A strong technology infrastructure is vital to support the work of FUSD’s 75,000 students and 6,000 employees. As recently as 2006, that infrastructure was anything but strong. A December 1, 2006 report from the State’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (see FCMAT Technology Report, December 1, 2006) had this to say about the state of technology at FUSD.
“Many years of leadership changes in district administration and in Technology Services have diffused the focus of the department and limited its resources, its focus, and its ability to support the overall needs of the information and educational technology efforts of the district.”
The report went on to describe a system in a deep state of dysfunction: operational departments at risk of failure; school sites with little confidence in the district’s ability to provide timely and efficient technology services, some operating outside district procedures to accomplish their technological goals; uneven distribution of technology resources among schools; improperly planned technology projects; system failures; and daily breaches of the student information system, with students gaining access to other students’ information.
Superintendent Hanson responded to these conditions by appointing a new Chief Technology Officer, reporting directly to him. The new leadership has produced extraordinary results. Major improvements have been made in educational, operational and administrative technology systems and support services. Today, the District has the largest fiber-optic network north of Los Angeles, providing broadband access to every classroom; the new data center is one of the largest and most efficient in the state; and Hewlett Packard was so impressed with the technology staff at FUSD that it has identified the District as it’s national pilot site for the development and improvement of its recently introduced mini-laptops. In partnership with Microsoft, Fresno Unified has created a standardized software platform that helps students prepare for future careers. The impact on the classroom is significant – teachers have access to current educational content from the Internet that allows them to take students on virtual field trips, show educational video clips, and students are able to research online and create digital presentations. The FUSD Microsoft Case Study in the documents library is worth reading. It will give readers important insights as to why technology leadership is so vitally important to the education of our children and the efficient operation of the district.
There is much more to do. What’s in store for the coming school year?
· The deployment of nearly 10,000 classroom laptops will create unique challenges and opportunities as teachers find creative ways to integrate them into the curriculum.
· The development of Microsoft’s Sharepoint web portal to allow teachers and students to collaborate will be used as the foundation for students’ digital portfolios. The goal is to have every student at Fresno Unified capture their best learning in a personal digital portfolio as they move from Kindergarten through High School.
· Technology will play a major part in Project S.U.C.C.E.E.D. (Students Understand Career Choices, Employment, and Educational Development), which is a major technology career initiative that will be piloted at a local high school and the middle and elementary schools around it.
· After a year of research and an extensive selection process, Fresno Unified will be launching a $3.5 million software implementation to replace a 15-year old mainframe Human Resources/Benefits/Payroll system that will have a major positive impact on Fresno Unified’s 10,000 employees.
How does a school District ranked among the worst in state become one of the best? In a word, it’s leadership. And students, teachers and administrators are now seeing the benefits of this leadership.