Technology
Applications Readiness Grants for
Empowering Texas
History Goals Impacts of TARGET Future of TARGET
References
In January 2003, Texas
implemented the TARGET grant program, Technology Applications Readiness Grants
for Empowering Texas students and teachers initiative, to concentrate on
“serving high need students by accelerating at the local level Enhancing
Education Through Technology of the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001” according to the 2002
Update to the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 1996-2010.
The 2004
progress report states that the primary goal of the TARGET grant is to
“prepare teachers for the Technology Applications instructional materials
adoption.”
Title II, Part D funds are provided
to districts both in formula funds and in competitive grant opportunities such
as TARGET. Title II, Part D funds are
federally funded. These competitive
grant funds have been targeted toward preparing Texas classrooms to integrate
technology. Texas administers the funds
and encourages districts to apply. The
grant is also tied to the Texas StaR
Chart.
Some of the TARGET grants,
along with other technology initiative grants, are coordinated through the
Education Service Center (ESC). The ESC
creates and manages relationships with hardware and software vendors, colleges
and universities and other statewide technology initiative programs aiding
Texas schools. TARGET provides funds for innovative technology, professional
development, technology trainers and infrastructure support technicians. Before a school district can receive the
TARGET grant, they are required to have a technology plan in place.
Multiple year projects, not
to exceed three years, were encouraged to receive TARGET grants. The multi-year projects, if awarded the
TARGET grant, would be granted funding on a graduated scale where 75% of
funding from year 1 would be received in year 2 and 50% of funding for year 3.
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TARGET Grants Awarded (2004
Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan For Technology (LRPT) 1996-2010) |
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Year One |
31 TARGET grants awarded
including 252 districts and private schools |
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Year Two |
28 TARGET continuation
grants were awarded to year one participants |
High-level goals of TARGET
v
To improve student
academic achievement through the use of technology in elementary schools and secondary
schools.
v
To assist every student
in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technology
literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade.
v
To encourage the
effective integration of technology resources and systems with teacher training
and curriculum development to establish research-based instructional methods
that can be widely implemented as best practices by State education agencies
and local education agencies.
The grant will provide the following:
• Educational services for adults and
families
• Comprehensive staff development
• Expand community access to school
information, school facilities and resources
• Acquire resources including hardware and software
for use by teachers, students, and library media personnel to improve student
learning and access to these resources.
• Implementation of on-going monitoring with
self-evaluation and administrative evaluation
• Use technology to support student and
teacher learning in key core content areas by linking to districts in project
that have used technology to enhance the learning of their students through
research based projects.
• Involve the forming of partnerships with
higher education and mentoring districts.
Although
still fairly new, TARGET is making a difference. Focusing on serving high need
students, the grant is intended to improve technology integration across the
curriculum. Another important component is starting at the foundation with
professional development.
A
significant percentage of the grant has been dedicated to professional
development. Districts are realizing that well-trained teachers will have the
necessary knowledge accompanied by a good attitude about technology. It’s
common knowledge that when one doesn’t possess the necessary skills needed to
teach with technology, their attitude will reflect that. A good attitude will
have a “trickle down” effect with students. Because of the TARGET grant, many
teachers are becoming more confident in their use of technology and
furthermore, the students are benefiting. The state is seeing more and more
teachers move toward the advanced and target levels on the STAR chart.
Several
districts are using their TARGET monies to provide state-of-the-art
technologies such as new desktop computers, software, hand-helds, and wireless
laptops. Through a needs assessment, each participating district must decide
what will benefit their students and teachers the most. Regardless of how a
district uses the grant, positive differences are being made.
Our Lady of Sorrows School,
a Catholic Parochial school serving 580 students, felt that integrating
technology into the curriculum has been much easier to accomplish because of
the grant. Teachers in grades 3-5 received electronic resources such as laptops
and projectors along with the training required. This resulted in an overall feeling that the grant had been a
positive endeavor for the school. They felt that they are improving student
achievement and engaging students because of technology provided by TARGET.
Beginning
the third year of the TARGET grant, several Tyler ISD teachers offer positive
testimonials on their district website praising the grant and what it has done
for them along with the impact it’s had on their students. Esther Broughton, a
third grade teacher at Jones Elementary
stated, “The TARGET Grant has empowered me to teach many lessons in a manner
which totally captivates my student interest and their imaginations.”
Brownsville
ISD is hoping to see an impact that goes beyond the teachers and students.
With TARGET monies, the district purchased 360 PlayStation sets with proper
software geared toward ESL students. Schools in the district allow for twenty
of the machines to rotate and go home with the students allowing them to
practice language skills at home. Many people can benefit such as parents,
siblings, and cousins. Encouraging adult literacy is another feather in the cap
of the TARGET grant.
Throughout the grant period, TEA will
constantly gather data about TARGET. This process will not officially end until
objectives of the NCLB are met. Texas
Education Agency sent an announcement in April 2005 informing eligible
applicants of TARGET’s available funding.
The TARGET grant enabling the SUPERNet project is an example of the
future (and some realized) benefits of the grant.
As with any grant, funding must be
approved and in place before it can be awarded. TARGET grants are one of the funding channels to facilitate
student achievement and implementation of the LRPT. The amount of funding will vary but Texas’ commitment according
to the LRPT is through 2010.
It is interesting to consider the many
different ways schools are using the funds. No matter which way the grant is
used, one thing is certain; TARGET is making a positive impact.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/downloads/2002UpdateLongRange.pdf
The Texas Long-Range Technology Plan (2002 Update). Retrieved October 10, 2005.
Texas Education Agency continuing funding announcement (April 8,
2005). Retrieved October 24, 2005.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/lrpt_progress.html
The Texas Long-Range Technology Plan (2004 Update). Retrieved October 10, 2005.
http://www.olssnet.org/master/target.asp
Our Lady of Sorrows School, (n.d.).
Target. Retrieved Oct. 5, 2005, from OLSS NCLB-TARGET site.
http://www.tylerisd.org/target1/testimonials.html
Tyler Independent School District,
(n.d.). Target grant testimonials. Retrieved Oct. 6, 2005, from Tyler ISD:
Lab-in-a-Bag Project site.
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/print.php?id=58184_0_10_0
Valdez-Villarreal, C. (2004). Bisd uses
playstations to improve students' english. Brownsville Herald, .
Retrieved Oct 5, 2005.
Kadel, Robert. (2005). How Teacher
Attitudes Affect Technology Integration. Learning & Leading with
Technology. 32(5), 34-47.
http://class.sprnet.org/target
SUPERNet
Project. Retrieved October 24, 2005.
Graphics
provided by Richelle.
|
ETEC 526 Fall 2005 Texas A&M Commerce
|
Right on
Target Team Jenny Dorrity
Richelle Shaffer
Barbara Villanueva |
