Sean Junkins

Current Conditions Synthesis Report

EDIT 760

With technology rapidly changing and evolving, schools are seeing new innovations turned into
instructional tools and resources. One new job of school leaders is to ensure new technologies
are being used effectively in their classrooms. Many school districts lay out broad technology
integration plans and general acceptable use policies, but school leaders have to know the unique
needs of their stakeholders and understand the impact new technology will have on teaching and
learning in their school building. In addition to the duties of principals in the past, the 21st
Century administrator must also ensure that the technology their students have access to is
efficient and effective and allows students to be productive. The NETS Standards for
Administrators outlines the role of a school administrator in meeting the changing duties and
responsibilities that come with being a school leader in the digital age. While being a
technologically competent leader is definitely a benefit, leading in these changing times requires
an administrator to be open to the process of change and able to empower and support teachers
and students as teaching and learning evolve as new tools emerge.

This report outlines the current conditions at Whittemore Park Middle School in regard to ISTEs
NETS Standards for Administrators. This study will focus on four overarching themes that relate
to a number of standards and indicators found in the NETS document. The four themes covered
in this study include: school culture, 21st century literacy, digital citizenship, and technical

support. Whittemore Park Middle has some definite strong areas when it comes to evolving in
these changes times, but like all schools, it still has room to improve and grow to best meet
student needs and learning goals. The purpose of this report is to examine how Whittemore Park
Middle School is doing in its ability to meet the expectations set forth by the NETS Standards
and provide the school with an idea of what strategies are working and what areas could still
benefit from support. The findings in this study could be used by school administrators in their
role as technology leaders and facilitators as it provides a framework for how their school is
doing as an environment for teaching and learning in the digital age.

The data in this report comes from a 2015 survey administered via the BrightBytes Clarity
platform. Teachers and students completed this survey designed to provide school leaders with
information to help move their school forward in these changing times. The goal of BrightBytes
is to provide school leaders with evidence-based feedback that helps them make better decisions
in maximizing the impact of their schools technology resources. When taken over time, the
BrightBytes Clarity survey helps schools measure the progress of their programs and initiatives
and more clearly see how changes in technology use and attitudes impacts student achievement
and growth. Essentially, BrightBytes intends to takes the guesswork out of the equation when
school leaders are attempting to measure the effectiveness of technology in their building. With
BrightBytes, school administrators have evidence to back up their decisions. With a better
understanding of how technology is being used in their classrooms, school leaders are better
equipped to address and support the needs of teachers and students to continue moving their
school forward.

Theme 1: School Culture

Leadership and support are essential to building a school culture that understands and appreciates
the increased use of and access to new technology. Educational researcher Robert Marzano
identifies effective leadership as one of the top five components impacting overall student
success and achievement. When it comes to effectively leading in the digital age, school leaders
have to be directly involved in and informed about what is taking place in their classrooms. This
requires school leaders to be visiting classes regularly, observing teachers consistently, and
engaging in conversations and discussions about best practices for teaching and learning in the
21st century.

At Whittemore Park Middle School, positive attitudes and beliefs about technology are present.
86% of teachers say technology is a regular part of classroom observations and 83% of teachers
agree that technology enhances their role as an educator. Even the students agree, 79% of
students say technology enhances their learning and 81% of students say their school encourages
them to use technology as part of their learning.

Technology use in class can enhance student learning.

My school encourages technology use for teaching and learning.

