Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Teacher Preparation

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Teacher Preparation

Top 5 technology skills principals* want new teachers to acquire during their pre-service program:

1. How to source, evaluate and use digital content within instruction (64%)
2. How to develop and implement online assessments (61%)
3. How to manage a classroom where every student has a mobile device (53%) 
4. How to use social media tools within instruction (53%)
5. How to set up a blended model class (50%) 

*Data from 2,868 principals

Speak Up 2015 reports are coming soon! www.tomorrow.org

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and College/Career Readiness

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and College/Career Readiness

Top 5 college and career ready skills administrators* think students need for future success:

1. Critical thinking and problem solving skills (91%)
2. Ability to work with a diverse group of people (90%) 
3. Teamwork and collaboration skills (87%)  
4. Independent learning skills (81%) 
5. Technology skills (76%)

*Data from 662 district administrators and 2,868 school administrators.

Speak Up 2015 reports are coming soon! www.tomorrow.org

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Instructional Quality

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Instructional Quality

45% of parents* say that their top concern regarding technology use at their child’s school is how much the use of technology within instruction varies from teacher to teacher.

Top 5 things that teachers** say they need to more effectively use digital content, tools and resources within instruction in their classroom:

1. Classroom set of laptops, tablets or Chromebooks for student use (59%)
2. Planning time with colleagues (57%)
3. Professional development (52%)
4. Confidence that students have consistent, safe Internet access outside of school (51%)
5. Funds to purchase/license digital content and apps (51%) 

*Data from 37,655 parents

**Data from 35,903 teachers

Speak Up 2015 reports are coming soon! Visit www.tomorrow.org for more details.

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Leadership

Happy Digital Learning Day! We're celebrating this special day by releasing sneak peeks of our Speak Up 2015 data - check out our digital equity and access data below:

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Leadership

Leadership in changing school culture often means understanding what the current culture is and then identifying those areas in which you think the greatest change or impact is possible.  

Teachers still do not value the effective use of technology as highly as administrators (and parents). Just 36% of teachers* said the effective use of instructional technology is extremely important to students’ success compared with 67% of district administrators**.

Top 5 educational approaches district administrators** say have the greatest potential to enhance student achievement in their districts:

1. Enhancing teacher effectiveness through professional development (62%)
2. Leveraging technology more effectively (51%) 
3. Integrating college and career ready skill development into instruction (44%)
4. Enhancing the leadership skills of administrators (39%)
5. Increasing STEM learning opportunities for students (34%) 

*Data from 35,903 teachers

**Data from 662 district administrators

Speak Up 2015 reports are coming soon! Visit www.tomorrow.org for more details.

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Access

Happy Digital Learning Day! We're celebrating this special day by releasing sneak peeks of our Speak Up 2015 data - check out our digital equity and access data below:

Speak Up Sneak Peek for #DLDay: Digital Equity and Access

68% of teachers* say that they are reluctant to assign digital homework or Internet dependent assignments or projects since some students may not have safe, consistent access to the Internet outside of school.

Top 5 ways that district administrators** say they are currently addressing this issue: 

1. Allowing students on campus before and after school to access school network (68%)
2. Encouraging libraries and other public Internet locations to give students priority (52%) 
3. Telling students to download assignments and resources to USB sticks (45%) 
4. Discouraging assignments of homework that is Internet dependent (37%)  
5. Providing wifi access in school parking lots of student access (34%)

*Data from 35,903 teachers

**Data from 662 district administrators

Speak Up 2015 reports are coming soon! Visit www.tomorrow.org for more details.

