Principals reveal what is motivating their technology purchases
Principals are more optimistic than last year about changes in learning standards and technology taking place in their schools, according to the fourth annual Principals’ Assessment of Public Education, conducted by educational marketing data firm MCH Strategic Data and edWeb.net.
Designed to track trends within K-12 schools, the assessment compiled survey responses from more than 500 principals in elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The results provide a snapshot of the current state of schools as they implement Common Core and college and career readiness standards, develop student data privacy policies, and establish a better understanding of what constitutes 21st century learning.
“Shifting expectations for what is taught in schools and how it is being taught are active conversations taking place in every district, whether they are implementing Common Core standards or not,” said John F. Hood, president of MCH Strategic Data. “There are new benchmarks for student achievement and new evaluation methods for educators, making principals’ voices even more important.”
(Next page: Details from the survey, including principals’ feelings about the Common Core)
The Principals’ Assessment of Public Education reveals that among the respondents working in districts that have adopted the Common Core, nearly 90 percent have implemented or are in the process of implementing Common Core standards. Additional key findings of the survey include:
• More than 56 percent of principals polled report that the implementation of Common Core is driving their technology purchases. Only half of the districts surveyed have sufficient bandwidth for conducting online assessments. When asked if they were more focused on increasing bandwidth or acquiring mobile devices, 63.6 percent of the principals responded they were purchasing both.
• Protecting student privacy from the encroachment of big data is also an issue for principals. More than 90 percent of respondents report that their districts have written policies protecting student data.
• School funding and student readiness remain the greatest concerns for principals; however, many see better instruction and increased rigor of the curriculum within their schools as a positive shift from last year.
View the full results of the principal survey.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
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