From this data, there appears to be clear evidence of administration supporting the use of
technology by teachers and students. It is also clear that both teachers and students see the value
of technology to improve and enhance learning, growth, and achievement. However, the reason
why school culture remains an area of support for Whittemore Park Middle is actually part of a
larger trend when it comes to the use of technology in schools. Nationally, many teachers do not
feel that technology is a priority at their school. A poll conducted by Walden University found
that only 66% of teachers feel administration supports their use of new technology. At
Whittemore Park, many teachers feel they are using technology to improve student learning,
meet district and school expectations, and show their commitment to the schools vision, but
most dont feel their efforts are being recognized or appreciated. In fact, only 28% feel they are
recognized for their use of technology in the classroom. That means almost three-fourths of the
faculty feels their time, effort, and commitment to technology is going vastly unnoticed.
Supporting teachers and acknowledging their use of technology is essential when it comes to
building a school culture that values the inclusion and integration of technology. While there are

many positives in this area, Whittemore Park still has room for growth when it comes to
appreciating the efforts of teachers in the classroom.

Teachers feel rewarded for integrating technology into teaching.

Theme 2: 21st Century Literacy

Teaching and learning in the 21st Century is an ever evolving and challenging task. Teachers are
expected to prepare students for high-stakes, standardized tests while also ensuring they are
obtaining the skills necessary to be globally competitive in a changing world. Being literate in
todays society means much more than being able to read and write. Modern day literacy
involves the ability to understand computers, visual images, the media, and many other digital
forms of communication. Todays students need to be able to effectively communicate,
collaborate, create, and think critically. Its the difficult task of the school leader to ensure
academic standards and district and state expectations are met while also encouraging teachers to
foster these lifelong skills in their students. If technology is intended to drive student growth and
achieve, students are using it in beneficial ways. New digital tools can provide access to

immediate feedback to help teachers make better data-driven students that ultimately benefit
their student learning outcomes. Being aware of what is happening in classrooms and the
learning experiences of students is critical to the success of a school in the 21st century.

For Whittemore Park, there are positives in the data when it comes to supporting the foundations
of 21st Century teaching and learning. Teachers are taking advantage of online assessment
resources that allow them to provide students with immediate feedback. If teachers are expected
to create personalized learning paths to best meet individual student needs, then feedback is
essential to ensure their actions are wholly data-driven.

Teachers administer digital or online assessments to a majority of their students

Where the concerns lie at Whittemore Park Middle School are in the use of technology and
resources to allow students to create, collaborate, and communicate digitally and build those skill
sets that will allow them to become digitally literate 21st Century learners. From student
responses its clear they are not being given the opportunity to collaborate, create, or innovate in
the classroom on a regular basis. In a given month, only 49% of students say they are asked to

collaborate online with classmates. Only 47% say they are asked to write online in a given
month. Likewise, only 54% of students say they are asked to identify and solve real world
problems using technology on a monthly basis.

Teachers ask students to engage in 21st Century Skills.

Theme 3: Digital Citizenship

Instant communication is now an essential part of a students daily life. Nearly all aspects of their
life, including education, come with some form of immediate interaction or feedback. However,
its critical for school leaders to understand that just because this generation of youth are digital
natives, they still need support in developing the skills that allow them to effectively and
appropriately communicate and interact with the world and the people around them.
Additionally, students may be proficient in using technology, but lack the expertise of how to use
technology as a productivity tool that can benefit them as a global citizen. Its the job of schools

to foster conversations about the value of technology and its role in best meeting the unique
needs of all students. Technology does not make leading and learning more challenging, but it
does present school leaders with an extra layer of responsibility. Technology is no longer an
option in schools. If school leaders want their students to be competitive on a global level, they
have to be open to any opportunity that can improve instruction.

Whittemore Park Middle School has a culture and climate that values technology as a tool to
improve instruction. Access to technology and positive beliefs about its value are certainly
factors that support digital citizenship. However, there are other aspects that need to be present as
well. Providing access to technology is often a first step, but modeling and promoting its
appropriate use requires an on-going and fully sustainable commitment from school leadership.
As previously mentioned, 100% of teachers, and 80% of students, agree the use of technology in
the classroom enhances learning and likewise, both groups positively indicate their school
encourages them to use technology as they teach and learn. However, from teacher and student
responses it is evident that adequate time is not provided to ensure students know how to use
digital tools and resources appropriately, ethically, and legally.