Speak Up News February 2016

Your Speak Up data is in! We are excited to release the Speak Up 2015 data results to all participating organizations! If your school or district participated in Speak Up between October and December of last year, it’s time to dig in and see what your students, teachers, parents and community members had to say. Keep reading to learn how to access your data and more. Quick links: ▪ Your survey results are now available! Learn how to access your Speak Up data results. ▪ Exporting your data is easy: Simply print the results or copy and paste them into one of our templates. ▪ Need help with your Speak Up data? Learn more about our Speak Up services. ▪ Digital Learning Day is next Wednesday. Find out how YOU & the schools, students, and educators in your network can participate. ▪ Speak Up on the go! Learn more about upcoming presentations with our CEO, Julie Evans.  For more than a decade, Speak Up has been providing this service to schools and districts around the country. We’re excited to see how this data informs your initiatives, policies and practices. Drop us a note and let us know how you use the data this year or how we can make the surveys even more useful next year. We love hearing from you! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook,Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team Access your Speak Up results online All schools and districts around the country who registered for Speak up 2015 can now access their data for free - here's how: 1. Click here to access your reports. 2. Select either Option 1 to view District results or Option 2 to view individual School results. 3. Next, enter the state, the first few letters of your district or school name and your admin password. 4. To view data reports, select the number in the “# of District Surveys” column to display that survey type. 5. To view your open ended text responses, click on “District ” in the Open Ended Responses Column. 6. Print the results or copy and paste them into your own file or this Speak Up Data Excel Template. To view your data across audiences and by theme, use ourthematic report template to drop in your school or district’s data. *Please note, at least one survey must be present to display the survey results with state and national comparisons. Exporting your Speak Up data Exporting your Speak Up data is quick and easy! Just follow these steps: 1. Highlight and copy the Speak Up data by survey type from our Speak Up data homepage. 2. Paste your data into our template Excel spreadsheet (click here to download) - the survey types are already organized by tab. 3. The file is already formatted to print, making it easy to view your data! Click here to learn more about accessing your data, or watch our quick how-to video here. Need help? The Project Tomorrow staff is available to help you effectively use your data, here are just a few of the services we can provide you: ▪ Identify the top 5 trends in your school, district or state with national benchmarks ▪ Create a Speak Up presentation that you can use to share your Speak Up results in your school or district ▪ Provide Speak Up fast facts that can be used on your website, newsletters or promotional material ▪ Present your Speak Up data in person or via a webinar ▪ Prepare a summary of your specific Speak Up findings (school, district or state) that can be distributed to your stakeholders ▪ Write a case statement, using the Speak Up data, highlighting the benefits of investing in technology (school, district, state or national) ▪ Prepare a customized narrative report about your Speak Up data (school, district or state) Contact the Speak Up Team, to learn more about our consulting services and fees. Digital Learning Day 2016 Project Tomorrow is helping spread the word about Digital Learning Day on February 17th, 2016, and we would like you to join in! It’s a day thousands of schools and local communities across the country recognize great teaching practices and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes with the help of digital tools. As a grassroots effort, Digital Learning Day encourages students, teachers, leaders, and communities to be part of transforming our education system. That means thinking differently about how technology can be used to support more engaged, deeper learning opportunities for all students. Get involved by adding an event or activity to the official Digital Learning Day map or joining the online conversation using #DLDay. Learn More about DLD here Speak Up On the Go! Upcoming presentations Webinar: Digital Learning and Technology Trends at Private Schools Hosted by Sevenstar Wednesday, February 17th Register here Nebraska Distance Learning Association Spring Conference Thursday, February 25th Omaha, NE - Keynote session: 9AM, Walnut Grand Ballroom - Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning: Breakout session 1, 10:30-11:15 BYOD sessions: ETC! 2016 California State University, Stanislaus Saturday, February 27th Workshop: Pink or Blue? Examining Gender in Games SXSWedu Austin, TX Tuesday, March 8 4:00PM - 6:00PM Hilton Austin Downtown Room 410 Session: Digital Equity Challenges: Strategies for Bridging the Home/School Connection COSN 2016 Washington D.C. Tuesday, April 5th 9:15-10:15 a.m. - Cardoza NSBA 2016 conference TBA Boston, MA April 9-11 Speak Up Congressional Briefing TBA (Mid-April) Washington, DC Click here to sign up for alerts on our upcoming briefing! Thank you for your interest and continued support of Speak Up! Be sure to stay updated on all things Speak Up by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagramand our Blog. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jhostert@tomorrow.orgor via phone at (949) 609-4660 ext. 17. Many thanks to our sponsors and partners for the support of Speak Up: Blackboard, Inc., BrainPOP, CDW, DreamBox Learning, Fuel Education, Qualcomm Wireless Reach, Rosetta Stone, Scholastic Education, American Association of School Administrators, CETPA, Consortium for School Networking, CUE, Digital Learning Day, ICE (Indiana Connected Educators), iNACOL, International Society for Technology in Education, National School Boards Association, National School Public Relations Association, National Science Teachers Association, National Secondary School Principals Association, NCCE (Northwest Council for Computer Education), NETA (Nebraska Educational Technology Association), State Education Technology Directors’ Association and TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association).

