One-to-one computing programs that are turning classrooms into student-centered learning labs and raising achievement; a technology incentive program that is reducing the dropout rate and closing the digital divide; live streaming of school board meetings online, and other efforts to engage stakeholders in school district activities; and the creation of an online-learning program that has solved the challenge of declining student enrollment: These are some of the many education technology accomplishments of the winners of our 10th annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards.
Sponsored by JDL Horizon’s Eduvision, K12 Inc., the Pearson Foundation, and Promethean, the awards program recognizes senior school district executives from around the nation who best exemplify outstanding leadership in the use of technology to further their district’s educational goals.
This year’s winners are:
• Eric Conti, Burlington Public Schools, Massachusetts
• Jan Harris, Cullman City Schools, Alabama
• Manuel Isquierdo, Sunnyside Unified School District, Arizona
• Chip Kimball, Lake Washington School District, Washington
• Pamela R. Moran, Albemarle County Public Schools, Virginia
• Carolyn Ross, Churchill County School District, Nevada
• Kim Ross, Houston Public Schools, Minnesota
• Amy Sichel, Abington School District, Pennsylvania
• Gary Smuts, ABC Unified School District, California
• Craig Witherspoon, Edgecombe County Public Schools, North Carolina
“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 are doing.”
The development of an increasingly digital society, and the emergence of a new era of accountability in the nation’s schools, have changed our expectations of the superintendency. As school leaders rely on technology 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 an increasingly essential characteristic for the 21st-century 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 award winners, these 10 exemplary leaders will be honored in a private ceremony held in conjunction with the Century Club 100 meeting at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education in Phoenix Feb. 11.
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.
“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. “The multimedia segments will give attendees an idea of why each laureate deserves to be a Tech-Savvy Superintendent of 2010, while simultaneously underscoring [his or her] school district’s technological prowess and enlivening the awards ceremony itself.”
This year, for the first time, the ceremony can be viewed via live streaming video at www.eSchoolNews.TV. The ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
To find out what distinguishes each of this year’s award winners, click here.
To see our 10 “Hallmarks of Excellence” that define a tech-savvy superintendent, click here.
To hear the winners describe what it means to be a “tech-savvy” superintendent in their own words, click here.
- Arizona’s Apache Junction Unified School District Supports Innovative Teaching and Learning with New EdTech Resources - April 19, 2024
- AI Educational Partnership to Elevate Classroom Presentations, Assessments - April 18, 2024
- SME Education Foundation Expands Manufacturing and Engineering Opportunities to 15K Additional Michigan Students - April 18, 2024