In fact, 83% of teachers spend three hours or less teaching topics related to digital citizenship
and 50% of those teachers admit they dont teach it at all. 60% of teachers spend less than three
hours of instruction on the legal use of web content and 70% spend less than three hours a year
on the topic of online safety.


Students are taught how to share information about themselves online.

Time spent per year teaching about creating an online presence.

Time spent per year teaching about using social networks for learning.

Providing students with a framework for how to engage as digital citizens is essential. Students
need a basic understanding of how to use digital tools to appropriately engage with their world.
So often, students embrace new technology without ever understanding the possible
consequences. Students need to understand how to look at new tools rationally and critically and
understand the vast new role technology plays as an instructional resource to make them
competitive as individuals on much broader scales for success.

Theme 4: Technical Support

According to the BrightBytes survey data, 81% percent of staff feel that foundational technology
skills are easy to perform and even when it comes to more challenging tasks like collaborating
online, manipulating photos, and recording and editing audio. Where teachers at Whittemore
Park Middle School still see room for improvement lies within the tech infrastructure and
support itself. While the school principal may not be able to directly resolve or alleviate these
issues, it is still the job of the school leader to advocate for support and ensure teachers are
provided with working technology in order to meet the instructional needs of their students.
Currently, only 28% percent of teachers at Whittemore Park feel the quality of tech support they
receive is excellent or at least above average. The good news for Whittemore Park, however, is
that 84% percent of teachers say they feel comfortable in their ability to fix many of the
technology problems they encounter.

Teachers report that the quality of support for problems disrupting instruction is

Teachers report that the quality of support for hardware repair is

Timely and efficient tech support are critical to a schools success with any technology initiative.
Teachers are unlikely to try new things in their classroom if they cannot rely on the technology
itself to operate effectively. Adequate support can alleviate teachers concerns and encourage the
use of new tools and resources to drive student learning. The good news for Whittemore Park is
that many teachers feel comfortable troubleshooting in an attempt to remedy their own problems,
however, if a technology issue is to overwhelming, teachers have to feel there is a system in
place to provide them support when it is needed. High quality technology and support is a
essential to fostering instructional growth with digital learning tools.

In many ways, I think Whittemore Park Middle School is ahead of the curve when it comes to
adapting to an every changing, technology infused learning landscape. The attitudes, beliefs, and
mindsets about the role of technology as a tool for teaching and learning are great signs. Getting
stakeholders to buy in to new technology initiatives is often a challenge in itself, but it appears
Whittemore Park has already cleared that hurdle. Where Whittemore Park needs to focus its
efforts is on sustaining their early successes and building for the future. Teachers have bought
into the schools mission and vision, but if they do not feel their efforts are being recognized and
appreciated, their commitment, and enthusiasm could quickly dissipate. Additionally,
Whittemore Park is a Title I school with a challenging, and often low-performing, population.
Theres great pressure from state and district officials for the school to focus on improving
performance on standardized tests and assessments. While theres no quick fix to resolve the
issue, state-mandated testing is likely depriving students of opportunities to create, collaborate,
and innovate in ways that allow them to build a repertoire of 21st Century learning skills. What
Whittemore Park can do to address the areas of concerns in this report is devise a plan to provide
students with some form of digital citizenship training. It could be embedded within content
areas to eliminate the perception of its inclusion as a distraction from academic content. Students
could be reading about digital citizenship topics in their English classes and staying up on
current technology trends and topics in Social Studies and Science. Finally, tech support is not
something a school leader has inherent control over. Many times, the district, or outside
companies, are responsible for hardware repairs and infrastructure upgrades. But schools, just
like Whittemore Park, have successfully created in-house help desks and even developed student
technology teams in an effort to provide faster, in the moment assistance to teachers and

students. Again, Whittemore Park is on the right track and at a great place, but theres always
room for improvement and growth when it comes to the changing nature of technology in the
digital age.