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Cobb County is proposing to transform teaching and learning at Mabry Middle School through Power To Learn! Pending approval by the Cobb County Board of Education, Phase I of the Power To Learn program will bring Apple iBook G4 portable computers to all of our teachers and establish demonstration/pilot sites at four high schools where students will receive laptops – 21st Century tools for a 21st Century education.

The school district has received input from parents, teachers and citizens through public forums and hundreds of emails and personal communications. We have listened, and have improved the proposal. This is a summary of some of the most common questions to provide you with the most recent information available on this exciting initiative.

How will Power To Learn impact my child’s education?
Power to Learn is a plan to transform education in Cobb County schools by providing teachers and students with the best learning tools available. The phased-in approach, with school board approval required for each phase, is a measured way to assess the viability of the program before moving to the next step. The long-term goal of one computer for every teacher, high school and middle school student – with wireless Internet access in all schools – will create a learning environment where information flows freely and can be accessed by all teachers and students anytime, anyplace. Students know how to navigate and communicate online – they thrive with interactive learning. Teachers will be able to enhance their instruction with the vast and up-to-date educational materials available online.

Do one-to-one programs really work?
Yes. A 2004 study by Silvernail & Lane on the state of Maine’s one-to-one laptop initiative noted:
• More than 70% of the students surveyed reported the laptops helped them to be better organized, to get their work done quicker and with better quality.
• Over 4 out of 5 teachers surveyed reported that students are more engaged in their learning and produce better quality work.
• Over 75% of the teachers reported having the laptops helped them better meet Maine’s statewide learning standards.

In addition, a study by SRI International reported many of the same findings in Henrico, Va., another large-scale one-to-one initiative. In addition, Henrico’s test scores have climbed significantly in all subject areas since students and teachers received laptops four years ago. A different study in February 2005 showed very strong support among teachers, students and parents for continuing Henrico’s program.

What is the school board voting to approve?
Phase I – which will issue laptops to all Pre-K – 12 teachers, establish four high school demonstration/pilot sites where students will receive laptops, and upgrade middle school labs. A related project will create a wireless network throughout all Cobb County schools so that teachers will have Internet and network access throughout their buildings. If, after months of evaluation, the demonstration/pilot sites are successful, the school board may consider extending the program to all high school students in Phase II at a later date. If the demonstration/pilot sites are not successful, the student laptops will be redistributed to high school computer labs and Phase II will not be pursued.

What is the timeline?
March/April 2005: School board votes on Phase I
If approved…Spring/Summer 2005: Laptops issued to all teachers Fall 2005: Demonstration/pilot sites established; middle school labs upgraded; wireless network upgrades begin.
How will success be measured?
At the four demonstration/pilot sites the school district will monitor student engagement, performance, attendance and discipline, among other indicators of student success. The district also will closely evaluate teacher, student and parent training, technical support, and network capability.

What is the cost?
Phase I of the program ¬would cost an estimated $5.9 million per year for a four-year lease of the computers for teachers, demonstration/pilot sites and middle school labs. That cost is based on the lease price of $350 per computer, per year, which includes full training and technical support. In addition, the district has budgeted $5.7 million to complete the wireless upgrade of all school buildings. If approved, Phase I would be funded by technology improvement dollars in SPLOST II.

Why Apple?
Apple has extensive experience in the education market. The iBook G4 is designed to be rugged for student use, lightweight and features long battery life and wireless connectivity. Apple’s Mac OS X operating system is stable, secure and features interoperability with computers running Windows. Further, the iBooks come with Microsoft Office software preinstalled. Of four vendor finalists, Apple provided Cobb County with the best plan at the lowest price.

Will my child be able to access inappropriate web sites?
Accessing inappropriate material is a violation of school district policy and will result in disciplinary action. Several security measures will be implemented to limit such activity. The district’s network firewall prevents any computer from accessing inappropriate material when students are in school. But parents will need to be vigilant in monitoring their children’s Internet use outside of school – just as they do now. To help parents and teachers monitor student Internet access, the iBooks will feature a tracking tool that maintains a list of all web sites visited by the computer.

Theft
The iBooks will feature several high-tech anti-theft security features. Other one-to-one school districts implementing similar security steps have found theft a negligible concern – less than .5 percent.

How much will parents be asked to pay?
As part of the bidding process, the school district asked vendors to recommend a fee parents would pay to insure the laptops against total loss or damage not covered by the warranty. The lowest price for insurance offered by a third-party vendor is $50 per year, per computer. The school district feels this fee is too high and is continuing to pursue other options to lower the insurance cost to parents.

For more information, please visit our website at the county Power to Learn web site.
If you still have questions and concerns, please send them to PowerToLearn@cobbk12.org.

Posted by Dr. Tyson