Two Howard County candidates want computers for each high school freshman as a way to help boost test scores, butat least one PTA official is skeptical about the plan.
“It?s not so much getting technology into the schools; you have to have the teachers prepared and lessons plans available,” said Deborah Wessner, executive director of the Howard County PTA. “You can?t just put something in someone?s hand and expect them to know how to use them.”
County executive candidate Chris Merdon and School Board incumbent Josh Kaufman announced their School System of the Future plan Tuesday to boost the use of technology in schools, including more technical training for teachers and providing free or reduced cost Internet access in some students? houses.
The computers will allow students to do assignments and research as well as take practice tests online to help students score higher on high school assessments, Kaufman said.
Beginning in 2009, students must pass the algebra, biology, history and English assessments to graduate, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
“It?s a curriculum tool that will improve their ability to learn,” said Kaufman, who is running for re-election.
Council Member Merdon, R-District 1, said he would ensure funding is available for this initiative, but the duties of developing curriculum and training teachers falls on the school board.
“I think it?s extremely easy to provide laptops to each student,” Merdon said. “We need to ensure our teachers are trained in how to use that technology in every day lessons.”
Laptops for the 1,000 new freshman each year would cost about $4 million, Merdon said.
Merdon also pledged to increase Internet access to low- and moderate-income families.
Cable and Internet providers Comcast and Verizon have franchise agreements with the county that allow them to use county rights of way for cable lines.
Merdon said he wanted to use these agreements to mandate these companies provide free or reduced-price Internet access to qualifying families.
“Right now, they don?t have computers in their homes and are competing with students that have computers in their rooms,” he said.
AT A GLANCE
Other initiatives included in School System of the Future are:
» All new schools, additions and renovations must meet federal green building requirements for energy efficiency before funding is approved.
» Schools should move toward becoming paperless, using electronic textbooks.
» The school system should contract a limited number of bus routes to run on alternative fuels.
» Howard will fund online forums for posting lessons and homework assignments to facilitate parent-teacher communication.
