There are bright spots among New Mexico schools in the state education system. In its latest report, Niche.com gave more than 50 of the state’s public elementary schools a grade of A- or higher.
In a more recent U.S. News & World Report ranking, 28 New Mexico high schools earned the distinction of being among the best schools in the nation. Two schools earned the organization’s gold medal recognition, awarded only to schools in the top 500 nationally.
The Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science and The Academy for Technology and the Classics set high standards for what New Mexico schools can offer their students. To improve the overall education environment in New Mexico, more public and private schools need to follow the exemplary lead of the state’s best.
Investing in education technology is key to achieving these remarkable results. New technologies are doing more than changing the learning environment for students – some of the most cutting-edge advances establish new precedents for the role of educators, as well.
Educators are only beginning to scratch the surface of new potential in education technology. Since the advent of systematic state education, curriculum developers have operated on the assumption that all students should be exposed to the same content.
For example, a single mathematics textbook covers the entirety of what a student should know about the field. As a result, every student taking an introductory algebra class uses the same textbook.
But new developments in education technology challenge this assumption. Technologies like DreamBox allow students to learn at their own pace - while still meeting curriculum guidelines.
This creates an environment where teaching methods can accommodate students’ individual learning styles. It uses adaptive learning to provide students with a more interactive experience than textbooks can. And, the content changes based on the student’s performance.
Educators are more aware that what works for one particular 8th grader may not work as well for another. Education technology can empower New Mexico schools to develop adaptable pedagogical models that deliver the kind of results seen in the nation’s highest-performing institutions.
Data is an important part of that equation. Educators in technologically sophisticated classrooms can leverage student data to identify problem points and deliver guidance to struggling students. Instead of reducing face-to-face mentorship between teachers and students, technology augments it.
The Novak Djokovic Foundation reports promising survey results for the use of sophisticated technology in early learning environments across the United States. The majority of early learning educators already use technology to enhance their capabilities and build stronger relationships with students:
• 90% of early childhood educators regularly use technology in the classroom.
• 80% of early childhood teachers use tablet computers in the classroom.
• 51% of early childhood educators use computers, and 45% use interactive whiteboards.
The foundation’s survey reports that 96% of participating teachers would like to integrate more technology into their classrooms. At the ground level, teachers believe that these tools help them connect with young children while strengthening students’ ability to grasp key concepts.
The same survey indicates a need to improve access to technology in the classroom. Teachers would like to see their schools doing more to develop and implement education technology solutions.
While educators are almost universally in favor of increasing the use of technology in the classroom, there are obstacles on the way. Budget cuts are one of the major pain-points that education administrators commonly point out.
In particular, New Mexico schools have to make do with lower budgets and higher class sizes. This environment puts pressure on educators to avoid investing in systems and solutions that aren’t already established.
But education technology provides solutions for optimizing budget restraints while improving student and teacher performance. Whether reducing the use of expensive consumables like ink and paper on a statewide scale, or making adaptive content an affordable, feasible option for early education, intelligent investment can produce results while costing less than the status quo.
This is where managed services providers like DSI come into the picture. Technology is the solution for educators trying to improve school performance while facing disappointing budget cuts.
Managed services allow educators to reduce technology spend while improving the performance of their IT assets. Academic institutions don’t need huge budget increases to afford cutting-edge computers, tablets, printers, and infrastructure. These investments actually serve to reduce spending.
DSI is invested in transforming educators into technological leaders. We help teachers and administrators run New Mexico schools more efficiently while improving student performance and reducing waste.
Find out how our managed services can help your school effectively manage costs while improving performance. Learn more about education technology from DSI today.