eSN's 2011 Tech-Savvy Superintendents were selected for their dedication to student learning and technology implementation.

Partnerships with local businesses to provide free Wi-Fi for students … a virtualization project that reportedly has saved $1.5 million in energy costs … an instructional content repository so teachers can share lessons, activities, and assessments: These are among the many impressive ed-tech accomplishments of our 2011 Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award winners.

Sponsored by SMART Technologies Inc., RM Educational Software, JDL Horizons, and K12 Inc., the 11th annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards recognize senior school district executives from around the nation who best exemplify outstanding leadership and vision in using technology to advance their district’s educational goals.

“Research shows that technology can facilitate better teaching and learning, but only when used judiciously,” said Dennis Pierce, editor of eSchool News. “And that starts at the very top, with strong district leadership. If you start with a clear vision for how to implement technology effectively, and you make sure your staff is well trained and supported, and you seek to transform instructional practices to leverage technology’s full potential, then technology really can empower education. And that’s what the winners of our annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards are doing.”

As educators come to rely on technology and the internet to engage students’ interest, track their progress, personalize instruction, and aid in decision making, an understanding of how technology works and how it can be used to transform teaching and learning is now an essential characteristic for the 21st-century school superintendent. eSchool News created its awards program in 2001 to recognize and encourage this quality.

Chosen by the editors of eSchool News with help from last year’s winners, the 2011 award winners will be honored in a private ceremony held in conjunction with the Century Club 100 meeting at the American Association of School Administrators’ annual conference in Denver Feb. 17. The ceremony will be shown live online at www.eschoolnews.com from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Mountain time (1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Eastern time).

The ceremony will feature Tom Carroll, Ph.D., president of the National Commission of Teaching and America’s Future, who will discuss how education leaders can transform schools from teaching organizations into learning organizations.

To meet this year’s winners, read on. For a list of the criteria we use in judging these awards, click here.

This year's TSSA winners bring technology know-how to their districts.

eSchool News (eSN) announces today the top ten superintendents from around the nation who best exemplify outstanding leadership in the use of technology to further educational goals.

Here are the winners of the 2010 eSN Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards:

• Eric Conti–Burlington, MA
• Jan Harris–Cullman, AL
• Manuel Isquierdo–Sunnyside, AZ
• Chip Kimball — Lake Washington, WA
• Pam Moran — Albemarle County, VA
• Carolyn Ross — Churchill County, NV
• Kim Ross– Houston Public Schools, MN
• Amy Sichel–Abington, PA
• Gary Smuts — ABC Unified, CA
• Craig Witherspoon — Edgecombe County, NC

The 2010 winners were selected based on 10 “Hallmarks of Excellence”:

Each laureate . . .
1. Must be a general superintendent.
2. Models the effective use of technology in the day-to-day execution of the superintendency.
3. Ensures that technology resources are equitably distributed among students and staff.
4. Insists that adequate professional development is a component of every technology initiative.
5. Demonstrates exceptional vision in leading the development and implementation of a district-wide technology plan.
6. Exhibits a thorough understanding of the role of technology in education and can articulate that understanding to all school district stakeholders.
7. Provides exceptional leadership in supporting the integration of technology into the curriculum.
8. Demonstrates exceptional vision in employing technology to streamline school district business operations.
9. Demonstrates curiosity and open-mindedness in considering emerging technologies and weighing non-traditional solutions to traditional problems.
10. Thinks creatively and strategically about the long-term challenges and opportunities of technology in the school district and in education at large.

Laureates of the Tenth Annual eSN Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards Program–produced with financial support from Promethean, Pearson Foundation, K12 Inc., and Eduvision–are invited to an exclusive, private luncheon to be held on February 11, 2010, at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel simultaneous with the annual American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education.

The awards ceremony, held in conjunction with The Century Club 100 annual meeting, will feature Tom Carroll, Ph.D., president of NCTAF (the National Commission of Teaching and America’s Future) discussing how education leaders can transform schools from teaching organizations into learning organizations.