Your Speak Up 2015 data is now available! Learn how to access your data here:

Your data is in! If your school or district participated in Speak Up between October and December of last year, it’s time to dig in and see what your students, teachers, parents and community members had to say. You get all of the qualitative data as well as the responses to this year’s open-ended questions.

You can also access the results for your state and the overall national findings – so you can see how your community compares.

You’ll need your login and password to access your data. If you don’t have it, go to our website to retrieve your password.

All schools and districts around the country who registered for Speak up 2015 can now access their data for free. Here’s how.

1.) Click here to access your reports.

2) Select either Option 1 to view District results or Option 2 to view individual School results.

3.) Next, enter the state, the first few letters of your district or school name and your admin password.

4.) To view data reports, select the number in the “# of District (School) Surveys” column to display that survey type.

5.) To view your open ended text responses, click on “District (School)” in the Open Ended Responses Column.

6.) Print the results or copy and paste them into your own file or this Speak Up Data Excel Template. To view your data across audiences and by theme, use our thematic report template to drop in your school or district’s data.

*Please note, at least one survey must be present to display the survey results with state and national comparisons.

For more than a decade, Speak Up has been providing this service to schools and districts around the country. We’re excited to see how this data informs your initiatives, policies and practices. Drop us a note and let us know how you use the data this year or how we can make the surveys even more useful next year. We love hearing from you!

Click here to access your data

Private school leaders, don't miss our special Speak Up 2015 webinar on February 17!

Digital Learning and Technology Trends at Private Schools

Wed, Feb 17, 2016

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Private School Leaders are invited to watch Julie Evans, CEO, Project Tomorrow present the latest Speak Up survey findings from the fall of 2015. 

Join us for the latest information on the following topics: 

• Use of technology for learning and teaching 
• Use of mobile devices 
• Online and blended learning classes 
• Professional Development 
• College and career readiness 

Registration is free to hear Julie's expert analysis of the data to help you discover the unique digital learning aspirations of your students, parents, staff, and community members.

Click here to register

Speak Up 2015 Final Survey Counts

Thank you to all who participated! Thanks again to all of the students, educators, administrators, parents, and members of the community who took the Speak Up survey last fall! Because of your strong participation, Speak Up 2015 was one of biggest survey periods yet with over 500,000 surveys submitted! Check out the breakdown of survey counts below, as well as a list of our top participants. 503,978 overall surveys taken Students: 415,235 Teachers: 39,698 Administrators: 4,483 Parents: 37,947 Community Members: 6,615 We'd also like to give a big shout out to our top states, districts, and schools: Top 5 States based on Total Surveys 1. Indiana (104,002 surveys) 2. Texas (78,495 surveys) 3. Maryland (52,915 surveys) 4. California (42,541 surveys) 5. Alabama (34,547 surveys) Top 10 Districts Overall based on total surveys: 1. Klein ISD, TX 2. Baltimore County Public Schools, MD 3. Brevard County School District, FL 4. Weslaco ISD, TX 5. El Paso ISD, TX 6. Fairfax County Public Schools, VA 7. Shelby County School District, AL 8. Baltimore City Public School System, MD 9. Albemarle County Public Schools, VA 10. Elkhart Community Schools, IN Top 10 Schools Overall based on total surveys: 1. Klein Oak High School, Klein ISD, TX 2. Klein Forest High School, Klein ISD, TX 3. Arrowhead High, Arrowhead UHS School District, WI 4. San Marcos High School, San Marcos Unified, CA 5. San Elijo Middle School, San Marcos Unified, CA 6. Klein Collins High School, Klein ISD, TX 7. Andress High School, El Paso ISD, TX 8. Hawthorne High, Centinela Valley Union High School District, CA 9. Weslaco High School, Weslaco ISD, TX 10. Lawndale High, Centinela Valley Union High School District, CA

Great job to all of our top participants and thanks to everyone who took the survey! Stay tuned for your results in early February! Click here to visit our Speak Up 2015 participation page

Your Speak Up 2015 data will be released in early February!

