Spending to keep school buildings safe and in good condition is always a wise investment. So is adding space to facilitate expanded or added programs or to accommodate future growth.
But beyond addressing the physical well-being of school buildings, districts are equally wise to expend resources to update curricula, equipment and, especially in this day and age, technology.
Mount Pleasant Area School District officials kept this in mind when completing the district's recent renovation project at the Junior/Senior High School. Not only have buildings and classrooms been updated, but advances were made in what the district offers from a technological standpoint. Both will play a role in creating a safe and effective learning environment for students and improvements in the way teachers educate children.
New computer software, aimed at enhancing the delivery of educational services, has been added throughout the district's elementary and secondary schools.
"Callware," a computer program, helps officials to easily and quickly inform parents and guardians of students' absence and tardiness at school. Officials can input the names of absent students into a computer and contact parents, who are notified via telephone recording that their child is absent. A process that once took several hours now takes a little more than an hour.
"Homework Hotline" allows students absent from school or who have forgotten take-home assignments to call a centralized number and, using a four-digit identification number, retrieve their homework assignments from their respective teachers. Teachers have the option of setting up assignments on a daily or weekly basis, with the schedule readily available to the students via their telephone.
Parents are better able to keep track of the work that students need to complete during an absence. Moreover, parents can easily reach teachers and leave voice mail messages using the Homework Hotline.
Audio-visual instruction is key to teaching in today's schools, too, given the broad spectrum of media used to transmit information. "Smart TV" allows educational programs to be broadcast over television monitors in each classroom. Web sites, Power Point presentations and photographic demonstrations can also be displayed on the televisions.
The new technology enhances the district's ongoing efforts to enhance technology district-wide. All students, kindergarten through 12th grade, have access to computers, and technology teachers are now instructing elementary grade children. Technology has also helped improve student services, notably those provided by guidance counselors. Technology allows them to better assist students researching colleges and the availability of scholarships.
Mount Pleasant officials are pleased with how technology has become more and more integrated into the schools. "I feel that the district has become a leader in technology in the county," commented Terri Remaley, chairperson of the Pupil Services Department.
Indeed, Mount Pleasant has done well to make technology a priority. We're glad to know that this district, like many others in the Fay-West area, has recognized the important role technology plays in educating our children.