“A new feature of this 10th anniversary awards ceremony will be multimedia highlights from the school districts of each 2010 Tech-Savvy Superintendent laureate,” said Gregg W. Downey, publisher and president, of eSchool News. “These dynamic highlights will be featured as the laureates come forward to receive recognition from their fellow superintendents assembled from around the nation. The multimedia segments will give attendees an idea of why each laureate deserves to be a Tech-Savvy Superintendent of 2010, while simultaneously underscoring the school district’s technological prowess and enlivening the awards ceremony itself.”

“Research shows that technology can facilitate better teaching and learning, but only when used judiciously,” said Dennis Pierce, editor of eSchool News. “And that starts at the very top, with strong district leadership. If you start with a clear vision for how to implement technology effectively, and you make sure your staff is well supported and trained, and you seek to change instructional practices to leverage technology’s potential, then technology really can empower education. And that’s what the winners of our annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards have done.”

This year the TSSA Program will be available for viewing by educators and others around the world via streaming video at www.eSchoolNews.TV. Make sure to visit the website to view the ceremony live on February 11th beginning at 12:30 p.m. MST — Mountain Standard Time (11:30 a.m. PST, 1:30 p.m. CST, 2:30 p.m. EST).
(Television news directors who wish to obtain broadcast-quality video of the ceremony may make arrangements with eSN’s video production team, headed by Tom Lapping at tlapping@jdlhorizons.com or 612-669-1130.)

Launched in 2001, the Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards (TSSA) Program honors K-12 chief executives who have displayed exemplary vision in the use of technology to further the goals of educating today’s students and equip them with 21st century skills. Initially, superintendents are nominated by their colleagues and peers. Once a field of hundreds of nominations are culled, the editors of eSN along with past-years’ TSSA laureates select the current cohort of ten winners.

In support of the TSSA Program, the eSchool News Network provides broad editorial coverage in its print and online publications along with video excerpts of the awards ceremony as well as interviews with the winning superintendents at its online video channel, www.eSchoolNews.TV.

The occasion was eSchool News’ Ninth Annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards, sponsored by Promethean, the Pearson Foundation, and K12 Inc. This year’s award winners were honored during a private ceremony held in conjunction with the Century Club 100 meeting at the American Association of School Administrators’ annual conference in San Francisco.

"Research shows that if you start with a clear vision for how to implement technology effectively, and you provide strong leadership in sharing this vision with stakeholders, and you make sure your staff is well supported and receives professional development that is relevant and sustained, and you seek to change instructional practices to take advantage of technology’s potential, then technology really can empower more effective teaching and learning," eSchool News Managing Editor Dennis Pierce said in presenting the awards.

Now in its ninth year, the Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards are intended to recognize excellence in ed-tech leadership from the very top level of school district administration, and hold these exemplary leaders up as models for others to follow.

Among other criteria, "tech-savvy" superintendents must model the effective use of technology in their day-to-day execution of the superintendency; ensure that technology resources are distributed equitably among students and staff; insist that adequate professional development is a component of every school technology initiative; demonstrate exceptional vision in leading the development and implementation of a district-wide technology plan; and think creatively and strategically about the long-term challenges and opportunities that technology provides in their district and in education at large.

Winners were nominated by the school field and then chosen by the editors of eSchool News with the help of Tech-Savvy Superintendent laureates from prior years.

This year’s winners are:

• Margaret Anderson, Knob Noster R-VIII School District, Missouri;
• Steven Baule, Community Unit School District 201, Illinois;
• Vince Cotter, Colonial School District, Pennsylvania;
• Richard A. DiPatri, Brevard Public Schools, Florida;
• Arthur Himmler, Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1, Washington;
• Lorraine Lange, Roanoke County Schools, Virginia;
• Larry Price, Wilson County Schools, North Carolina;
• Tom Shelton, Daviess County Public Schools, Kentucky;
• Steven Stephanoff, Center Grove Community School District, Indiana; and
• Mark Weedy, Eastland/Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, Ohio.

"You’re all familiar with the phrase, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ Well, with billions of dollars in new federal [stimulus] funding will come intense scrutiny," Pierce told the honorees.

"As they get set to spend this new influx of cash, your colleagues in other districts will be looking to you for guidance. …I hope you’ll use your collective voices to help spread the word: When used effectively as part of a well-designed plan, and when supported with adequate staff development (and not one-and-done workshops), technology can help reach today’s students and equip them with the 21st-century skills they’ll need to succeed."