Your Speak Up 2015 results will be released in early February!

We are thrilled to release your survey data in early February! Be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to next month. In the meantime, check out the preliminary data we pulled during Speak Up America week:

Preliminary data

▪ Parents
▪ Teachers
▪ Students
▪ Science Teachers
▪ Community Members and Communications Officers

Speak Up News - January 2016

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday break! We'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to all the students, parents, educators, administrators, and members of the community who took the Speak Up survey in the fall! Speak Up 2015 was one of our most successful years ever, with over 500,000 surveys submitted! Check out our full list of survey counts and top participants below, and keep reading to learn when and how you can access your Speak Up data, the winners of our Speak Up America contests, and more. In this newsletter: ▪ Speak Up 2015 final counts: How did your state do? Check out our final survey counts and top participants. ▪ Your survey results will be available in February! Learn how you can view your results once they're available next month. ▪ Speak Up America 2015: Congratulations to all of our contest winners! ▪ Speak Up on the go! Don't miss this month's upcoming webinars and events.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team

Speak Up 2015 final survey counts Thank you to all who participated! Thanks again to all of the students, educators, administrators, parents, and members of the community who took the Speak Up survey last fall! Due to your strong participation, Speak Up 2015 was one of biggest survey periods yet with over 500,000 surveys submitted! Check out the breakdown of survey counts below, as well as a list of our top participants. 503,978 overall surveys taken Students: 415,235 Teachers: 39,698 Administrators: 4,483 Parents: 37,947 Community Members: 6,615 We'd also like to give a big shout out to our top states, districts, and schools: Top 5 States based on Total Surveys 1. Indiana (104,002 surveys) 2. Texas (78,495 surveys) 3. Maryland (52,915 surveys) 4. California (42,541 surveys) 5. Alabama (34,547 surveys) Top 10 Districts Overall based on total surveys: 1. Klein ISD, TX 2. Baltimore County Public Schools, MD 3. Brevard County School District, FL 4. Weslaco ISD, TX 5. El Paso ISD, TX 6. Fairfax County Public Schools, VA 7. Shelby County School District, AL 8. Baltimore City Public School System, MD 9. Albemarle County Public Schools, VA 10. Elkhart Community Schools, IN Top 10 Schools Overall based on total surveys: 1. Klein Oak High School, Klein ISD, TX 2. Klein Forest High School, Klein ISD, TX 3. Arrowhead High, Arrowhead UHS School District, WI 4. San Marcos High School, San Marcos Unified, CA 5. San Elijo Middle School, San Marcos Unified, CA 6. Klein Collins High School, Klein ISD, TX 7. Andress High School, El Paso ISD, TX 8. Hawthorne High, Centinela Valley Union High School District, CA 9. Weslaco High School, Weslaco ISD, TX 10. Lawndale High, Centinela Valley Union High School District, CA

Great job to all of our top participants and thanks to everyone who took the survey! Click here to visit our Speak Up 2015 participation page

Speak Up 2015 data release Your Speak Up 2015 results will be released in early February! We are thrilled to release your survey data in early February! Be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to next month. In the meantime, check out the preliminary data we pulled during Speak Up America week: Preliminary data ▪ Parents ▪ Teachers ▪ Students ▪ Science Teachers ▪ Community Members and Communications Officers

Speak Up America 2015 Congratulations to all of our promotion winners! Last month we hosted our annual Speak Up America weeklong event to celebrate past, present, and new Speak Up participants. This event featured several chances to win classroom grants via photo/video submissions, free conference registrations, and free books. We are pleased to announce the winners of our Speak Up America 2015 promotions: Photo Challenge Winners ▪ Irvington Community Elementary School, IN ▪ Howe Public Schools, OK ▪ Andress High School, El Paso ISD, TX

Video Challenge Winners ▪ Union Intermediate, Sampson County Schools, NC ▪ New Market School, Madison County Schools, AL Book Giveaway Winners ▪ Flip Your Classroom by Bergmann and Sams (donated by Arfstrom Consulting) Winner: Margaret Thompson from Moore County Schools, NC ▪ Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert Putnam (donated by Arfstrom Consulting) Winner: Lori Oren from Bulloch County Schools, GA ▪ Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World by Kathleen Hurley (donated by Girls Thinking Global) Winners: Shannon Bosley from Diocese of Covington, KY and Kelly Berenda from Community Schools of Frankfort, IN

