DPS Going Digital (WHAT hath God Wrought?)

February 4, 2010 http://detnews.com/article/20100204/METRO/2040464 DPS to make textbooks all-digital in 5 years MARISA SCHULTZ The Detroit News Within five years Detroit Public Schools wants to digitalize all its teaching and learning as part of the comprehensive plan to accelerate student achievement. Viewing technology as the great equalizer, DPS' Barbara Byrd-Bennett said the district is investing in high-tech tools to equip all sixth- to 12th-graders with computers and digitize all curriculum, textbooks and lessons plans districtwide. The vision: "By 2015, you are not buying textbooks," said Byrd-Bennett, the district's chief academic and accountability auditor. The first step is an interactive Web-based portal called Learning Village that would be fully functioning by the fall. The $15 million product is part of a $40 million contract with Boston's Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which marks the largest single deal for the book publisher. Learning Village will allow the district to digitalize its textbooks, curriculum and lesson plans. Teachers can have access to students' assessment results and prospective lesson plans to more quickly identify struggling students. Parents can also log into the system to track their students' progress, print additional worksheets and view cumulative test results for a teacher's entire class. Training teachers and parents to engage with the Learning Village portal will be key, but as the buy-in occurs, Byrd-Bennett envisions the district on the path to reversing the trend of the lowest test scores and graduation rates in the nation. "I know I'm dreamer, but I do believe it's possible," she said of digitizing education. The district also intends to use $14.2 million in federal stimulus and Title I dollars for netbooks for all 36,000 students and 4,000 teachers in grades 6-12 for access to technology to support hands-on learning. That plan is still awaiting approval from the Michigan Department of Education, Byrd-Bennett said. "This technology is an equalizer," Byrd-Bennett said. "We better invest our money in equalizing that playing field for our kids." To help roll out the Learning Village technology, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is setting up a Detroit-based office with at least 13 employees for technical support, training and outreach. On Tuesday, 200 of its top employees will fan throughout the district for a day of service. Detroit is the company's largest client. The contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt runs from Aug. 31, 2009, to Dec. 31. It also includes Storytown early childhood literacy materials and math curriculum. It will be paid for with federal Title I stimulus dollars, which cannot be used for basic operating expenses of the school system but are designed for supplemental programs. The purpose of the Learning Village tool is to serve as a unified portal to connect students, teachers, parents and principals, and deliver real-time learning. mschultz@detnews.com">mschultz@detnews.com (313) 222-2310