Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age by Frederick M. Hess

The school’s successes are widely discussed in the new book and in June, President Obama announced his proposed overhaul of the federal E-Rate program from a Moorseville middle school to showcase the school’s achievements. In the six years since Moorseville began their laptop program, African-American graduation rates rose from 67 percent to 95 percent. The superintendent noted that while his districts has relatively little education funding to rely on, it ranks near the top of the state in graduation rates and student achievement. So far, Edwards said the results have been encouraging. “Instead of telling children to sit still and be quiet, we said get up around and move, make a lot of noise, talk and show each other your work.”

“Our classrooms do not look like regular classrooms,” Edwards said. Along with Edwards, the panel included Rick Ogston, the founder of the Carpe Diem Schools in Arizona, and Rosa Atkins, Charlottesville, Va. Instead of setting expectations that the technology would magically improve student achievement, the district overhauled its teaching and learning strategies as part of its plan for integrating technology in classrooms. Mark Edwards, the superintendent of North Carolina’s Mooresville School District, overhauled his district’s technology program six years ago by giving every student in grades 4 through 12 laptops to use both at home and in the classroom. The co-authors were joined at the book launch by three educators who pioneered digital strategies for their schools and districts. In addition, the book also calls for improvements to the federal E-Rate program, which is now being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, that don’t stifle innovative uses of technology. Suggestions include creating more flexible “seat-time” requirements, easing restrictions on online learning, and giving schools more power to use procurement to purchase the tech tools they need.

In addition to examining the value of technology and providing case-studies detailing best practices, the book also offers policy ideas designed to encourage the meaningful use of technology in the classroom. While the book is available at a cost, a free white paper that provides an overview of its conclusions can be found on the AEI website. Saxberg is the chief learning officer at Kaplan Inc., and Hess is the director of education policy studies at the AEI, who also writes an opinion blog for Education Week.

Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age by Frederick M. Hess