ISTE Conference Registrations ▪ Klein ISD, TX ▪ School City of Hammond, IN CoSN Conference Registration ▪ Baltimore County Public Schools, MD iNACOL Symposium Registration ▪ Tomball ISD, TX BbWorld Registration ▪ Brevard County School District, FL CUE Conference Registrations ▪ San Marcos Unified, CA ▪ Centinela Valley Union High School District, CA ▪ Washoe County SD, NV NETA Conference Registration ▪ York Public Schools, NE TCEA Convention Registration ▪ El Paso ISD, TX ICE Conference Registration ▪ Elkhart Community Schools, IN CETPA Conference Registration ▪ Poway Unified, CA

Congratulations once again to all of our Speak Up America promotion winners, ad a big thank you to all of our partners for making the week long event so successful! Click here to learn more about Speak Up America

Speak Up On the Go! FETC session: Digital Teachers, Digital Principals: Transforming the Ways We Engage Students Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) Orlando, Florida Friday January 15, 10am ET Promising new developments in the use of digital content, and specifically digital and online educational games, in elementary and middle school classrooms aim to make the connection between student engagement and empowered learning more explicit. Explore a white paper that highlights Speak Up research findings around teacher and student use of digital content and games for learning, and how administrators are increasingly supporting those efforts. Hear examples of how digital content and games are transforming classrooms and and how games can influence classroom practice via the BrainPOP GameUp portal. With Julie Evans (Project Tomorrow), Robert Miller (Volusa County Schools, FL), and Kari Stubbs (BrainPOP). Webinar: Making Learning Mobile 3.0 Report Thursday, January 28 1pm PT/4pm ET Click here to register Watch this webinar to learn about the results from the Making Learning Mobile 3.0 study, which takes an in-depth look at the impact of 1-to-1 tablet implementation, including Internet access outside the classroom, with Chicago Public Schools students. Kajeet®, the only wireless service provider dedicated to kids and education, and Project Tomorrow®, a national education nonprofit, announce the results from a three-year-long study on the impact of mobile devices on teaching and learning. The project was sponsored by Kajeet with funding from Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach Initiative.

Thank you for your interest and continued support of Speak Up! Be sure to stay updated on all things Speak Up by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagramand our Blog. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Speak Up Operations Manager, Jenny Hostert, at jhostert@tomorrow.org or via phone at (949) 609-4660 ext. 17.

Many thanks to our sponsors and partners for the support of Speak Up: Blackboard, Inc., BrainPOP, CDW, DreamBox Learning, Fuel Education, Qualcomm Wireless Reach, Rosetta Stone, Scholastic Education, American Association of School Administrators, CETPA, Consortium for School Networking, CUE, Digital Learning Day, ICE (Indiana Connected Educators), iNACOL, International Society for Technology in Education, National School Boards Association, National School Public Relations Association, National Science Teachers Association, National Secondary School Principals Association, NCCE (Northwest Council for Computer Education), NETA (Nebraska Educational Technology Association), State Education Technology Directors’ Association and TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association).

Speak Up America Photo/Video Challenge and Book Giveaway Winners

Happy Tuesday! Thank you again to all who participated in Speak Up 2015 and our Speak Up America 2015 week long event! We are excited to highlight the winners of our photo/video challenge and our book giveaway:

Photo Challenge Winners

• Irvington Community Elementary School, IN
• Howe Public Schools, OK
• Andress High School, El Paso ISD, TX

Video Challenge Winners

• Union Intermediate, Sampson County Schools, NC
• New Market School, Madison County Schools, AL

Book Giveaway Winners

• Flip Your Classroom by Bergmann and Sams (donated by Arfstrom Consulting)
  Winner: Margaret Thompson from Moore County Schools, NC
• Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert Putnam (donated by Arfstrom Consulting)
  Winner: Lori Oren from Bulloch County Schools, GA
• Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World by Kathleen Hurley (donated by Girls Thinking Global)
  Winners: Shannon Bosley from Diocese of Covington, KY and Kelly Berenda from Community Schools of Frankfort, IN

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and congratulations to our winners! Check back soon to view our list of free conference registration winners!