After the awards were presented, Chip Kimball, superintendent of the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Wash., spoke about an initiative from the Consortium for School Networking called "Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent." Kimball and Century Club 100 President Evelyn Holman then led a discussion about effective school leadership in the 21st century.

(Editor’s note: For more coverage of AASA’s 2009 National Conference on Education–including a video interview with AASA President Daniel Domenech–see our AASA Conference Information Center at eSN Online: http://www.eschoolnews.com/conference-info/aasa.)

"Right now, our one-to-one laptop initiative has my attention, because we’re trying to make sure we have some baseline data to show our community that the investment of those dollars is really going to pay off in terms of student achievement. …Students have access to the technology 24-7, [which enables] a just-in-time kind of learning. I was talking to a teacher who was saying, ‘If we want to look up some information, we don’t have to schedule into out computer lab–I can just have the students open up their laptops and look up this information right away.’ …Our media specialists are moving ahead with all sorts of ideas and innovations; I’m just really fortunate that our community, the staff, and the school board are all behind this."

–Margaret Anderson, Knob Noster School District, Mo.

"Being a tech-savvy superintendent means giving teachers the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, and [making] sure that [we] operate effectively by integrating our systems together. …We’ve been able to create a ‘classroom of the future’ for every single classroom in the district, K-12. A classroom of the future, in our opinion, is one in which we have interactive whiteboards [and projectors], giving teachers the ability to be very engaging with the students. …Our classrooms have become really alive with the implementation of technology."

–Vince Cotter, Colonial School District, Pa.

"We used to teach kids by bringing technology to them and saying, ‘Learn this technology.’ We’ve advanced [beyond] that now, to where we’re adapting what we’re doing to the kids’ mode of learning. …We’re taking our curriculum and delivering it in a mode and a fashion that the kids readily adapt to and are successful with."

–Arthur Himmler, Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1, Wash.

"Whenever you win an award, you don’t win it alone. I’m lucky to have a supportive school board and a director of technology and teachers and principals who really embrace technology. …The students we have now are the digital natives–they were born with technology, they use it in games, they use it at home–so it’s important that we use it in instruction."

–Lorraine Lange, Roanoke County Schools, Va.

"Technology is a tool, and it has transformational qualities if we use it in the right way. We have to always be curious about how we can use technology to enhance what we’re doing, to make what we are trying to teach our children more relevant, to help them develop skills that will enable them to be successful in this new age we’re in. …I think it’s a matter of finding ways that children already embrace technology, and then working together to make sure teaching and learning are complementary to that."

–Larry Price, Wilson County Schools, N.C.

(Editor’s note: More ed-tech insights from the winning superintendents are available at eSN Online. Watch video interviews with nine of the 10 winners at http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/tssa.)

Margaret Anderson
Knob Noster R-VIII School District, Missouri

Under Anderson’s leadership, the Knob Noster School District invested more than half a million dollars to provide its high school students with laptops through a one-to-one computing initiative that is reportedly one of the first in the state.
Since Anderson became superintendent in 2004, all of the district’s schools have interactive whiteboards, and all high school teachers use tablet computers. The district’s schools also have wireless internet capabilities, and district officials are in the process of buying an online public access catalog (OPAC) so students can tap into its list of library resources from wherever they have an internet connection.
Anderson chairs the district-wide technology committee and expects technology to be used in every classroom. She has devoted professional development days to technology training and has paid teachers to attend training during the summer. She also has the district’s technology team working on a way to open up access to some blocked web sites after school hours, so students can access online games and music in a way that won’t interfere with their schoolwork.
http://knobnoster.k12.mo.us

Steven Baule
Community Unit School District 201, Illinois

When Baule came to CUSD 201 in 2005, one of the key complaints he heard from teachers was that the technology resources in the district didn’t work. Technology was a hindrance to instruction and not a support. Under Baule’s four years of leadership, that has changed.
CUSD 201 has streamlined its network processes, developed new school and district web pages, implemented online surveys to track stakeholders’ needs, hired two additional media specialists, broadened its technology team with an additional three support staff members, purchased a district-wide data management system, and added new instructional tools such as interactive whiteboards, digital document cameras, and more. The district also has implemented new student, financial, and human-resource software packages to bring it into the 21st century–and it has been one of the state’s largest users of virtual high school courses to expand its high school offerings.
New initiatives this year include blogs for teachers and administrators and computer-based adaptive testing to help measure student growth.
Baule’s background as a director of technology and a school library media specialist has provided a framework for smart technology integration and growth. Baule also is an author who has published a variety of resources related to technology.
http://www.cusd201.org

