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Governor Rendell Announces 'Classrooms for the Future' Schools for 2008-09

The education budget signed by Rendell earlier this month provides $45 million for the purchase of laptop computers, high-speed internet access and state-of-the-art software.

Governor Edward G. Rendell today said 182 more high schools in 152 additional school districts will benefit from his Classrooms for the Future initiative, which already has transformed the learning experience for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania students.

The expansion of Classrooms for the Future, now entering its third year, means it will benefit students in 543 high schools across 453 districts in 2008-09. The program, which reached 350,000 students in its first two years, is expected to impact about 500,000 students by the end of the approaching school year by placing about 140,000 laptops in high school classrooms.

"Teachers and students alike have praised Classrooms for the Future for reinvigorating our high school classrooms," Rendell said. "It not only is making our high schools more engaging, vibrant places to learn but, just as importantly, it is helping to ensure that our students are primed for success beyond high school."

The education budget signed by the governor earlier this month provides $45 million for the purchase of laptop computers, high-speed internet access and state-of-the-art software for high school math, science, English and social studies classrooms. It also includes funding for professional development to help teachers and students derive the greatest benefit from the program.

Classrooms for the Future has shown its value during its first two years. Educators who have used this innovative program in their classrooms report it has led to increased attendance and participation. An independent evaluation of the first year of the program found:

  • Teachers spent significantly less time lecturing and more time working with small groups of students, and interacting with individual students.
  • Teachers increasingly engaged students in activities requiring higher-order thinking, and there were significant increases in the use of project- or problem-based learning.
  • A significant shift in the nature of assignments given to students, moving away from worksheets and towards "real-world, hands-on products."
  • Teachers' attitudes changed, reflecting increased value for technologies in the learning process, increases in effort and hours, and increased levels of preparation to teach their subjects well. Many noted a renewed enthusiasm for teaching.
Among the success stories from classrooms across the commonwealth:

  • A current events teacher used Classrooms for the Future equipment to help her students stage a videoconference with a soldier serving in Iraq.
  • In a science class, a group of students studying bridge design used computer software to not only design structures but also to test them to determine whether they would work in a real-life application.
  • An English teacher used this technology while having her class read "To Kill A Mockingbird." The students used the laptops to conduct mini-research projects on various aspects of the novel, including the time period, the author and themes within the book. The students then made multimedia presentations to their class, allowing them to share what they had learned and making them active, rather than passive, learners.
  • A classroom lesson in early civilizations used the technology to put students in the role of a Neolithic people that developed a community and interacted with other civilizations through trade and cultural outreach.
Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said greater student engagement and collaborative learning is not the only benefit. "Classrooms for the Future also helps students see how their academic coursework relates to the world outside the classroom, giving a deeper meaning to what goes on inside and outside school," he said.

In addition to the newly funded high schools, another 270 districts that have been part of Classrooms for the Future during the past two years will receive continuing technology funding in the coming school year, while another 31 previously funded districts will continue to receive state funding for the professional development efforts that are a critical part of the program.

"A key component of Classrooms for the Future is professional development -- teaching our teachers the best ways to incorporate the technology into the learning experience," Zahorchak said. "Technology alone cannot transform our classrooms. It must be coupled with first-rate educators who understand the best ways to use that technology to teach."

The governor said his goal is to make Classrooms for the Future available to every high school in the commonwealth that wants to incorporate it into their learning. The governor's original plan called for a $200 million investment. This year's funding brings the total investment for the first three years to $155 million. In addition, each school gets professional development funding for teacher coaching.

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