The Dobbs Ferry Schools Foundation has announced plans to partner with the School District on a major, 5 year technology initiative that will make Dobbs Ferry a Lighthouse District (i.e. one which serves as a beacon for others) for technologically-enhanced education. By the year 2006, Dobbs Ferry expects to be a county-wide leader in its use of technological resources in classroom instruction and district-wide communication.

"Technology is rapidly transforming all areas of our lives, and education is no exception. There are a number of new internet-based learning tools that could enhance the learning experience of teachers and children in the Dobbs Ferry School District. We are dedicated to working with the District to prove seed money to help launch this initiative. Our donations will be earmarked for the purchase of hardware and software, while the District will fund teacher training and curriculum integration," says Paul Sterne, co-president of the Foundation.

As part of the initiative, the District has announced the formation of an Educational Technology Committee. The committee is comprised of school administration, faculty and community residents (including two DFSF Board members) with a professional background in current technology. The Committee’s first task is to review the vision statement and goals that Superintendent Dr. Sidney Freund has proposed for the Dobbs Ferry Education Technology plan. The Committee will then need to assess existing technological resources and design activities and a timeline to support each goal.

The full five-year plan will be presented to the Board of Education in May, 2001. A preliminary budget for technology spending for the 2001-02 school year is due by January 1^st.

According to the vision statement (the entire version of which is accessible on the District’s web site: www.dobbsferry.com) the technology initiative will enable Dobbs Ferry classrooms to become "labs of inquiry, providing quick access to information and expanding the learning experience to include other individuals and other areas in the community and the world."

Preliminary goals for the program require that all Dobbs Ferry teachers and students demonstrate a prescribed set of competencies in the use of technology as an instructional and learning tool. Ultimately, the program will reinforce the long term goals that are being established for the district and which include:

• Enhanced Instructional Capabilities Using available and emerging technologies, teachers will be able to serve as facilitators, enabling students to interact in groups of variable size, which reflect individual abilities and curricular needs.
• Enhanced Student Performance: All Students will use various technologies as an integral part of the learning experience and will achieve higher levels of critical thinking in the various curricular areas
• Enhanced Communication and Resources: Through the use of global networks, students will have the opportunity to communicate ideas, access information and increase their awareness of other communities.

The importance of harnessing technological resources to provide today’s students with a world-class education is well established in the educational community. According to a study by the Educational Testing Service, "Computers in the Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools," the current cost of technology in the nation’s public would have to be increased by about $300 per student, or $12 billion nationwide, to make US schools "technology rich." The report suggests that there are important reasons for moving forward:

• Emerging data demonstrates that technology, when used to its best advantage, is strongly associated with improved student achievement
• Computers are integral component of the workplace – and there is an ever-growing need for technologically proficient labor
• It takes time (often up to 5 years) to infuse technology into the curriculum effectively. As a result, it’s important to begin upgrading facilities and educators’ knowledge and skills right now.

For the technology plan to succeed, the District will provide on teacher training and curriculum integration. One of the major focus’ of the Dobbs Ferry technological plan will be on teacher training. Already this year, the District has hired an individual to help the District more effectively integrate its Cable TV studio into the curriculum. The Dobbs Ferry School Foundation has committed $40k toward this effort.

Preliminary plans call for the Foundation to provide major financial support in the funding of equipment and software, which will be phased into classrooms over a five year period. "We are very excited to have a common goal with the District around which to focus our fund raising efforts. This partnership with the District is likely to boost our fund raising performance," says Sterne

Started in 1994, the Dobbs Ferry Schools Foundation has raised more than $2.7 million through individual contributions and educational grants. Working in cooperation with the administration and faculty from each of the three schools, Springhurst, the Middle School and the High School, the Board of Education, and the PTSA the Foundation gives financial support to creative educational programs that can not initially be funded by the school budget.

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