Vince Cotter
Colonial School District, Pennsylvania

Under Cotter’s leadership, Colonial has drawn national acclaim for its data-driven approach to curriculum, use of personalized instruction, and cutting-edge technology.
Since he became superintendent in December 2000, student achievement has improved dramatically, thanks in large part to his "Above and Beyond Plan," which calls on school leaders to use data in making instructional decisions. Once rated near the bottom of Montgomery County’s 21 public school districts, Colonial is now considered among the county’s best. The seven Colonial schools met or exceeded all Adequate Yearly Progress targets for the 2007-08 school year, and participation in Advanced Placement classes has dramatically increased.
Through sizable grants and board funds, every classroom in the district is equipped with interactive whiteboards, projectors, high-powered digital overhead presenters, and document cameras. Video conferencing capability and at least one computer lab also exists in each building. The district’s Plymouth Whitemarsh High School is equipped with wireless technology and by the end of the current school year will have more than 800 wireless laptops in use by students each day. Wireless technology soon will be installed in other district buildings as well, and teachers are being taught how to incorporate the technology effectively into their daily lessons.
http://www.colonialsd.org

Richard A. DiPatri
Brevard Public Schools, Florida

DiPatri is working closely with the Brevard school board to bring equitable technology access to every school in the district within the next two years. The model for this effort, which has brought new technologies to 80 percent of Brevard’s schools, is the school system’s "Sunrise Standard"–named for the district’s newest, most technology-rich elementary school.
Each classroom at Sunrise Elementary is equipped with document cameras, laptop computers, high-speed internet access, digital projectors, sound amplification systems, and interactive software tools to make lesson plans come alive. Connecting teachers and students to 21st-century, Web 2.0 learning environments, the "Sunrise Standard" is transforming the teaching and learning process throughout Brevard schools.
DiPatri has modified school and district staffing plans to ensure that each school has a full-time, highly qualified technology associate and has authorized the use of eight district-level technology integrators to support teachers’ professional development needs–providing educators with the training necessary for using technology effectively in their instruction. This professional development is paying dividends: More than 90 percent of Brevard teachers are now considered "technology proficient."

Arthur Himmler
Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1, Washington

Himmler has been known as one of the foremost technology advocates in Washington state since assuming the superintendency at Steilacoom in the early 1990s, and in that time his district has ushered in a new era in classroom technology. 
One of Himmler’s first hires as superintendent was a networking specialist to build LANs for each of the district’s facilities and a WAN to link all sites together. In tandem with building network infrastructure, he made sure that appropriate student and administrative computers were installed in all of the district’s seven schools and support facilities. Each staff member found a computer on his or her desk and attended workshops on how to use technology to enhance instruction–and the district’s technology infrastructure has continued to evolve with the times: A new voice-over-IP system now allows for ubiquitous communications district-wide.
Steilacoom has introduced parents, teachers, and students to a program called Parent Connection, which allows parents to view grades, attendance records, library fines, and other information in a secure, online environment. The district’s new middle school and remodeled high school now provide instruction via interactive whiteboards, and Himmler has formed an instructional technology committee charged with developing a new scope for how students can use technology throughout their school years and into adulthood.

