Today I visited the Denver School of Science and Technology and in part the visit was due to the kind generosity of the people at Smart Technologies and I want to publicly say thank you.  Large, very large, school districts as those in and around Denver have the capabilities of doing great things and this week I have been privileged to witness two different building sites that are leaders in the world of education.  The one thread I have found in common with the two site visits this year is they both say they are “small schools by design” .  The freedom of choice policy that is in place in the state of Colorado enables these large school districts to create pockets of “small school by design” schools.  The concept is wonderful,but two things I noticed about both districts I visited  is that they limit the number of students they accept to be able to meet their goals.  The rural America that I know is mostly made of small schools, but not by design, but by population.  I wish the parents at these rural schools wanted their children to learn as much as the parents at the Denver School of Science and Technology to be able to hold a student accountable for not doing their homework on the day it was due and not at the end of the term with a report card grade would greatly improve those all important test scores.  The teachers at the Denver School of Science and Technology seem to want to learn new things as much as their students do.  Again, not the norm in public school and something I hope is changing.   I think today’s site visit was a great trip.  The comments I heard on the bus ride home were also favorable with the exception the power point presentation was a little long.  I personally wish I had had some idea as to what their tech center actually was so I could have skipped it and not skipped visiting the Middle School.  Both the high school tour and the middle school tour could have included the tech center.

Educators planning to attend NSBA’s T+L Conference in Denver have the opportunity to book a visit to the same district that President Obama included in one of his campaign stops last fall.   The Mapleton Public Schools and their innovative small school initiatives offer an interesting alternative to past T+L conference site visits.  No doubt that technology is essential to their programs, but it serves in a supporting role to the real star of the show, improved student achievement. If you’re not familiar with Mapleton’s Reinvention Campaign, check out this Business Week story from 2006 or listen to the district’s teachers and administrators tell you why they embarked on this journey to change the educational experience for their students. If you care about kids, you owe it to yourself to visit a district that has actually put ideas into practice that are often just the subject of conceptual debates. Whether or not you agree with all of their decisions is irrelevant.  What is important, however, is how their work can inspire you to think differently about the educational alternatives your own district is providing.Mapleton – Building on Choice

The last of the blue conference bags have left the Seattle convention center, the busy chatter between workshop sessions has ended, and the long escalator rides mimicking the climb of a rollercoaster are in the past but the message, the inspiration, the connections, and the excitement remain. Paul Saffo opened the first general session by igniting a forest fire of excitement throughout the attendees. As it can best be summed up in the words of a woman I passed on the escalator, “it was just mind blowing. I mean, just amazing!” After starting T+L out with such a visionary and inspirational message it isn’t any wonder that the buzz and excitement grew exponentially for the next two days!

Presenter’s came from across the country from local Seattle to Canada, and with attendees from Australia to India and the majority from the US…. the flattening world of education technology continues to dissolve into one common mission, using technology to enhance learning environments for children. Key notes, featured speakers, and education leaders used white boards, Second Life, Moodle, Twitter, ipods, and one-to-one devices to bring their messages to life. NSBA’s very own Senior Staff Attorney, Tom Hutton, addressed common legal issues and tough uncharted questions of education and the technology that continues to transform the boundaries of the classroom. Leading school districts from around the country presented on web-based collaboration, open source, increasing student achievement, the new definition of 21st Century learning environments, their own pilot programs that have impacted their school districts, partnering with their communities and the importance of PR, professional development, assistive technology, writing and getting grants, and the list goes on and on.

The excitement, buzz, and collaboration that was occurring during sessions, between sessions, over lunches and dinners and at networking events was immeasurable. The experience is noteworthy and we can’t wait for 2009! Denver here we come!