the key to successful classrooms. For school to be engaging and productive for our students, each teacher needs to be adept at designing the learning environment— doing authentic projects, fostering collaborative peer-to-peer interaction, utilizing quality learning resources, and teaching to the whole classroom without losing focus on individual student strengths and weaknesses. Effective teachers create a climate in their classrooms that generates self-motivated students who want to attend to their studies and stretch themselves. That’s what happened for Monty, and what is now happening for hundreds of other students across Utah.
Rick Gaisford is an educational technology specialist with the Utah State Office of Education and Kathleen Webb is an online content and tools specialist with the Utah State Office of Education.
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