Lorraine Lange
Roanoke County Schools, Virginia

In her nearly 40 years with Roanoke County Schools, Lange has pushed for all courses to embrace technology. When she became superintendent in 2006, she created seven goals for the county’s schools, with one focusing on using technology to improve the student learning environment and to facilitate effective communication.
As an assistant superintendent for instruction from 2000 to 2005, Lange began work to create a specialty school that provides advanced instruction in career and technical education. Her work led to the formation of the Arnold R. Burton Technology Center, and when Lange became superintendent she helped evolve the center’s focus to include arts-related instruction integrated with technology. The Burton Center for Arts and Technology sprang from this effort.
Lange also led the creation of a Virtual High School, allowing students to use two-way audio and video communication to complete course requirements and earn credit in specified subjects. In addition, she has overseen the coordination of a district-wide system of effective communication with parents, students, staff, and the community by using the Roanoke County Schools web site and a computer-driven communications program that calls parents with important information.
http://www.rcs.k12.va.us

Larry Price
Wilson County Schools, North Carolina

Over the past decade, Price has rejuvenated Wilson County Schools, lobbying school system leaders to invest in instructional technology that has steadily raised student performance.
Since Price took the reins in 1998, the district has instituted a Summer Technology Academy, a weeklong seminar that gives educators a thorough look at what’s new in educational technology. Price also has allocated more district resources to technology, convincing officials to invest $250,000 annually in instructional technology, and he headed an effort to track student discipline infractions–an initiative that cut infractions by more than one-third over two years. He also pushed for a one-to-one laptop program at Hunt High School last year and has led the purchase of LCD projectors and interactive whiteboards for about half of all district classrooms.
Price’s record of community leadership is lengthy. He served as president of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association, chairman of the North Carolina Network, and chairman of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators Legislative Committee. He also was recognized as the best superintendent in North Carolina in 2006.

Tom Shelton
Daviess County Public Schools, Kentucky

Shelton has served as superintendent of Daviess County since July 2004, after nine years of service as the district’s assistant superintendent for operations. His experience in business and finance has been a tremendous asset to the district, allowing him to take a long-term view of technology investments.
Shelton believes in the seamless integration of technology in his district. All classrooms are equipped with a ceiling-mounted projector, document camera, voice amplification system, TV tuner, and VCR/DVD player. All elementary and middle schools throughout the district have the same ratio of students to computers, and high school students are involved in a one-to-one laptop computing program he has spearheaded. A portion of the professional development plan for each of the district’s 21 schools must relate to technology integration and fostering critical thinking skills among students.
Shelton keeps a blog to record his visits to schools, and he also maintains a social-networking web site to chronicle the service projects of his "Tom Squad"–a group of student leaders who meet monthly. He pioneered the use of a personnel and money-management software program that the entire state now mandates. He is fond of saying that technology should not drive instruction; instead, it’s the other way around.
http://www.dcps.org

Steven Stephanoff
Center Grove Community School District, Indiana

Stephanoff understands how technology can improve school administration as well as enhance student learning. After only a year and a half of his leadership at Center Grove, technology has become an integral part of the district.
Center Grove has launched a district-wide data warehouse so that teachers and administrators have full access to common assessments and student data to make informed instructional decisions. Under Stephanoff’s direction, the district also has implemented a streamlined, shared student and business/financial data system with a single database for both operations.
In December, a teacher from Center Grove Middle School North was named Indiana Computer Educators’ "Technology Teacher of the Year." The award was a reflection of the environment that Stephanoff has created, which encourages teachers to explore new technologies and provides cutting-edge tools for them to utilize.
Stephanoff also supported the launch of a new district web site, which has role-based management, allowing students and teachers to log in for targeted information. Leading up to the 2008 elections, students participated in a mock electronic election via the new web site’s secured electronic survey feature.
http://www.centergrove.k12.in.us

Mark Weedy
Eastland/Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, Ohio

During his three-plus years at Eastland/Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, Weedy has taken the concept of learning with technology to new heights.
Each student and staff member in the district now carries a new laptop computer and has wireless access to support this initiative. During the past school year, Weedy allocated more than $325,000 to upgrade technology inside and outside of the classroom–including interactive whiteboards, student response systems, a weather station with handheld data probes for classroom use, and an interactive library system that links all of the district’s buildings. The district now has a technology specialist to help staff support the new technology and create staff web pages and portals for online courses. Many of these new initiatives have significantly improved student engagement and communication between staff and parents.
Under Weedy’s leadership, the district annually hosts a technology in-service event, where venders and presenters are invited to the campus to demonstrate the latest in educational technology. Weedy is a regular presenter at the event, which focused this year on how to streamline time-consuming chores to save valuable instructional time.
http://eastlandfairfield.com

Click here to read the Ten Hallmarks of Excellence.